Summer Solstice By Nick Joaquin Summary

On our first wedding anniversary, my husband came home with a woman who was six months pregnant. He introduced her as his cousin, someone who had fallen on hard times, and asked me to take care of her. I was just about to agree when fragments of imaginary commentary floated through my mind: [She's just my 'cousin'. Uh-uh, that's a cliche.] [Poor supporting female character! A maid by day, the husband's bedwarmer by night.] [But she totally deserved it! If she hadn't broken up the main couple, they'd have a whole soccer team of kids by now!] Wait—what? Supporting female character? Me? And what's this about breaking them up? So now these two get to cheat under my roof, and somehow I'm the villain? Before I could process it all, my husband was already dragging her luggage inside. "Alice doesn't like fried food," he said matter-of-factly. "And nothing too salty or spicy. Make sure you keep that in mind when you're cooking. "Oh, and pregnant women love sweets. Go out now and buy a cherry cake. The one from that bakery in the suburbs."

"Do you love him?", He asked I again tried to speak but he cut me off. "YES or NO". I nodded in YES. I love him in a brotherly way. "I thought that you were different, but I forgot about your background. I had purchased you from the red-light area. Soon or later, whore like you would have surely shown their true color, isn't it?" He drily laughed. And then, held my arm harshly and started dragging me, god knows where? He didn't even care that I was in pain. I keep staring at his face. I can't believe the day which I always wanted to come i.e. when I will actually be free from this cage, will come. But I was not feeling about him. It made me feel that I had started loving this cage...He pushed me away, and two arms collected me before I could have fallen down. I know that it belongs to my brother. Struck by physical pain and mental shock, I could bear it no longer and fainted in his arms. I finally understood that the most intolerable thing in a relationship was cheating. Without trust, our relationship was so vulnerable!

“Where is she?” “Where is Marianna Clarkson!” “Has anyone seen her!” The entire populace of the Crimson Moon Pack got thrown into confusion once the ruthless, unforgiving and callous Alpha Nickolas Cambridge began searching frantically for a mere wolfless, dirty, unwanted and disgusting commoner. Her name was Marianna - the only dirt in the Pack. Why? What prompted him into going on a desperate search for her? Where did Marianna run off too? She had endured the cruelty of the Pack for years, what could have made her run away? What could fate possibly have done to entwine the Alpha with a peasant?

Dominic is set to take over as godfather of La Famiglia but when his father is brutally murdered the vultures settle and the seat is up for grabs. Intrigue, murder, and family secrets will unfold in this thrilling dark mafia romance as Dominic takes on the role as the head of the Vittori family. Lovers will become enemies and alliances will be tested. Federal agents are watching him, his family is in danger and old feuds are renewed when Dominic loses someone he loves. There's a thin line between love and hate and Dominic will stand with one foot on either side as he fights to the bitter end to get his revenge. Please note that this book is filled with trigger chapters. Read at your own risk.

She never expected to fall for him. Jack Smith, the city's most notorious playboy, was everything she thought she should avoid. She was just a nobody-or so she believed. But when her fiancé cruelly discards her for a business deal with a billionaire heiress and frames her brother for a crime he didn't commit, she's left broken and desperate. With no one else to turn to, she seeks help from the one man she swore she'd never rely on-Jack Smith, the billionaire who had always seemed out of reach. But as secrets unfold, she discovers she's not the nobody she thought she was. She's an heiress in her own right, with more power than she ever imagined. Now, her ex-fiancé wants her back, realizing too late what he lost. But has she already fallen for Jack, the man who's shown her a world of wealth, power, and a love she never thought possible? In a battle of hearts and fortunes, she must decide: reclaim her past or embrace the future with the man who stole her heart?

Living a life as a wolfless werewolf was a nightmare for Bella. Being ignored by everyone as not a part of the pack, being the reason for bringing her entire pack to the very bottom line of poverty, and then getting rejected by her mate, Damon, at very first sight, Bella's life was on a rollercoaster of hell. She had thought it will end now. This should be the end of her miseries. But when Damon basically kidnappers her out of her pack, and keeps her under his constant watch right before she gets exposed to the secrets... terrifying secrets that her mate hides from her makes her question everything that happened in her life. Now when her parents are murdered in cold blood, her pack is slaughtered, and she is forced to run like hell to save her own life, what would she do when the reason for it all is... her own love, Damon?

"Until when?" Arther asked with jealousy, "Will I wait for you to be done playing with another Alpha?" "Until I saw him cry," Dan replied, "until there is no confidence in his eyes, I want to see him being tamed by me." Dan is often rejected by Arther, his mate, who is from a different pack in the past. He bow himself that he'll do anything to tame that Alpha no matter what happened. And so, when the chance arrived... The game begins.

The hunt is on… Cara, a shy, friendless librarian doesn’t know why the notorious player Rig Landon has suddenly started paying her attention. After escaping the iron grip of her alcoholic father, she’s at university to learn, not play, and she tells Rig so. Repeatedly. But Rig bet his packmates that he could seduce any human female they choose—and they chose Cara. Cara’s total lack of game puts every one of Rig’s seductive talents to the test. But he’s persistent. And the more time they spend together, the less Rig cares about the bet, and the more he cares about Cara. Which is a problem. Because Rig is carrying a big secret. A deadly secret. Turns out Rig isn’t the only one hunting Cara… Will Rig’s secrets end Cara’s life before he can show her she’s more to him than just prey?

I was working overtime at the mall on New Year's Eve, only to witness my boyfriend proposing to the broke student, whose scholarship was funded by my family, on the biggest screen in the place. I was about to step forward and confront him when she, with tears in her eyes, accepted the proposal. "Being confessed to in my family’s own estate… is so romantic and meaningful. Thank you for loving me so wholeheartedly for five years." As soon as those words left her mouth, the two embraced, sharing a deep kiss amidst the cheering crowd. They even won the "Best Couple" award for the night. I didn’t cry or make a scene. Instead, I volunteered to present them with their prize. I couldn’t wait to see what fate had in store for two pieces of trash standing together.

I am an Omega, the lowest rank in the wolf packs, the rejected, the despised. I never bother about being an Omega or serving my fellow wolves as long as my family is right beside me. My bed of roses turned into a bed of thorns when I clocked eighteen. I discovered that my mate is the beta, and he has pronounced rejection upon me. My heart is torn and my life has turned complicated. Is this how it feels to be rejected by your mate? ***** Being an Omega is bad, isn't it? Getting rejected is worse, is it not? And getting accepted by a cursed Alpha is the worst of all, don't you think? After Elena gets rejected by the Beta because of her status, she accepts her fate and decides to move on despite knowing how painful it will be, she crosses paths with the Alpha and he declares acceptance upon her. When Elena uncovers the mask behind the acceptance by the Alpha, will she choose to remain rejected by the Beta or accepted by the Alpha?