The Tender Bar: A Memoir

“Don’t do something you regret later, baby doll.” His breath was fanning against my neck. As if some electricity has run down to my spine, I shuddered at his imagining touch. “I have regretted way too much of my stupidity. Now I want to think wisely.” Controlling my running heartbeat, I spoke without cracking a voice. “Fair enough. I will wait for your wise and right decision, sugar.” Saying, he detached his body and looked into my eyes. This time, his eyes were cold. The eyes used to be held warmth for me now have something I can’t pin-point. ‘Why am I getting the feeling something is off?’

It was the thirtieth anniversary of my alma mater, and I had been invited back to give a speech. But as I stepped on stage, my husband's illegitimate son rushed toward me, brandishing a knife. His accusations rang through the hall: I was a homewrecker, the woman who had driven his mother to her death. He went even further, kidnapping my daughter and threatening her safety unless I publicly read a letter of confession. I was beaten to within an inch of my life, my body battered and bruised. I demanded my husband come forward and confront the truth. Instead, he turned on me. "I was forced to be with you in the first place!" my husband spat, venom dripping from every word. "You're the real mistress!"

Theo terpaksa harus menikahi Nadine, bos-nya karena kesalahan pada suatu malam. Keduanya menjalani pernikahan dengan hati yang masih mendua. Nadiane memanfaatkan Theo untuk membalas dendam pada Bagaskara, mantan pacar yang meninggalkan Nadine begitu saja. Theo sendiri masih menjalin hubungan dengan Fenita, kekasihnya tanpa sepengetahuan Nadine. Apakah mereka bisa mempertahankan rumah tangga? Dapatkah mereka melalui semua cobaan yang datang?

The once-glorious empire is in ruins, its capital buried beneath ash, following a bloody uprising. A competent scavenger who has been hardened by grief, Zara endures in the broken world, plagued by memories of the empire's devastation, particularly the ruthless purge that claimed her family's lives. She discovers a secret amid the rubble: a wounded man named Kael who says he is the final heir to the crumbling empire. Zara reluctantly consents to assist him, viewing his survival as a way to make amends. But Kael isn't interested in bringing back the empire he was born into. Rather, he is dangerously knowledgeable about a weapon that could upset the delicate balance of power in the world. An unforeseen attachment forms between Zara and Kael, complicating their objective as they create an uneasy alliance to traverse the lethal world of bounty hunters, imperial loyalists, and rebels. Zara is compelled to face her own troubled past—including the potential that her long-lost brother is still alive and fighting for one of the factions—as they delve deeper into the empire's hidden secrets. After the rebels kidnap Kael and torture him to find the weapon, Zara must decide whether to risk everything to save him or let him perish. Zara and Kael are pushed to the limit by their increasing love and the burden of their common past as they work against the clock to destroy the weapon and keep it out of the wrong hands. Will the fires of their decisions consume them or will they find salvation in a world of ashes?

Michael Roy was an ordinary student, & was very poor. Because of his poverty, his so called girlfriend left him & insulted him. his classmates also humiliated & looked down on him. But who knows, after reaching home one day, he received a letter from Russia stating that it was from his dad after so many missing years would change his whole life? "my son. Your dad is the most powerful person of this country. I know you will have a lot of questions. you have suffered a lot. But now i will make sure that you won't find a single problem in your whole life. I am transferring 10 million dollars for a start as your daily livings. Just make me a call if you need more." Then the story of Michael started suddenly from an extremely poor guy to the richest kid of not only his city but of a whole country. He bought houses, few extreme high model cars, visited most reputed places & top most services. The most important thing, not only his girlfriend & classmates, he stunned many most reputed people of his city Arizona & other cities too. This story describes the journey of a young man's poor lifestyle & his lavish lifestyle. It also describes how he handled billions of money & became the greatest of all.

