Standing Punching Bag

There is something in the rain. At the very beginning of the rainy season, same nightmare hunts Luisa every night. A dream that lies between reality and fantasy. Sa tuwing umuulan ay may bigat siyang nararamdaman na hindi maipaliwanag ng dalaga. Isang panaginip na gumugulo sa tahimik niyang isipan. Ngunit isang gabi, nagbago ang lahat ng iyon nang mag-krus ang kanilang landas ng isang binata. He is the mysterious guy who she often caught standing in front of her house at midnight every single time the rain pours. Noong una ang akala niya ay masamang loob. Ngunit lumipas ang mga gabi, sa maraming beses itong bumabalik doon at tila naghihintay. Curiosity kicks in. Isang gabi nang maabutan niya ulit ang lalaki sa tapat ng kanyang bahay, naglakas-loob nang lapitan ni Luisa ito. Nang gabing iyon ay nakilala niya si Levi. He is waiting for someone. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit ito naroon at madalas maghintay. Lumipas ang mga araw at linggo, sa tuwing bumubuhos ang ulan, palagi pa rin niyang natatagpuan doon si Levi. Hanggang isang gabi ay pasukin ng masamang loob ang bahay ni Luisa, nanganib ang kanyang buhay, at ang unang nagligtas sa kanya ay walang iba kung hindi si Levi. Mulan ang gabing iyon, mula sa pagtayo nito sa labas ay tuluyan nang binuksan ni Luisa ang pinto ng kanyang tahanan sa binata. Luisa finally found a friend and comfort in Levi. Pakiramdam niya ay nagkaroon ng kulay ang buhay niyang puno ng kalungkutan at katanungan. Hanggang sa tuluyan nahulog ang puso ni Luisa kay Levi. Nagkaroon ng kabuluhan ang lahat nang masuklian ng binata ang kanyang damdamin. Sa gitna ng masaya at bagong pag-ibig, paano kung malaman ni Luisa isang umaga na ang lahat tungkol kay Levi ay hindi totoo?

"AJust like in highschool, if you have the rooftop, it means that it is your territory and there would be no one to stop your ascension...but, standing at the top gives bittersweet feelings too in between your glory and sorry." Biglaan ang pag-uwi ni Bella sa Pilipinas upang makita ang kanyang lolo na hindi niya kilala. Pagkauwi ay iba ang naabutan niya, ang testamentong siya ang magmamana ng lahat ng ari-arian ng mga Echizen. Pagkatapos niyon, ayaw na siyang pabalikin ng kanyang ina sa Japan, ang bansang naging tahanan niya ng sampung taon, dahil nalaman nila ang pinakatatago niyang sikreto na isa siyang gangster. Nangako siya sa kanyang ina na magbabagong buhay. At dahil doon ay nagtago siya sa pagiging isang nerd. First day of school, nakabangga na niya ang bully na si Jarvis Fortalejo na kilala bilang Emperor ng Black Dragon Gang, ang kinatatakutan na gang sa Pilipinas. Dahil sa insidenteng iyon ay hindi na matamihik ang kanyang school life kaya naisip ni Bella ang makipag deal sa black dragon gang pero hindi niya akalain na iyon ang makakapagbago na kanyang buhay. Bella was forced to disguise as the girlfriend of the Emperor and she hated his guts! Jarvis Fortalejo is sure to be the king of arrogance, hot headed and ruthless leader pero biglang naglaho ang impression niyang iyon nang makilala niya ito. Marunong din pala siyang tumawa at masaya rin palang kasama. Hanggang sa dumating na nga ang araw na— she fell in love with him. But becoming the Emperor’s Queen will not be easy as she will be forced to face the challenge of his underlings, the 5 Gangs. Will she fall back and lose the man he learned to love or will the legendary Black Butterfly step up to win the fight?

