The Painted Veil Novel

Isa lang naman ang hiling ni Alana at 'yon ay mahalin din siya ng lalaking kaniyang minahal noon pa man at iyon ay si Knight. Hiniling niya sa kaniyang mga magulang na maikasal siya sa binata na sa huli naman ay naisakatuparan din. Ngunit ang akala niya na matututunan din siyang mahalin ay hindi pala bagkus naging bangungot ito na malayo sa kaniyang pinangarap. Matitiis niya ba ang ilang taon ang knailang pagsasama kung gayon ay ni hindi naman siya itinuturing bilang asawa at kahit na pagkababae niya ay dinudurakan na? O sa huli ay makikita niya ang kaniyang kahalagahan dahil sa isang tao na hindi niya aakalaing tutulong at aahon sa kaniya na kalaunan ay nakita na lamang niya ang sarili na nasa bisig nito. Tama nga ba ang kaniyang naging desisyon o kailangan niya lamang na bigyan ulit ng isa pang pagkakataon si Knight? Sino nga ba sa dalawa ang pipiliin niya sa huli? Pinagtagpo nga lang ba talaga at hindi itinadhana?

Luca's expression turned serious. "What's going on, Isabella? You can tell me anything." Isabella took a deep breath before blurting out the truth. "I'm pregnant, Luca." The room fell silent. Luca's eyes widened in shock. Isabella continued, her voice shaking. "And the father... is Vincent Moreno." Luca's face turned grim. "The mafia king?" Isabella nodded, feeling a wave of fear wash over her. She knew what this meant. She knew that she couldn't keep her pregnancy a secret from Vincent. He would stop at nothing to claim his child. Luca's voice brought her back to reality. "You know what this means, don't you? You can't keep this a secret from him. He'll find out, and when he does... " Isabella's eyes flashed with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my child, Luca. I'll go to the ends of the earth to keep them safe from him." Luca's expression turned somber. "How long can you keep running, Isabella? You can't hide forever." Isabella's jaw set in determination. "As long as I'm alive, Luca. I'll never let him near my child." *** "WHERE IS MY CHILD, ISABELLA?" He thundered, his eyes blazing with fury. Isabella's cup fell from her hands, shattering on the floor. She felt like she was frozen in time, unable to move or speak. The man took a step closer, his eyes fixed on hers. "You've been hiding my child from me for seven years. It's time I took what's mine."

Natalia Shaw and Noah Shaw had always looked very happy to the general public, and everyone who knew the Shaw couple wanted to be like them. But there was something else... Nobody else knew about it, even Natalia's best friend, but Noah had a bad habit of hurting Natalia. It had started out small, like all bad habits did, but then later, Noah had morphed into someone that Natalia could not recognize. Piero Teodoro D' Ricci was Noah newest acquaintance, and he got invited to Noah's home by Noah, himself. Piero is able to recognize the signs of abuse, no matter how subtle, and after meeting Natalia, the warning bells in his head kicked in. He left their house eventually, promising to get to the heart of the case. He met Natalia again in a social gathering, and then he proceeded to use that to his advantage, and spoke to her, trying to get her to tell him what she was passing through. Natalia did not open up, but she did get two of his business cards "in case she lost one.", he had said. The abuse from Noah got to a head and Natalia eventually decided to contact Piero, and then she let him know that she was ready to open up and receive his help. Natalia and Piero worked together, and all seemed fine until she showed up with divorce papers and got beaten up by her husband, Noah. Piero stood by Natalia in the dark, as she did not want him to in public, as a friend and attorney. And maybe as something else too. What happens when Noah finds out that his wife was in cahoots with an acquaintance of his? And what would happen to Natalia when her drunken affair with Piero gets to light?

For years, the witches and vampires of Shadowbrooke co-existed secretly, without much incident. Until one winter evening in 2002. Luca Delacroix was on a hunting trip when the monthly court hosted by his clan turned disastrous. What began as a normal night for the residents of the sleepy town ended horribly when fledgelings in blood-lust took Shadowbrooke under siege. It took a small coven of witches, a powerful spell, the Chaos Star and a virgin's blood to end the terror. But in the aftermath, Julian Delacroix, Luca's brother, along with several of their clan members, were eternally bound to the manor's cellar, forsaken to wither and perish from thirst. It's 2022, and Luca's returned to Shadowbrooke after two decades. His sudden reappearance threatens to destabilise the peaceful town again. He'll stop at nothing to get his brother out, and the Youngblood Coven will not hesitate to destroy him. While the witches scramble to get the missing piece of the Star of Chaos, the rune they once used against Luca's clan, he has to fight hard to stay one step ahead of them. But, his plans go awry when he meets and falls in love with Cadence Youngblood, the same woman responsible for his brother's infernal prison. Cadence is everything he shouldn't want, but for her, Luca is willing to take the backlash from his clan and risk her coven's wrath. © 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