He was the embodiment of her desires, a dream man who had captured her heart at first glance. From the moment Trevor entered her life, Emma knew he was the one for her. For five years, she had been exclusively committed to him, never once questioning his love until her entire world came crumbling before her eyes. Emma realized that his love for her had all been an elaborate deception. His words, his actions, his smiles, his compliments, they were all carefully constructed web of lies. "I can't continue like this," Trevor's words resounded in the room, causing Emma's stomach to twist in knots of tension. Fear gripped her heart, crawling up her throat and threatening to escape in a scream of despair. "I never loved you." With one sentence, Trevor shattered Emma's heart into a million pieces without remorse. Her cries and pleas for a chance for them to salvage their five-year relationship and fairy tale ending fell upon deaf ears. As she realized she had been cheated on for five years, Emma became the outcast in her own story. Determined to make Trevor pay for his betrayal and beg for her mercy, Emma went after the most important person in Trevor's life. The moment her eyes locked with Mr. Ethan Maddox, Trevor's billionaire father, at a get-together party, Emma knew her revenge would be both delicious and swift. Not only would she bring down Trevor, but she would also topple his powerful father from his pedestal.

Emma has always been at the back of life, done all things she could do to have a job but wasn't accepted not until she met a Billionaire. Everything went fast as the need for a Baby came up, fated to be the one who could do the job. Both of them has no idea the Baby could them together as they share love among themselves. The only obstacle was the Billionaire's wife and the contract set before them. So they have ignore and reject the love they have for themselves. Will they be able to come back together despite the obstacles?

Duyung? Merman? Putra Duyung? Keana tidak dapat menjelaskan apa nama sosok di depannya ini, yang pasti makhluk ini bukan manusia sepertinya. Makhluk ini ditemukannya di pantai, meraung kesakitan saat ekornya berubah menjadi sepasang kaki, dan perubahan itu tepat di depan matanya. Menakjubkan atau mengerikan? Yang pasti saat Keana ingin berteriak, makhluk itu menatapnya tajam dan Keana bagaikan tenggelam di mata biru makhluk itu. Mata biru sang Manusia Setengah Ikan.

---- Contains some triggering scenes like brutal punishments, steamy scenes, killings, but no rape. ---- "Please," Olivia moaned, gripping the strong forearms that wrapped around her tightly. "More..." "You want more," Titan murmured hoarsely, sliding his hands across her pebbled nipples, his eyes glowing as he watched her writhe with pleasure. "I can give you that. I will give you so much so that every werewolf within a hundred miles radius will hear you scream my name. Feast on your addicting nectar until I tire out... and then," he reached for her face, tilting it upward. The wicked glint in his eyes made her shudder. "-and then I will break you into a million pieces." *** All her life, Olivia Carter had felt unwanted. Being treated like a slave by her stepmom and step-sister, she had longed and hoped for a day she would be truly desired for who she was. A wofless pup. Lycan King Titan Black, rumored to be a ruthless, volatile monster who killed his mate, needed a Luna and sought out a bride. When his betrothed, Olivia's sister runs away in fear, Olivia is chosen as the substitute bride, sent to 'die' in her stead. However, the sizzling attraction between them stuns them both and sends them into a spiral of hate, love, and anger. What happens when an exposed secret that changes everything Titan and Olivia ever knew, is thrown into the mix? Their love may either be their very doom or salvation.

"I, Beta Atlas Redding, reject you, Ruby Angelo, as my mate." Those words shattered Ruby’s heart, leaving her feeling worthless and broken. Unlike her perfect step-sister, Ruby couldn’t win her mate’s affection, which only fueled her father's disappointment. To make matters worse, he arranged her marriage to the most feared Alpha in North America, the ruthless Alpha Kane Rivenwood. For Ruby, this felt like a punishment too cruel to bear. Would Alpha Kane see her as just another burden, or could this be a second chance at love? The only certainty was that his cold, ruthless nature might lead to a far darker fate.