The Calm Before The Storm

Patrick and Clare wake up trapped in a basement, a thin wall separating their cells. Their captor is mysteriously absent, which at first seems like a blessing. As more time passes with no food or water, they begin to realize a clock is ticking for their survival.They know their captor is still out there, and it is only a matter of time before he returns.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

(ONGOING) 2022 Working in the underground archive of Hills Inc. a company that took over her father's, Caroline Ann Wright, a beautiful black woman experiences much more than she ever thought she would in her lifetime. ***** Caroline Ann Wright lost her parents in a plane crash when she was just seven years old. Her Aunt took her in because of the fortune her parents had left behind. At eighteen, she was abandoned to live on the streets. Twenty four years old, she works at Hills Inc. a building where her father once ran his company, now taken over by a new one. It didn't matter to her, not as long as she gets paid. Later on, she realizes her job in the underground archive is much more than bookkeeping. Instead, she is to ensure the secret door containing the company's secrets is not breached by outsiders. Fate aligns her meeting with the cocky playboy CEO, Dawn Hills who had lost his mother to cancer, and has quite a strained relationship with his father. At first, he lied about his true position in the company just to know her. In his words, Caroline seems rigid and makes his curiosity swell. Their story breaks into a full blown romance. However, like the saying goes...it is not always sunshine and rainbows.

I was pregnant. On my way to deliver documents to Tristan Goldberg, a flash flood struck. Desperate, I dialed his number, praying he’d answer. After a few rings, the call connected. But instead of Tristan, a woman’s voice answered. "Tristan, whose number is this? Do you want to answer it?" There was a brief pause, and then Tristan’s voice, cold and indifferent, cut through. "It’s just my maid. Ignore it. Hang up." And just like that, the call disconnected. Staring at the torrent rising around me, my pulse quickened. I texted him, begging for him to send a rescue team. Minutes passed as the waters climbed to my waist, churning and relentless. Then, a message from Tristan finally appeared. Tristan: [What kind of ridiculous story are you making up now?] Tristan: [Emily, do you think you're eighteen, playing these childish games? I want that document in my hands within thirty minutes, or we're getting divorced.] A surge of terror shot through me as I looked up, catching sight of a heavy branch snapping loose and crashing down. In an instant, everything went dark.

Set in 90's times... Jennifer used to be a cold hot headed teenage girl. She was living a normal life, not until she met Akira, a college guy who spilled a 1peso worth of juice on her 7,000 worth of peso bag. She then ended up being in love and in a relationship with him. One night under the full moon she witnessed with her two eyes how her boyfriend turned into a beast that the folks used to call it as a werewolf. She was totally shocked, however, she didn't feel afraid of Akira. Akira confessed about his true identity to her. She learned that every werewolf has a mate and that will only come within their breed. That makes her to persuade Akira to turn her also into a werewolf because she was afraid that Akira would be mated to another werewoman. As Akira fangs pierced on her neck, untold history before them, began to unfold in her mind. And when she totally became a werewolf, she ended up killing Akira. Her life of being a witch with a blood of a werewolf started. She came to the underworld to avenge her parents- the powerful white witches, who had been killed by the black witch and a father and son- werewolf. There, she saw again the face of the man she love, with a modest beautiful woman beside him who turned out to be Akira's mate.

Leah had discovered her first real betrayal from the ones she loved the most... or so she thought. Her half-sister, wanted everything she had, but the one thing that was supposed to be hers, was ripped and taken from her too. When a kind stranger comes along, what does she do? Should she continue to seek her revenge or should she give up on the idea altogether? What happens when the stranger finds himself wanting her more and more? Is it fate or just a simple coincidence? One secret, one undiscovered truth, what will happen next? After all, there is pain before bliss...

"Before you go, was there something I could have said to make it all feel better?"- Lewis Calpadi Economic hierarchy strips a twenty three year old accountant, Maria Crawford, of a five year relationship with trillionaire Mama's boy, Dominic Payne. Things get a tad bit dramatic when a body is found in Dominic's trunk and love scores again as Maria does everything she can to prove that her ex is innocent. The Good news; she has a best friend who's a good lawyer and actually the best in the state named Zack Osborn, who lucky for them is in town. The Bad; our lawyer friend once had a bruised cheek courtesy of Mama's boy. With pleas from Maria, Zack agrees to be Dominic's lawyer even as he still hates his guts. What could a simple accountant know about murder cases? Would she be throwing herself out too for the murderer to find, or will she leave all these unscathed? ©️ Hillary 2022 ®️All rights reserved

“Imagine if both your wife and your lover fell into the water at the same time—who would you save first?” Upon remembering what her friend had said a few days ago, Myra felt her heart ache; it was so acute that it threatened to suffocate her. She stood stiffly in the banquet hall while the exquisite knee-length blue dress she wore was glued to her wet body, making her like a drowned rat. When the company employees in the hall saw her, they began to whisper and snicker among themselves. She did not have to eavesdrop to know what they said about her. “She’s trying to climb the corporate ladder by sleeping with the director…”

When Samantha Hall meets Lucas Storm at the Water Gardens on that fateful night, she realizes that she wants more than the contract marriage he has to offer her, but she knows that entering into the billionaire’s life would not be a very easy task. Lucas Storm has a lot on his mind - his younger brother is about to take over the company he has labored to build, and the only way he can save it is by showing his father he is responsible and settling down. That is when he meets the beautiful and easy going Samantha. But with deep feelings of love threatening to get in the way of their contract and an age old family feud for the billion dollar company, Lucas is thrown into a dilemma - he has to choose between Samantha and the company Would he lose it all and follow his heart or risk trying to get them both? Find out

“I thought you wanted to sleep, my Queen,” Lorcan whispered. “I changed my mind,” Niamh kissed Lorcan again, deeply, hungrily. “Besides, you owe me a wedding night.” “I stand reminded,” Lorcan bowed his head. Looking up, he grasped Niamh around the waist and turned to lay her beneath him, kissing her passionately. *** Niamh had dutifully fulfilled her obligation to marry King Lorcan of the Elven Realms, only to watch her new husband ride off to battle the very next day. But he was lost in battle, and she was left to face her new role as Queen among haters, admirers, and potential suitors… and a traitor. Despite the challenges she formed new alliances, treaties, and friends, and, once the King was found, they built an unshakable love while facing turmoil. Once free to leave, what choice will she make? Will the love they formed be strong enough to endure more than time? Rising Storm in the Elven Realms is created by Heather Dilts-Baiano, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Storm Thompson was well-known for his natural charisma, his wit and cool personality. He's nice to everyone. Playboy? Flirt? Loves to play? nah. It was and will never be his forte. He loves playing basketball. And his attention and heart was already claimed by someone na hindi naman siya magawang tapunan kahit daan lang ng tingin. Mataas ang tingin niya sa babaeng nagugustuhan niya. At iniisip niyang hindi siya nito magugustuhan. Sunny Daine on the otherhand is an independent woman and competitive. She's taking Journalism. She's focused and goal oriented. Sunny meets Storm. Became friends in an instant. Will there be love between them or just pure friendship? Let's read. :)