Akala ko mababaon ko na sa limot ang nakaraan. Eighteen years ago, I walked away from the man I loved, clutching the tiny life growing inside me, shattering my own heart to protect my child. Binuo ko ang mundo ko mula sa simula, pinalaki si Gian nang may lakas at pagmamahal, at hinubog ang reputasyon ko bilang Queen Verdict, hindi matatalo at matatag sa korte. Para sa akin, ang Maynila, ang lungsod ng pagkakanulo, ay mundo na isinara ko na magpakailanman. But life has a way of dragging you back into the fire. Nang mapilitan akong humarap sa imperyo ng Aragon sa korte, I’m not prepared for the ghosts of my past especially Nathan, now standing across the courtroom from me, representing the family that once tore us apart. Ang tensyon ay matindi, personal, at imposibleng balewalain. At si Laura, na parang anino ng dilim, na may bulong ng tukso at kaguluhan, nagpapakita kay Nathan ng dahilan para makalimot sa akin. I thought I could protect Gian from Nathan’s world, from their tangled history, but fate has other plans. Nang dumating ang panganib, napagtanto kong ang pag-ibig, katapatan, at tiwala ay laban sa sarili rin. Ang obsesyon ni Nathan, ang walang tigil niyang pagsunod, ang matinding proteksyon niya ay nakakaakit, nakakatakot, at nakalilito lahat ng sabay. I have a choice: let him back into our lives or keep the walls I’ve built, shielding my son from heartbreak again. Ngunit sa larong ito ng kapangyarihan, paghihiganti, at pagnanasa, natutunan ko ang isang bagay: a Queen rises, scars and all, to claim her throne. At gagawin ko ang lahat para protektahan ang pamilya ko, kahit harapin ang lalaking minahal ko noon ,kahit pa harapin ang aking mga kahihinatnan and the consequences I never imagined.

Van Dominic Loudd grew up without a family. He was young when he became an orphan and was raised by a family lawyer. He had always wanted to have a big, happy family. And he thought he would be able to achieve that when he met and fell in love with Demani Dominico. As opposed to Van, Demani was born in a big, close-knit family. Lumaki ito sa isang kilala at respetadong familia; believing that family should stick together through good and bad times. Just like all other couples out there, they met, fell in love, and planned for the future. Van eventually became part of the Dominico family. His life became complete. And so he thought... Dahil ang pamilya ni Demani rin pala ang dahilan kaya hindi naging maganda ang takbo ng pagsasama nila. They loved each other to destruction, but her family was pulling their relationship down. And Van got tired of it, and so, they started to fight a lot and lose respect for each other. They went through a bitter separation, and Demani thought she would never hear from him again. Until two years later, nakatanggap na lang ito ng sulat mula sa abogado ni Van, asking for her help. Van had an accident and he needed her assistance. She was skeptical at first, she didn't want to have any connections whatsoever with him; but she still found herself standing in front of their old house, waiting for him to open up the door. Will there be a second chance for them? **

For five long years, Lyra Santiago believed love was enough. Kahit galing siya sa simpleng pamilya at ang fiancé niyang si Tristan ay anak ng isang business tycoon, hindi siya natinag. But on their wedding day, everything shattered—Tristan dumped her for a wealthier woman, in front of everyone, leaving her broken, humiliated, and wearing a wedding dress that mocked her pain. Walang direksiyon, umiiyak at wasak, she wandered into the night—only to meet a silent stranger in a wheelchair. His name was Elias Montero. Mysterious. Cold. Untouchable. And when he suddenly asked, “Will you marry me tonight?”—Lyra, driven by grief and impulse, said yes. What began as a reckless decision turned into something life—altering. Sa kanilang wedding night, Elias stunned her—standing up from his wheelchair, carrying her to bed with strength and dominance that contradicted everything she assumed. Kinabukasan, sa kaniyang pagbabalik sa trabaho, isang mas malaking rebelasyon ang bumungad: Elias was her company’s new CEO—none other than the zillionaire heir to the Montero Group of Companies. From heartbreak to power play, Lyra’s world turned upside down. She became Elias’s personal assistant, his shadow, his obsession. Unti—unti, sa gitna ng mga intriga, tsismis, at mapanghusgang mata, she found herself falling for the man who saw her worth when she couldn’t see it herself. But secrets have a way of unraveling. A former lover resurfaces. A hidden fiancée returns. At sa oras ng pagdududa, Lyra walks away—carrying not just a wounded heart, but Elias’s child. Now, Elias must fight not just to win her back… but to prove that his love wasn’t a lie. Because in a world full of deception, only one truth remains—he never wanted a wife... until her.

