Steve Arthur Christmas

Every Christmas Eve in Port Saint Giovanni, the Camerlano family hosts the Claiming Rite at Saint Giovanni Manor. Twelve girls stand in a line. Whoever receives the white-gold signet pin becomes the heir’s publicly acknowledged bride candidate. I am Grace Sorrento, the bastard daughter of the Sorrento family. If I do not receive that signet tonight, by sunrise I will be put on a plane to Chicago and married off to a Rizzo, a man rumored to have killed two former fiancées. Adrian Camerlano, the boy I grew up with, swore to me in blood three days ago that the signet would be mine. But when the moment came, his hand turned. With a smile, he pinned it on Lucia, the orphan his family had sponsored. Then he leaned close to my ear. "Let Lucia have her moment. No one has ever really looked at her before. Don’t worry. This is my estate. No one will dare arrange your marriage without my say." I grabbed his sleeve, but he removed my fingers one by one. "Lucia has no roots and no last name. Tonight is all she has. But you are a Sorrento. Even without the signet, no one will touch you." That phrase, no last name, drew every gaze in the ballroom toward me, full of pity and quiet mockery. The next morning, I boarded a flight to Chicago. When Adrian heard, he made one call to Port Saint Giovanni Air Control. "Ground every plane. Nothing leaves today!"

Stella's heart soared at the thought that only her son would be returning home for the Christmas holiday. It was a dream come true for her, one she had been looking forward to. Her heart was filled with sheer bliss until the moment she laid eyes on Trevor after five years, standing by the door with her son. The object of her wildest fantasies and long hidden secret. Trevor, in the flesh, with that knowing, seductive smile on his face that makes her thighs throb with desire. Stella scolded herself for even entertaining such sinful and forbidden thoughts, knowing that he was her son's best friend. But her body, her traitorous body, reacted instinctively to his presence, every part of her awakened by his mere gaze."Stop it, Stella!" she scolded herself again. "This is wrong."But she couldn't help it. Trevor had a way of making her feel alive, and the knowledge that he would be spending two weeks in her home only added to her inner turmoil. One look, one smile, one touch from him, and she was already trembling with desire. She knew it was wrong, but it felt so right.God help her, knowing that these two weeks with Trevor would be a tempting disaster waiting to happen. But she couldn't resist the allure of his presence, and she feared that her deepest secret would be unraveled in the process, turning her world upside down.

Natuklasan ni Jenna na ang BF niya ay isang gold digging fake. Naglasing siya and she passed out. Topher, another artist from work and a pretty handsome hunk, came to the rescue. Nang magising siya ay nasa bahay na siya nito, and he took care of her because he didn't know where else to bring her. Invited na makasama ito sa lonesome nitong Christmas Eve, she stayed. Nalaman niyang pareho silang broken-hearted, and one thing led to another… by morning they are lovers. Gumanti si Jenna sa kanyang manlolokong ex saka umalis para magbakasyon sa Bali. When she came back, she realized she couldn't forget Topher and their time together. Pero ang kaba niya na baka hindi sila pareho ng nararamdaman ay nawala sa unang sandali pa lang na nagkita silang muli, when he welcomed her with his hot, delicious brand of kiss. They couldn't get back to bed fast enough. Situations seem to help them to continue their fling secretly… and she told herself it was just rebound… nag-e-enjoy lang sila. They both deserve it. And yet, she is starting to feel like she couldn’t let him go anymore. And the problem with rebounds is they have an ex they couldn't move on from… you know. And Topher's ex wanted him back…

Anna’s life has always been a journey of survival. Born with bipolar disorder and lost as a child, she was taken in by a struggling farmer’s family who never truly accepted her. Ridiculed, unloved, and married off to a man who despised her, Anna’s world seemed destined for hardship. Yet, through it all, she held onto the small kindness shown by her adoptive father, the only beacon of hope in her bleak existence. Fifteen years later, Anna's talent as a dancer catches the eye of a wealthy audience at the Edgewood Group’s annual Christmas party. But it’s not just her performance that turns heads—it’s the birthmark under her arm and the locket around her neck, the very signs her long-lost grandmother has been searching for. Suddenly, Anna is thrust into a life she could have never imagined, reclaiming her true identity as the heir to a powerful empire. As Anna navigates the complexities of her newfound wealth and status, she must confront her painful past, including the toxic marriage she was forced into and the mental health struggles she has battled alone. With the support of her grandmother, Anna begins to forge a new path, discovering her strength and resilience. "Finding Anna" is a poignant tale of identity, redemption, and the enduring power of hope. Follow Anna’s journey from the streets of hardship to the heights of power as she learns to embrace her true self and reclaim the life she was meant to live.

Mocked and bullied for her chubby appearance, billionaire heiress—Beatrice Rutherfurd ran from her privileged life. In the arms of Adrian Cooper, a humble young man with big dreams, she found solace and acceptance for who she was. But their brief happiness shatters when the police raid Adrian’s house, finding an underaged Beatrice pregnant. He was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, accused of a crime he never meant to commit. Beatrice was told that the man of her dreams had abandoned her. Five years of wrongful imprisonment fueled his hatred, and when Arthur was finally released, his dreams had turned to a need for revenge. Inheriting his uncle’s fortune, he rises from nothing, now a powerful figure with a heart full of bitterness and a new name—Authur Whitlock. Ten years after their first meeting, Beatrice's life is in shambles—her family company is caught in a scandal and on the verge of collapse. Just when she’s most vulnerable, Authur reappears with a proposition: a marriage of convenience that could either save her life or ruin them both. But Beatrice doesn’t recognise this man as the one who’d stolen her heart years ago—the man who she thought for dead. Now, he’s just a monster bent on destroying her—heart and body alike.

