Strawberry Taste

"I swear on everything I have, Leylla Monroe... You won't hurt me like this. I won't let you," Vincent said, his voice shaking with anger. She smiled, calm and daring. "It's already happening. You are already having a bittersweet taste of your own medicine, Doctor Vincent De'Lucca." "It will stop!" he shouted, as if trying to believe his own words. "I will stop you and my father, no matter what it takes." He stepped closer, his eyes burning. "And if I can't stop it... I would rather die than have you as my stepmother!" Leylla let out a quiet laugh. It was soft, but cold. Then, she gave him the same look she wore the day she caught him sleeping with her best and only friend. Her voice dropped, sharp and icy. "If that happens, Vincent, I will gladly descend your coffin into the ground myself." _____________________________________________________________________ He had never truly believed in her. Perhaps, never really loved her as he claimed. Then he cheated, crushing her heart completely. Lost and broken, Leylla ran into a stranger in the hospital parking lot. One mistake led to a night of wild passion. But the morning after... She discovered that the man she had slept with was none other than her ex's father and the senior surgeon at the hospital. Now her ex would rather die than see her become his stepmother. But his father is ready to lose everything... just to have her. A love once sweet... now poisoned. Two lovers... now enemies. Sweet promises... turned into cruel threats. And threats? They are turning real, one by one. And finally... What happens when revenge tastes better than love?

Nang nakawin ni Anastasia ang pitaka ni Kirill Ivanov, akala niya'y pera lamang ang mawawala sa bilyonaryo. Pero maling-mali siya. Dahil ang tunay na ninakaw niya ay ang atensyon ng lalaki—isang pagkakamaling magiging sanhi ng panibagong yugto ng buhay niya.  Sa liblib na isla na pagmamay-ari ni Kirill, paniniwala niya ay kamatayan na ang magiging kabayaran ng kaniyang mga kasalanan. Ngunit laking gulat niya nang nagdesisyon itong gawin siyang sekretarya. Inaakala niyang lumambot na ang puso ng binata, pero kalaunan ay nalaman niyang patibong lang pala ang lahat, isang bitag. Kirill doesn’t want revenge—he wants ownership. Her body, bound by lies that taste like devotion. Her mind, poisoned by secrets only his hands can unravel. Her soul, seduced by promises of freedom… a deceptive illusion.  But when a forbidden spark ignites between predator and prey, their twisted passion threatens to shatter the line between salvation and damnation. Pero hanggang kailangan ba mahuhumaling si Tasia sa ipinagbabawal na lasa ng sarap na ipinalalasap ni Kirill?  How much can Kirill destroy just to claim what’s his? Their story is a lethal game of desire and deceit, where love wears the face of ruin— and surrender might be the deadliest sin of all. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be my secretary. My shadow. You’ll fetch my coffee and file the receipts for the men I bury. And every night, you’ll sit across from me at dinner, wearing the dresses I choose, eating the food I allow… and wondering when I’ll finally snap.” — Kirill Yevgenyevich Ivanov

Isabella Romano's idyllic existence falls apart in just one week. Her engagement and career have been ruined, and the only place she can go is to her father's construction business. Finding herself in front of Dominic Castellano, her dad's business partner, best friend, and the man she's desired since she was eighteen, is the last thing she expects. For years, Dom has avoided contact with Vincent's daughter. She is everything he shouldn't want, off-limits, and prohibited. His good intentions, however, are immediately dashed when she arrives, broken and desperate. A single touch triggers another. An uncontrollable fire is started by a single kiss. With a hunger that had been growing for years, he forced her against the office wall and framed her face with his rough hands before snatching her mouth. "This is insane," he growled against her lips while his fingers entangled themselves in her hair. "Then stop," she said softly. No, he couldn't. He couldn't, God forbid him. As he raised her, plans strewn across the floor, her legs encircled his waist. It was everything he had denied himself: the taste of her, the sensation of her gentle curves on his. She gasped as his lips touched the tender region on her neck. "Dom," she said. "Please—" “Dom? "You in there?" The door opened and Vincent's voice roared in. Both of them froze