Si Elara Renoir ay isang babaeng matagal nang nangarap ng tunay na pag-ibig. Isang lalaking mamahalin siya sa mundong puno ng panlilinlang. Syempre, hindi mawawala sa kanyang listahan ang gwapo, mabango, at mayamang lalaki. “Aminin na natin,” aniya, “hindi ka mabubuhay sa mundong ito kung hindi ka magiging praktikal.” Hindi siya sakim o gold digger. Gusto lang niyang matiyak na ang buhay at pamilyang bubuuin niya ay magiging maayos at maginhawa. Naranasan na niya ang hirap at ayaw na niyang bumalik doon. Then Rhett Alaric came into the picture. Years ago, she saw him on a magazine cover. Young CEO, perfectly tailored suit, handsome and composed. His gaze was sharp yet calm. From that moment, he became her ideal man, someone she thought she’d only admire from afar. But fate had other plans. One quiet afternoon in a coffee shop, she looked up and there he was. The same man from that magazine, real and breathtaking. For a moment, she could only stare, realizing the man she once dreamed of was standing right in front of her. Ngunit sa pinakanakakahiya pang pagkakataon ito nangyari. Hindi man lang tulad ng mga teleserye moments na may slow motion at background music. Sa pagmamadali niyang maibigay ang kape, hindi niya namalayang natapunan niya ito ng mainit na kape—at sa mamahaling suit pa talaga nito bumagsak ang lahat! Gulat. Pagkapahiya. Kaba. At oo, may halong kilig rin. Ngunit nang magtama ang kanilang mga mata, malamig. Matapang. He wasn’t just a man in a suit—he was the man everyone feared to disappoint. At sa oras na iyon, alam ni Elara na hindi lang kape ang natapon niya, kundi pati ang unang impresyon niya sa lalaking matagal na niyang pinapangarap.

Hindi inaasahan ni Jillian na sa pagsama niya sa kanyang boss sa isang pribadong dinner party, makikita niya ang dating nobyong matagal na niyang hinahanap—si Zacharias. But the Zacharias standing before her was no longer the simple, funny, and loving man she once knew. He is now Zacharias Wolfgang, the only heir to the Wolfgang Empire—the powerful family everyone wants to be connected to. Five years ago, they met at one of his family's companies in Cagayan. Walang kaalam-alam si Jillian na ang lalaking minahal niya nang sobra-sobra ay nagpapanggap lamang na mahirap na empleyado. Sinusubok pala siya nito kung pera lamang ang habol niya. Nang bumagsak siya, Zacharias mercilessly erased her from his life. "Jillian Aguillar," he says mockingly, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Weren't you desperate to marry rich? Nakahanap ka ba?" Pilit ang ngiti niya. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wolfgang." Kumuyom ang palad niya sa likod. "I almost did." Later, she gathers the courage to stop him outside the restroom. Gusto niyang magpaliwanag. Gusto niyang sabihin na may anak sila. Pero hindi siya binigyan ng pagkakataon. "Now that you know who I am, you regret it?" he sneers. "Another scheme to get close to me?" Nadurog ng husto ang puso niya. Sa mga oras na iyon, napagtantao niya na may mga bagay na talaga na kahit anong gawin ay hindi na maayos. After all, Zacharias Wolfgang hates her. So why does he keep showing up in her life again and again? And when the truth finally comes out—about that night five years ago, about their child—Zacharias Wolfgang, the man who once abandoned her without hesitation, will stand outside her door, swallowing his pride… …and begging her to take him back.