Summer Reading Women

I was the biological daughter of the Stone Family. With my gossip-tracking system, I played the part of a meek, obedient girl on the surface, but underneath, I would strike hard when it counted. What I didn't realize was that someone could hear my every thought. "Even if you're our biological sister, Alicia is the only one we truly acknowledge. You need to understand your place," said my brothers. 'I must've broken a deal with the devil in a past life to end up in the Stone Family this time,' I figured. My brothers stopped dead in their tracks. "Alice is obedient, sensible, and loves everyone in this family. Don't stir up drama by trying to compete for attention." I couldn't help but think, 'Well, she's sensible enough to ruin everyone's lives and loves you all to the point of making me nauseous.' The brothers looked dumbfounded.

It never crossed Danielle's mind that she would cross paths with her arch-rival, Karl, a business mogul in Northtide. Sparks flew but in more ways than one. One day, a reporter asked during an interview, "Mr. Burt, on behalf of the women, what is an ideal woman to you?" "Someone like my wife." Thus, Karl's secret marriage to Danielle spread across the world.

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.

"How can you say that about me, Nathan? I never had a kid!" Aaron Fuller protests. My wife, Jenny Green, stands protectively in front of him. "That's enough! You can't slander Aaron just because you're jealous of him. Just you wait, Nathan. I haven't settled the score with you for calling Aaron this afternoon and insulting him!"

I saw a post while scrolling through my social media. [Adult male merman for sale. Hard to tame. Letting go for cheap.] I commented, [I'll take him.] The seller asked for ten thousand dollars and promised doorstep delivery. When I opened the package, the merman was nowhere near 160 pounds. He barely weighed over a hundred. His skin was sallow, his ribs visible beneath it, and his tail fin was rotting at the edges. I messaged the seller, [I want a refund.] The message failed to go through.

My parents and my younger sister, Mable Munroe, are diagnosed with severe illnesses one after another. As I stare at the astronomical sum of medical bills, I can only grit my teeth and deal with them by taking on ten part-time jobs in one go. After stirring awake from collapse caused by exhaustion, I realize that I can hear the thoughts of everyone around me. My mom, who's too busy coughing up blood, has something else going on in her mind. "This low-quality fake blood really is disgusting! Why isn't that stupid brat giving us her salary of the day? I need the money to buy new bags!" My dad, who's already crippled from his disease, thinks, "I'm about to get cramps from all the cripple-faking I have to do! Once Talia clears my debt, I'm going to get myself a nice proper massage for a few days straight!" Meanwhile, the weakened Mable has already cooked up a plot in her mind. "Hurry up and tell that broke boyfriend of mine to stay awake from me! I want Talia to break up with him on my behalf! That way, I'll be able to reel in my next boyfriend without any guilt!" As I stare at my family, I choose to not expose their lies. Instead, I retrieve all the money that I've planned on paying their "medical bills" with. Later on, I track down Mable's boyfriend, Kyle Hargrove. There, I can hear his thoughts echoing loudly in my mind. "Did Mable get her sister to send the message that she wants to dump me? I'll have her know that I'm the only son of the richest man in town! Mable and that family of hers shall live in regret for the rest of their lives!" A bold thought pops into my mind all of a sudden. I twist my ankle on the spot and use the opportunity to collapse right into Kyle's arms.

Li Mei terbangun dan menyadari bahwa dia tidak sedang berada di rumahnya.  Di mana ini? Bukankah tadi dia terjatuh dari tangga? Kenapa dia tidak berada di rumah sakit dan malah berada di dalam rumah reyot seperti ini? Dan … siapa pula laki-laki tampan yang tidur di sebelahnya ini? "Kalau kamu sudah tidak tahan dengan pernikahan kita, tunggulah beberapa hari lagi. Aku pasti akan menceraikanmu. Jangan berusaha bunuh diri lagi," ucap Bai Changyi menatapnya dengan muram. Bercerai? Kenapa dia mau bercerai dari suami yang tampan seperti ini? Bai Chanyi menatapnya dengan kebingungan? Bukankah perceraian adalah hal yang paling Li Mei inginkan selama ini? "Aku tidak ingin bercerai, aku hanya ingin menjadi kaya!" Bisakah Li Mei mewujudkan impiannya untuk menjadi seorang pengusaha kaya di era kuno bersama suaminya? IG : @summerrainwriter FB : Summer Rain

The freshman welcome party was loud—music blasting, people screaming over it. Then the external pacemaker on my chest started shrieking. 10 percent battery. Cold sweat hit fast. I always carried a backup. Always. I yanked open my backpack. No heavy medical battery pack. Just a flimsy power bank. One blinking bar.

My childhood friends switched their university of choice behind my back. Going to the capital, they enrolled in an elite university with an exchange student. To them, I was just a tool who could not survive without them. That impression lasted until the opening ceremony of an Ivy League university. As the representative of the new students, I stood at the center of the hall. Meanwhile, the youngest PhD advisor in the entire country watched me as he smiled. Beyond the world of the novel I lived in, the readers’ comments went wild. [Shouldn’t she be crying back at home? Why is she in an Ivy League university?] However, the next part was even crazier. That man actually asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday. He was Professor Samuel Grant, the one who had rejected my four childhood friends from studying under him. When my childhood friends left me behind to chase after that manipulative witch, they never expected me to cast aside my role as someone running after them. I ended up holding a full-ride scholarship and reached heights they could never touch.

My husband, Don Cassian, just survived an assassination attempt. He limped in, bleeding, and ordered me to stitch him up. But when I reached into his blood-soaked suit, my fingers brushed against something soft. Black lace panties. Not mine. My hand flew to my still-flat stomach. For our child. How could he do this to us? Ice flooded my veins. “We’re done, Cassian.” His gaze was heavy, exhausted. He gave a single, sharp nod. “Fine. I’ll have my lawyer draft the papers.” But then, a frantic little voice—one that wasn't mine—screamed from deep within my womb. [Mom, don’t leave him! Dad didn’t cheat! The family isn’t going to fall. It’s a setup!] [Oriana Gallo planned all of this! She wants your place! She put those panties in his pocket herself!] [If you leave, her men will grab you. They’ll take you to an abandoned warehouse and dump your body in Lake Michigan. Then she’ll play the grieving friend, comfort Dad, and become the new Mrs. Marino!] [Mom, I came back to stop this! Please, don’t fall for it again!] I snapped back to the present. Spinning around, I launched myself into Cassian's arms, my body wracked with sobs. “I was just trying to scare you! How could you agree so easily? Are you that tired of me?” I jabbed a finger at his chest, tears streaming down my face.