The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman To Master

The air crackled with menace, each syllable a poisoned dart. "You belong to me. You'll serve me. Do this and be quiet if you want to live." These were the ironclad words that slammed down on Miguel and Alejandro, forging a link of fear and obligation. Miguel , a shadow in the city's underbelly, found his deadly profession twisted into a personal debt. A botched hit, a life spared – the mafia prince demanded repayment in flesh and loyalty. Now, Miguel 's existence was tethered to a man he was meant to extinguish. Alejandro, the journalist with a voice too loud for the prince's liking, became collateral damage in this dangerous game. His relentless pursuit of truth had landed him squarely in the crosshairs. One careless encounter, a desperate attempt by Miguel to silence Alejandro's probing questions with a kiss – a spark ignited in the suffocating darkness. It was a kiss meant to quell, but it unfurled a landscape of unexpected desire. Suddenly, the stakes were higher than survival. The illicit touch had awakened a fierce passion, a dangerous intimacy blooming between captor and… something more. Yet, the prince's wrath was a constant shadow, threats lurked in every corner, and the chasm of their circumstances stretched between them like a vast, unforgiving ocean. Could this fragile connection withstand the forces determined to tear them apart? the constant threat of exposure, the weight of their conflicting worlds, and the ever-present danger? Could Alejandro find a way to reconcile his principles with the undeniable pull he felt for his captor? Could Miguel risk the stability of his empire for a love born in captivity? Would their love become a casualty of the very danger that brought them together, or would they fight to keep its flame alive against impossible odds?

Pembunuh datang dari masa depan untuk mencegah tragedi yang terjadi. Akan tetapi sang target justru tewas terbunuh oleh orang lain. Kini ia dan adik sang target menjadi pelarian. Diburu polisi yang menaruh curiga dan pembunuh target yang juga mengincar mereka.

Merida has always just tried to make it through the day without drawing any unwanted attention, given she is about to face the scariest thing in her short life. The man she once loved, who tried to kill her. Only now she is faced with a new revelation. That there are other individuals that want her dead, all because of who she is. Yet who is she? For she doesn't think it is the 14-year-old human girl, nor are her friends who she thought they were. Nothing is as it seems! Not even her family! Plus, there is the strange new man in her life, who promises to never leave her side. As well as this dark shadow that seems to follow her everywhere and in every ERA.

“I have no intentions of being your partner. I would reject you over and over again-” Before I could complete my statement, he slapped my hand away and grabbed my jaw forcefully, staring intensely into my soul. “If you dared to reject me I would forcefully mark you, Athena.” *** She was a human, Athena Becker. A human who killed the mate of a merciless Alpha for revenge; Alpha Darius Alfonso of Scarlet Moon pack. Heartbroken at the death of his Luna, he went on a path of vengeance to give her twice as much suffering for killing his mate. He was ready to torment her. Make her his slave, her, do the worst to her. But, there was one obstacle in his path. Athena was the special huntress of the King of Alphas of that land. She had his protection but when he was determined to take revenge, he would break all boundaries too.

I used to work as a model, but not the typical kind. In our profession, everyone had a benefactor, someone who supported them financially. I dedicated myself to my benefactor for a year and a half, tending to his needs diligently. Despite my dedication, I was eventually abandoned. Just when I gathered my courage and decided to start afresh, he showed up again, "Do you want to date me? Officially."

Since I was a kid, my parents drilled it in—you're gonna be a Corleone girl, Giovanni Corleone's property. "This is just an alliance. Don't expect anything more." That's what he said on our wedding night. So I played the part—quiet, polished, dutiful. Then year three hit, and suddenly Giovanni couldn't keep his hands off me. Every night, something new. I thought maybe—finally—he felt the same way I had all along. Then I caught him kissing his stepmom. Funny. Just the night before, he told me kissing me made him sick. "I've been practicing with her—for your sake." So yeah. All that heat? Just rehearsal for her. So I ran. Took back my life—and our unborn daughter. The Don lost his mind looking for me. Begged me to come back—with the kid. But I would not stop for him anymore. I turned and walked straight toward the stage that was always mine.

Christelle Ramona Sandoval De Leon owner of CRDL Empire is a woman with dignity  pero dahil sa galit na namamahay sa kanyang puso ay nagpanggap siyang mahirap at nag-apply bilang kasambahay para makapasok sa buhay ng dating kasintahan at magawa ang paghihiganting matagal din niyang pinag-planuhan. But life is a mystery so as love dahil ang plano lang sanang paghihiganti ni Christelle ay nauwi sa pagmamahal at panibagong kasawian.

I waited eight years. The day I was supposed to become Luna, my fated mate, Alpha Cayden, rejected me in front of the entire pack. Because I was barren. He severed our mate bond and kissed my omega assistant, Lilith. Turns out, they had already mated. The bitch was pregnant with his child. Rage consumed me. I was ready to leave it all behind, but his mother threw me in a silver cell. He planned to strip me of my wolf and my gift—and give my powers to his new Luna, Lilith. Broken, I fled, only to be attacked by rogues and left for dead in a pool of my own blood. When I woke again, I was in a strange place. My memory was wiped clean. Alpha Rhys of the Shadowcrest Pack was by my side, promising to take care of me. And me, the barren wolf, I was pregnant… But I can no longer remember who the child's father was.

“I hate you for bringing me here! I hate you for forcing me to live among wolves when I'm the only human. They all hate me! I am a prey, a pet, a weakling waiting to be devoured. How could you do this to me?” I cried as I stared the Alpha in the eye. I had just tried to escape again, but he caught me as always. There was something in his eyes. It was rage. Possessive and protective rage. “If anyone makes you feel insecure because you're human, I'll make sure their heads roll at their feet. Nobody is permitted to hurt you. Because you're mine. My mate. My Luna,” he replied. *** For 18 good years of my life, my father has kept me hidden from the outside world. Everything I wanted, he provided... Except to interact with people and live outside the walls of my wing in his mansion. All of a sudden, one night, he wants us to leave everything behind and flee. Flee from what? He won't say. Until strange men barge in and the leader of them has the face of the monster who has plagued my dreams every night for a decade. And then the monster proclaimed me his mate and took me away from the world I’ve ever known.

A few extra pounds shattered her marriage, or perhaps love never existed within those four walls she used to call "home"?. Adeline did not know. The truth was that her husband had once told her he could not stand her anymore. "Ugly," "Fat," were words she would never forget. She, who had dedicated ten years of her life to that ingrate, and who had given him three handsome sons, now suffers the scorn of that person who had sworn to love and protect her. But life did not end with a divorce, and she would discover it in the arms of another man...