The Devil To Pay

Love built a kingdom. Love destroyed it. And love… might yet bring it back. Long ago, Queen Daphne and King Zerach ruled the Highland of Songhai with hearts bound by passion and destiny. But when tragedy stole the queen from his arms, the mighty king’s heart turned to stone — until Freda, a gentle soul with eyes like sunrise, taught him to feel again. Their love healed the kingdom… and from it came Prince Lucien, bright, noble, and pure. But fate is cruel. For in another corner of the land lived Lyra, a beautiful, fearless girl whose laughter could tame storms — and whose blood carried the same mark as the prince’s. When Lucien met her in the forest, time itself stood still. Their souls recognized each other before their lips ever spoke. What began as an innocent bond soon became an all-consuming love — one that defied gods, bloodlines, and fate itself. Lucien vowed to make her his queen. Lyra vowed to love him even if the stars fell from the sky. Yet destiny had written another story — a story of a secret birth, a forbidden prophecy, and a love so powerful it threatened to tear the world apart. When truth came, it shattered everything: the king’s peace, the queen’s heart, and the lovers’ dreams. But even as kingdoms burned and tears fell like rain… Lucien and Lyra chose love — even in death. And in the silence after sorrow, the Highland of Songhai bloomed again — the winds whispering their names, Lucien and Lyra… the love that defied eternity.

At the New Year’s team-building event, the intern, Lilith Woods, did not obtain my approval and changed our suburban trip to a seven-day tour of Baline. “Mr. Lucian Stone, I hear a change of scenery can really spice things up. Don’t lock up tonight. I’ll come by for a deep dive into our collaboration.” She pretended to be drunk and fell into my arms while slipping the room key into my pocket in the process. To avoid suspicion, I did not return to the hotel. However, in the middle of the night, the police called me in for questioning—someone had reported a dine-and-dash. Only then did I realize that the reserved budget of $100,000 for the accommodation had long since been exceeded. Lilith had upgraded their room to a presidential suite, feasted on high-end seafood buffets, and even used company funds to buy luxury handbags! When I showed up at their private room, the interns were still casually taking king crabs and several unopened bottles of the Macallan Whisky with them. “Mr. Stone, you’re just in time. Could you please settle the bill?” Lilith looked utterly righteous as she said this with a grin. “Young people like us make mistakes, while adults help to pay the price. You’re not exactly short on cash, anyway. Just think of it as buying my happiness.” I stared at the $700,000 bill and paid it in silence. The next day, the payment invoices made their grand entrance in the group chat, accompanied by my pinned message. [Upon financial review, this team-building event does not meet reimbursement criteria. All expenses will be shared equally among the seven participants.] [Each person will need to pay $100,000, payable immediately. If payment needs to be deferred, please print the proof and submit it to the President’s Office.]

In a world ruled by power and betrayal, Atticus Escoban, the younger daughter of the influential Escoban family, has always lived away from the dangerous chaos of their criminal empire. For 21 years, she was sheltered, hidden, and protected. But her life changes forever when Alijax Costaloña, the cold and calculating heir of the Costaloña dynasty, violently confronts her father, leaving him gravely wounded. Atticus never expected to be caught in the crossfire of her family’s schemes. Worse, Alijax discovers her existence and shocks everyone by choosing her—over her older sister Anneth—to be his fiancée. The engagement is a sham, a dangerous ploy to secure alliances, but Alijax has plans no one can predict. Determined to protect her family at any cost, Atticus agrees to the engagement, kahit na lumalaban ang puso niya sa ideya. Behind her composed exterior, she plots her way out, refusing to let the Costaloñas dictate her future. But the closer she gets to Alijax, the harder it becomes to distinguish between the man who ruined her family and the one who seems capable of understanding her like no one else. “Do you think you can escape this, Atticus?” he said, his voice dangerously low as he cornered her in the dimly lit study. “You’re mine now. Whether you like it or not.” Her fists clenched, and she met his cold, unreadable gaze with defiance. “You can own the world, Alijax Costaloña, pero ako? Hindi mo ako makukuha.” In a game of power, deception, and forbidden emotions, Atticus must make the ultimate choice. Will she sacrifice her freedom to protect her family, or will she risk it all to claim the life she truly deserves? Love and survival collide in a story where nothing is what it seems, and every decision could be deadly.

Mildred has spent most of her life as a prostitute in a club. Men lust after her, they want her, but she was well-known for being violent and disobedient. No man has ever been able to tame her. Zaccheus Gonzales, one of the richest mafia in the country, has turned thirty-five and jaded. He needed a partner to bear his child but no woman could ever satisfy him enough to be his wife. However, he was persistent to have Mildred once he saw her for the first time in the club with nothing but restraints and leash around her neck. Alternatively, Mildred didn't like him at first sight. He was known to her and everyone else as a ruthless killer with no conscience, disregarding the man's attractive physical appearance. She knew better than to trust their species. She despised men and would never submit to them, even if it was Zaccheus who always kept his distance. She had always desired for freedom. What would she do if she finds out she could grasp the freedom she always wanted if she’d only agree to marry Zaccheus Gonzales? Would she trust him and accept?

