Thought For Day

My mom is 71 years old. Thanks to her arthritis acting up, she's in so much pain that she can't descend the stairs at all. She tentatively calls me and asks if she can rent an apartment that comes with an elevator of its own. But my wife, Lucy Glaser, brings out the household ledger and points at the red numbers on the pages. "Last month, you bought yourself a tie, which is 300 dollars beyond our monthly budget. Yet now you're planning on adding another impulsive expense?" Only then do I realize that I don't even have the freedom to buy myself a tie despite earning an annual salary of tens of millions of dollars. My mom is still trying to explain herself in a humble tone over the phone. "Oh, please don't feel troubled about it, Caleb. I was just asking on a whim. I've already grown used to my old home anyway…" After I end the call, I feel rather stuffy in my chest. What's there for me to feel troubled about? After all, I'm a partner of a top-tier law firm who earns tens of millions of dollars every year. The one who keeps standing in my way is Lucy, who's only a mid-level lawyer yet insists on controlling my finances. She also calls herself the best candidate for the household asset allocation.

"Be my wife for 365 days, and I'll forget your father's debt to me. Just be Mrs. Urquio for one year, then I'll set you and your brother free." Isang alok kung saan walang option na pagpipilian. Sa pagpayag ni Manuela Iriz Ibañez, may pag-ibig kayang umusbong sa kanilang dalawa ni Uno Juaquin Urquio na isang mafia boss? May happy ending kaya para sa kanilang dalawa kung sa gitna ng kanilang kasunduan ay puro pagsubok ang huhulma sa relasyon nilang nagsimula sa isang kontrata.

"A man from my past shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. I decided from that day on I would never give my heart to a man to be broken again. I know it sounds foolish because I was so young. However, that heartache has affected how I am with men. I am terrified to give my heart away like that again only to have it shattered." Natalia still felt the hurt and betrayal like it was yesterday. "I promise to never break your heart. Give me a chance to prove that I won't hurt you. I've never felt like this for anyone before I met you. I know it's only been two days, but you're all I've thought about since seeing you that first time. Let me erase the pain that's in your heart." Hayden took both her hands in his. --------------------- Natalia Crawford is the top female CEO in the city. She has worked tooth and nail to climb to the top without compromising her morals. She's beautiful with long blonde hair and green eyes. Men want her for her beauty, brains, and money. When she met Hayden Sumner, he was determined to make her his. She agreed he was easy on the eyes, tall with thick black hair and blue eyes, but she had no desire to be in a relationship. After a chance encounter, she ended up opening her heart for a chance at love. People all around them want to see them fail in both love and business. Even as one of them is fighting for their life, it doesn't stop others from trying to bring them down. Will love conquer all, or will everyone who wants to hurt them be successful in tearing them apart?

She thought that their story would be the typical secretary and boss romance and boy was she wrong. Niklaus Rogers not only let himself into her life but also hurt her in more ways than she could explain. Would she be able to let go of the pain and accept him back?

BOYFRIEND FOR SALE! Book yours now. Due to the overwhelming number of failed marriages and cheating partners, the present generation eventually developed a certain degree of aversion towards the notion of having a romantic partner. It was for that reason why Alpha Technology Inc. pioneered the first robot in the market that was capable of 'Love'. Now, people no longer felt any shame claiming that they bought their boyfriend online; because it was part of the fad But what would happen if one of their robots was swapped on the day of delivery? This is the story of a shopaholic queen named, Shantal, who thought that they bought a robotic boyfriend online. For all she thought, Alex was as a robot. That was why she tried her best not to fall in love with him. Little did she know that the other party was only a substitute.

Natalie is known as a countryside pumpkin, but in secret, she is a well-known magical doctor. The only motivation in her life was to avenge her mother. And the chance came when her so-called Father came to her door asking for a favour. He requested her to marry Lucian Center in her stepsister's place. She happily agreed to marry Lucian Center who lost his legs six months ago in an accident. She thought she could tame him easily, and then she would leave that poor man after taking revenge. But after marrying him she understood taming him is more dangerous and intoxicating than she ever imagined. Will she able to hide her identity from him who took oath to hunt her down.

Ethan isn't the right guy to fall for. Zephyrine knew that too well. So when he tried to destroy the walls she built, she did everything to push him away. But a part of her loves where things are going. Will the consequences be too much for Zephyrine to handle? *** Just when Zephyrine Forteza thought that she's in control, it took only one circumstance for her to completely throw off balance. As a woman with high standards, she worked hard to get her life back on track. However, the annoying and notorious playboy Ethan Lee wanted to enter her life. Knowing he's not the perfect man to fall for, Zephyrine tried to withstand him yet he's too charismatic for her to resist.

On the day of the marking ceremony, Sabrina Carter returned to the pack. My fated mate and my childhood friend both abandoned me at the same time to welcome her. "Nicole, we can redo the ceremony another day." "Sabrina needs us more right now." After saying that, they turned and walked away without a single glance back. The two men who once swore they loved me turned my most anticipated wedding into a public joke. I stood there alone while everyone pointed, whispered, and laughed. Then, Sabrina posted a photo on Instagram, showing off how she was being doted on by both the pack Alpha and Beta. Every call I made to the two men was rejected again and again. In the photo, the ring that symbolized the Luna was on her finger. And Charlie Spencer had fastened the moonstone protection necklace, the one meant for me, around her neck instead. That was the moment something inside me finally broke for good. I bought a bond severing potion. I was done holding on. I was going to sever my mate bond with Joshua Ford.

All because of Leo Cullen’s words, I gave up a place at a top-tier university in Ceres and stayed behind to retake the entrance exams with him—three times. By the fourth year, a girl arrived at our cram school, and Leo forgot the promise we made. He started skipping class, picking fights, smoking—doing everything but studying. One day, I stood at the school gate, blocking his path with a textbook in hand as he tried to ditch class. He smirked, unimpressed, and blew a bubble with his gum, letting it stick to the ends of my hair. “Naomi…,” he began, “who still cares about studying these days?” So I stopped caring and avoided him entirely. When he fooled around in the classroom, I went to the library. When he played basketball, I sat in a quiet corner with my books. Even when I craved noodles from my favorite shop, I’d scan the room first to make sure he wasn’t there. “Are you avoiding me, Naomi?” he asked later, his face in a frown. I shook my head. “Why would you think that?”

Mom always said my entire life ran on luck. When I ranked first in my class, she said, "You just guessed really well." When I won a gold medal, she said, "The judges must've been blind." When I got into Westridge University, she told everyone, "This kid has no real ability, just good luck!" So on my first day of college, she tossed me a book of scratch cards. "Since your luck's so good anyway, might as well let it handle your living expenses too. "You get one book per semester. However much you scratch off is all you get. "And just so you can't come crying to me about being broke, I'm blocking you now. I'll add you back next semester." With that, she ignored every one of my desperate pleas and blocked me on every single platform. I wanted to cry but could not even manage tears. All I could do was scratch two cards every day. On good days, I would win 20 to 50 dollars. Most days, I won absolutely nothing. I survived by sneaking expired cookies out of my roommates' trash. By the last week of the semester, I had developed severe anemia. As I used every ounce of strength to scratch the final card, I laughed. Mom was right. My luck really was incredible.