Hidup kembali untuk kedua kalinya, aku memutuskan untuk menjauh sejauh mungkin dari Arthur. Saat dia mendadak masuk ke perusahaan tempatku bekerja, aku langsung mengundurkan diri. Saat dia membeli rumah di komplek tempatku tinggal, aku segera pindah jauh-jauh. Saat dia memutuskan untuk mengambil alih bisnis keluarga dan menetap di dalam negeri, aku pun langsung mengajukan pindah tugas keluar negeri. Di kehidupan sebelumnya, aku memaksanya menikah denganku dengan alasan hamil. Namun, di hari pernikahan kami, cinta pertamanya kembali. Begitu melihat kami menikah, wanita itu langsung melompat dari atap gedung. Arthur pura-pura tak terjadi apa-apa, tetap tersenyum dan menikah denganku. Di hari ulang tahun pernikahan kami, dia mengajak aku dan anak kami pergi terjun lenting. Namun, dia malah memotong tali pengaman kami, membuat aku mati mengenaskan bersama anakku. Setelah mati, dia menatap mayatku dengan senyuman mengerikan. “Kalau bukan kamu, Aiko nggak akan bunuh diri!” “Sekarang, pergilah ke alam baka dan minta maaf pada Aiko!” Begitu membuka mata lagi, aku sudah kembali ke malam saat aku memaksanya menikah dengan dalih hamil.

Eight years into marriage, and Fabian's mom finally gave me and my son her stamp of approval. Invited us to spend Christmas in his hometown. My son—Luca--and I were hyped. We picked out a gift for her and hit the road with Fabian. Right as we pulled into the village, Fabian's old friend called—crying, claiming she'd crashed her car. Fabian panicked. Left me and Luca in some random snowy mountain town and sped off. It was pitch black. Snow dumping down. Then Luca screamed. He'd stepped on a trap and dropped into a pit. Blood everywhere. I called Fabian, totally panicked. He goes, "Stella, Roxana's in a wreck. I need to be with her. Stop making everything a competition." Then he hung up. Blocked me. No time to fall apart. I wiped my face, called an ambulance. Too far out. By the time they got there, Luca was already gone. Cold. Broken. Gone. I held him and screamed until my lungs gave out. Meanwhile, Roxana's posting in the social media. All smiles in Fabian's arms. His face soft. Loving. [Highway jam turned into truth or dare. One word—"accident"—and he came flying. So happy.] I exhaled. Tagged Fabian. [Let's get a divorce.] This joke of a marriage should've ended forever ago.

My dad is a fan of tough love parenting. When I was a kid, there was a time when I obtained full marks on two subjects. But he told me, "Your grades don't mean anything in life. If you were a true man, you'd leap down five floors without batting an eyelash." Some time later, I was awarded for my act of bravery. But Dad scoffed in my face. "Not even a hair is harmed on your head. Why should you be awarded anyway?" I thought Dad wanted me to go through more training in life. On Christmas Eve, he ditched me on a snowy mountain under the guise of wanting me to go through more training. He didn't give me a tent or a lighter. Later on, Dad even brags about his parenting method to his relatives and friends. "A real man should survive and thrive in a desperate situation! I told Julian that he can forget about being my son if he can't even make his way back to the summit!" But the red dot on the GPS tracker installed in his phone hasn't moved for the past three hours. The truth is, I've already frozen to death in the mountains. Trapped in my fist is a crumpled, torn scrap of paper. Meanwhile, my soul is currently floating above the dining table while watching Dad brag about his tough love parenting.

(WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIAL NOT INTENDED FOR VIEWERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18+) Evangeline Bramwell is a brilliant Astrophysics student, aiming to escape the clutches of her controlling and extremely wealthy family and one day visit the stars. with a track record of straight As, getting a 28 in an elective course, Art of all, sends her spiraling. in a desperate plea for help, she demands extra credit from her processor. he agrees, on the condition that she becomes his teaching assistant for the semester. it's difficult work, but eager to save her grades and please her parents, she agrees. Professor Arthur Nikolai is a man with many faces. once a ruthless crime boss, he is an art professor, known for his brutal grading system and his students' infatuation with him. all be wants is a peaceful work life. the last thing he needed was another starry eyed student in his orbit. however, nothing could prepare him for the storm that Evangeline brings into his life. it was a simple enough agreement. become his TA in exchange for extra credit. soon the line starts to blur as passions and forbidden desires stir between them. how long can they keep the line between professor and student? how long can they deny their lust till it overflows? how much are they willing to sacrifice for each other? how far can a rogue star go before crashing into a binary?

During a company team-building event, I collapse from a seafood allergy. Yet my fiance, Frederick Scott, rushes Beatrice Sutton, who only twisted her ankle, to the hospital. I come close to dying because I don't get treatment in time. Later, Frederick explains, "Beatrice is my best friend's sister. He's seriously ill now, and I promised him I'd take care of his sister. I swear I'll keep my distance from her from now on." This isn't the first time I've heard an excuse like that. On our fifth anniversary, Beatrice accidentally deleted a work file and burst into tears out of worry. When Frederick heard about it, he left me stranded on a mountain and drove back to the office himself. I spent a whole day and night walking home through the rain. On Christmas, Beatrice's house lost power. Frederick was worried that she might be scared of being alone, and he rushed over to her place without even telling me, leaving me out in the snow waiting for him until dawn. These kinds of things have happened countless times. Afterward, he always brushes them off with the same excuse. I've long since lost all faith in him and no longer believe a single word he says. I pick up my phone and call the company that keeps reaching out to me. "I've decided to accept your offer from last time. I'll bring the core technology with me."