“Don't send me away! I promise to do whatever you want. Don't just send me back!" Desperate Candy pleaded with the man she knows nothing about. He slowly turns to look at her, his gaze piercing as ever, sending a chill down her spine. Stepping closer, he reached her chin and raised it to make her meet his eyes, using his index finger. "Little woman, accepting to be my wife means I'll own you and there's no turning back. You seems too fragile to be in my hell," He warned. With nervousness kicking in, she took a deep breath. She'd rather face his hell than stuck in the misery her stepmother had prepared for her. "Yes. I want to be your wife. In return you'll have to protect me from my step mother," She boldly declared prompting the man's lips to curl up into a devilish smile. His gaze settled on her slightly exposed cleavage, and lust filled them. "Strip" He ordered. ___ A deal... With the Billionaire devil... Will Candy ever regret her decision? What happens when enemies, dark secrets and unexpected emotions threatened to tear them apart?

He was never supposed to want her. She was never supposed to survive him. But some fates are written in stone. And their love? It might burn the world down. ***** DANTE SALVATORE is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he refuses to confess. Raised in the shadows of Europe's deadliest families, he carved an empire from blood and betrayal. He doesn't believe in God. He doesn't believe in love. Only power and control. But when he's given a gift by an old enemy, a trembling girl in holy white ,he doesn't expect her eyes to shake something loose in him. Something dangerous that could unravel everything he's built. …. CELESTE MOREAU is a fallen saint. A girl with too much guilt in her bones and too many prayers left unanswered. Haunted by the night her mother died while she was sneaking out to meet a boy, she's spent six years behind church walls, trying to repent. Trying to disappear. She knew what the other sisters did in the shadows. She just prayed she'd never be chosen. But when her only friend begs her to take her place for a mysterious client, Celeste finds herself sold to the most dangerous man in Europe. He is sin incarnate. And when he touches her, she doesn't feel fear. She feels alive.

Lelaki dengan sorot mata tajam, minim bersuara dan tegas. Ethand Girogino Alves sang CEO Alves Corp selalu berpikir kritis dan kejam. Bahkan setiap kalimat yang dilontarkannya seperti sembilu yang menyayat hati bagi setiap telinga yang mendengarnya. “Ternyata benar,” Ethand menjeda kalimatnya. Wanita dihadapannya menatap sinis lalu membuang tatapannya ke arah lain. “Barang murah memang selalu berkualitas rendah.” Awal mula pertemuan Ethand dan seorang wanita yang mampu mengubah pandangan hidup dan hatinya. Emma Liandra Jones, seorang wanita yang mahir dalam dunia IT. Bekerja di Alves Corp dan bertemu dengan CEO yang memberinya hukuman di hari pertama kerja. “Bukankah lelaki juga selalu menilai wanita dari sepatu mana yang dipakainya?” Emma seorang yang jenius. Kecantikannya mengalahkan artis papan atas di Vunia. Akankah Ethand me-reset hidupnya dan memulai hidup baru?

You may think I’m a saint, but there is a devil living inside of me. —Seth Corpuz Noah’s world began to crumble when his mother abandoned him—the only person he had. Everything was difficult for him after that until Don Vincenzo rescued him from the depths of despair. He’ll be reborn as Seth Corpuz, a consigliere of the Corpuz Famiglia. He will live to serve and protect the family, as well as Aurora, who will make him fall in love with her despite all odds.

Irina Volkov has three most important rules: no emotions, no real names, and never meet in person. For two years she has survived on those rules alone — running romance scams on wealthy men, funneling every stolen dollar toward the crushing debt her abusive stepfather signed in her name before she escaped. She is not greedy. She is desperate. And she is very, very good. Until she targets Nikolai Dragunov. What Irina doesn't know is that Nikolai has known about her from the beginning. He created the perfect bait — a lonely businessman with money to burn — and waited for her to find him. Because in a world Nikolai controls down to the last detail, Irina Volkov is the only unpredictable thing left. He wanted to see how far she would go. Now the game is over. The con is exposed. And Nikolai isn't asking for his money back. He's keeping her. Trapped in his penthouse with nowhere to run and a Bratva boss who looks at her like she's both a puzzle and a prize, Irina has to survive the most dangerous mark she's ever made — and somehow stop herself from falling for him in the process. She's a liar. He's a monster. And neither of them expected to fall. "You took my money, Malyshka. Now you belong to me."

"The fact that my seed is growing in your womb, it drives me insane." He leaned in really close to her and whispered while his hand was roaming on her belly. Her breath hitched at the intensity of his deep words. ----- Ryan Weaver is the CEO of the Weaver corporation. He is a famous playboy. His perfectly devilish looks and money, can bring any girl to her knees for him. However, unexpectedly, at the craziest possible place, he had a one time thing with the mysterious girl. In the morning, when he woke up, she had already left. For the first time, Ryan felt used. Meanwhile, Anastasia Logan is an inspiring jewellery designer. After losing her virginity to a stranger, her life changed. She thought she will never see him again. But the fate had something else planned for her.... and it was something so strong that this time she couldn't even run from it.