When a Queen in an Ivory mask, with hidden secrets and a man of mystery met, an uncontrollable heat and passion overwhelmed them both. Queen Anastasia of the North Kingdom, is a woman with dark secrets, widely known as the most voluptuous yet sadist, Wolf Queen of the North, whose real face was hidden inside an ivory wolf’s mask. It became her marque. Her sexual desires and satisfaction are being ruled by a unique condition called voyeurism. No man could ever arouse her. From the South Kingdom, Rodwartem, a man of mystery too, who has been thrown into the sea during infancy and rose to fame as the deadly warrior of the South, heard about the Wolf Queen and his interest rose greatly. He vowed to meet her and expose her identity, so he volunteered as a decoy when the South‘s Lycan King planned to conquer the North. Would Rodwartem be able to fulfill his intention and the South Kingdom conquer the North through him, or he would fail just like the other men who tried to outwit the Wolf Queen in an ivory mask? In the end, would a story full of dark moments, lust, greed, pride, hatred, and evilness be ruled by love?

Yveon Sid Baltazar has feelings for her childhood best friend, Grant Velasquez. Grant is a famous actor, singer and model who has an excellent reputation. Yveon never tried to confess her feelings to her friend, and she knows that it will just ruin everything and she's contented on what relationship they have now. Minseo Xin, a boy who lives in the other world, was a rule breaker. He's the next one to be the king of Hanyang Dynasty, but he doesn't like the idea of being in the throne that's why he does his best to make his father angry and let his brother Jun take the throne instead. His father- the current king of Hanyang, decided to send Minseo on the other world where Yveon and Grant lives and let his brother Jun take the spot of being the next king temporarily. What will happen if Yveon and Minseo meet? Does Grant will know what his childhood best friend feels for him? The feelings will be mutual or not?

My husband’s friend’s widow uploaded a picture of her pregnancy report. [Thank you for letting me have my own baby.] I responded with a question mark when I saw Jake Green, my husband’s name, in the husband column. Jake immediately called me to yell at me. “She’s a widow and is living alone. All she wants is to have a baby to keep her company and give her life a little more cheer. How could you not show her even this bit of pity? “You know that Henry is my friend. It’s only right for me to take care of his wife after he died! This is called friendship, don’t you understand?!” Soon, Henry’s widow uploaded a photo of a loft apartment. [Thank goodness you’re by my side to let me experience the warmth of a family again.] When I saw Jake busying himself in the kitchen in the photo, I thought it was time to end the marriage.

In Lyon, France, a Moroccan dancer and a chef employed by the mafia find themselves drawn to each other in the captivating novel, "The Dancer and the Mafia's Chef." Their passionate romance unfolds amidst the vibrant dance community, intertwining their worlds and challenging them to confront hidden truths while navigating the complexities of trust and self-discovery.

When I learned that Holly Jones had gone to deliver cold medicine to her young assistant, even though she knew I was trapped in the elevator and suffered from claustrophobia, I asked for a divorce. Holly signed without hesitation. Smiling at her best friend, she said, "Jim is just throwing a little tantrum. His parents are gone, so there's no way he'd really divorce me. Besides, there's a thirty-day cooling-off period before it's finalized. If he regrets it, I'll graciously forgive him and take him back." The very next day, she posted a couples' photoshoot with her assistant, captioned: [Capturing your every sexy moment.] I counted the days. Calmly, I packed my belongings and made a phone call. "Uncle, buy me a ticket to Hudson City."

Seven years into our marriage, my husband, Lucas Thorne, is hailed as a legendary astronomer in the field of astronomy. It is no secret that he absolutely adores me, his wife. He always keeps a polite, distant demeanor with those around him. Even when his new assistant, Serena Cox, asks for his number, he coldly turns her down. In the year he proposed to me, he named a star "LAW", which was an acronym for "Lucas Adores Wilma". Since then, every asteroid he discovers is named with initials that hold a special significance only the two of us know. To others, they might just be scientific achievements. But to me, they are unspoken love letters. This goes on until this morning, when I stumble upon an unfamiliar phone. I unlock it easily with my middle name, thinking it's yet another quiet gesture of his love. But to my horror, I find a string of explicit messages between him and another woman. The person who was at the receiving end of those messages was none other than… Serena, his assistant.