Toga Draw

"Pa, jangan mati dulu, Laras belum wisuda masa nanti foto Laras pas pakai toga gak ada Papa." "Pak Rasyid, bangun Pak, Saya akan tanggung jawab menikahi Laras." Papa Rasyid membuka matanya, tatapannya masih abu-abu, cahaya masuk menyilaukan mata hingga Ia menyipitkan kedua bola matanya sambil memulihkan kesadarannya. Perlahan Mama Lana membantu Papa Rasyid terbangun dan kini dalam kondisi masih lemas Papa Rasyid bergantian menatap Laras dan Bima, " Papa akan nikahkan Kalian, SEKARANG!"

Every Christmas Eve, the heir of the Marco mafia family—Adrian Marco, must follow the family tradition: Draw a name to decide whether he’s allowed to marry me. Because I, Irene Cast, am not mafia-born. Unless he draws the slip with my name on it, he can’t take me as his wife. For four years, Adrian has drawn four times. And not once did he draw my name. I always thought he fought with his family because of me— that he was willing to risk losing his position as the Don, just to choose me. Every time he failed, he held me so tightly and whispered, “It’s okay. There’s always next year.” And I loved him so much it hurt. Hurt enough that I was willing to wait, year after year. This year, I told myself: If he still doesn’t draw my name… I’ll secretly switch the result. I sneaked to the door of Adrian’s study, and heard his younger brother ask: “Don… every year you do draw Irene's name. Why do you pretend you didn’t? Is it because you still can’t let Sera go?” But he simply said, in a flat voice, “Sera needs me for something urgent. Do what you always do: swap Irene’s name for a blank one.” He walked out without looking back. Instead of swapping, he tossed the blank slip into the trash, left the one with my name on the table, and hurried after Adrian. I went inside, picked up the blank slip from the trash, and replaced the one with my name. Watching my own name fall into the garbage. Adrian…I don’t want to wait and marry you anymore. I’ll grant you your choice.

As Jason and I try to stay one step ahead of the Marching Tides and their nefarious associates, we draw ever closer to the shocking truth of who the mastermind behind the Marching Tides really is. Something tells me I’ll regret learning the answers at the end of my journey.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Nasib si Bungsu. (Saat masa jaya orang tua telah habis). "Jadwal kontrol Bapak tiga hari lagi, kamu sudah dapat uang buat biaya rental mobil?" tanya Ibuku saat aku baru saja pulang. "Yusup usahain ya Bu, semoga ada rezekinya," jawabku. Sambil melepas jaket yang selalu menemaniku mencari rupiah. "Kalau gak ada ya udah, gak apa-apa. Paling Bapakmu teriak-teriak kalau lagi kumat karena obatnya habis!" ucap Ibu sambil berlalu pergi. Aku tahu Ibu pasti kecewa, lalu bagaimana lagi, aku sudah berusaha keras, dalam hati aku merasa gagal. Uang sebesar lima ratus ribu saja tidak mampu aku cari. Mungkin bagi orang lain tidak seberapa, tapi untukku yang hanya berprofesi sebagai ojek online uang lima ratus ribu sangatlah besar. Apalagi akhir-akhir ini orderan sangat sepi tidak seperti biasanya. Aku duduk termenung di atas sofa lusuh, mataku menatap tiga bingkai besar yang terpajang di dinding, foto ketiga Kakakku saat wisuda. Mereka terlihat sangat gagah dengan toga yang dipakainya

Three years ago they got married with love in their hearts and promises on their lips. They were the perfect couple until everything slowly withered away. Aurora would have never imagined that her once loving husband, Adrian, would hand her divorce papers with no reason and walk away without a second thought. Eventually, she had to move on. Three years later, she is wiser, and free. But then Adrian returns, pleading for a chance to make things better, he wants to fix what he broke. Unfortunately, she isn’t the same woman who once waited for him. She was adamant on not letting him draw scars on her stars again, but he was persistent to draw stars by the scars he left. She tells him “the damage is too deep to mend.” He tells her “Don’t tell me it's too deep. Tell me what it'll take to make it right again, because I’d rather die trying to fix us than live without you.”

Life. It is a fickle thing. Being given no choice than to find someone to marry, Ashton Woods decides to draw up a contract for the caretaker that he has known his whole life, Hailie Kameron. Hailie, being a strong-minded woman, wants to do whatever she can to make her mother proud. Will a contracted marriage, or as Hailie calls it, "a marriage of convenience", be enough for them to realize what has been in front of them all their lives?

After an unexpected divorce, Alina goes back to her hometown in search of a new place to call home. With a strict budget, and little wiggle room, she finds herself settling for a charming small cottage style home on the outskirts, that nobody seems to want. It's a steal! The only draw back seems to be the intimidating neighbor. As odd things start happening, and an unusual encounter, Alina realizes she might her gotten more than she bargained for.

When Jerome, her best friend's older brother, enters her life, Stacy's simple world is turned upside down. His charismatic presence and compassionate nature draw her in, but their forbidden attraction threatens to ruin her closest friendship. As they navigate the dangerous landscape of their feelings, Stacy must confront her own vulnerabilities and the fears that have held her back. Will she risk everything for a chance at love, or will the weight of her past and the pressure of her present tear them apart?

Ella Hart’s life changes forever when her late father’s debt forces her into a marriage with the infamous Alpha, Rylan Wolfe. Cold, ruthless, and scarred by betrayal, Rylan treats their union as a business deal but fate has other plans. As hidden truths, dangerous enemies, and a powerful mate bond draw them together, passion ignites, trust shatters, and love becomes the ultimate battlefield. In a world of werewolf politics, revenge, and secrets, can a human Luna survive and claim her Alpha’s heart?

It starts off with a beef, a slap to his face. He knows what he wants, he’d get what he wants and what he wants is her. Paloma never wanted to get tangled up with Orion from the first day she met him, he was the exact opposite of what her heart longed for. Yet she accepted to be his false girlfriend and somehow forgets to draw the line between her acts and her true emotions for him. Orion however is hellbent on claiming what is his.