Twenty Years Later

“I own you now.” He showed the agreement paper with her father’s signature. “Your father used you as collateral to pay his debt.” This statement left her stunned. *** David Cruz is a mafia lord, and he was searching for someone he could marry right away so he could have a son to inherit all his assets and follow in his footsteps. In the most unlikely places, he finds his perfect match. Mariane Ramos was working part-time in the bar when David Cruz noticed her. To force her hand, David approaches her father and offers to pay his debts in exchange for Mariane. Will she be able to get away from this situation? Or will she be forced to marry the mafia lord?

Elena believed that her life was simple. She had a career she loved. A boyfriend she could trust and a future that felt safe. Not until she met Valeria Moretti. Cold, powerful and dangerous. A billionaire queen who ruled from the shadows, where money bought loyalty and betrayal was paid in blood. When her boyfriend, Marcus made a deal he couldn’t afford to keep. Elena became the collateral he never expected to lose. Taken into Valeria’s world of steel dominance and threats, Elena found herself trapped in a cage where luxury had teeth. Valeria claimed she wanted only what she was owed, but that was far from the truth. Her gaze lingered, her words cut too precisely and the line between punishment and desire began to blur. Elena had never questioned her heart. She never questioned her sexuality. Until Valeria began to dismantle her certainty, slowly and deliberately, without laying a hand on her skin. Because to Valeria, she didn’t need to conquer with force. She conquered with presence. As danger and intimacy coil together, Elena must face the truth she had never truly allowed herself to see: some forms of captivity felt like freedom, and some queens didn’t ask for loyalty; they claimed it. In a world of ruled silk temptation, steel authority and sinfully forbidden desire, love may be the most dangerous debt of all. This story contains themes, including power imbalance, captivity, psychological manipulation, emotional intensity and morally grey characters. Reader's discretion is advised. When power demands surrender, and desire refuses to be denied, how far would you fall before you stop fighting it?

William Lawal has never gotten anything he ever wanted and all his life, regardless of what it takes, he had strived to impress his father and beat his brother, Alexander Lawal; a cold brutal and self centered ruthless mafia underboss who is feared all over the country by other mafias and beyond for his famous ruthless ways of torture and merciless punishments. William who doesn't and never cared about whatever methods he uses just for his own gain, intrudes the peaceful life of Kemi, pulling her into the messy world of the mafia. His only aim was to use her as a bait but what could go wrong when things started taking another turn and he starts to fall for her? Would his fight for power become a fight for love instead? Find out what happens in this impossible mafia love story and see how it brings interesting changes to their lives.

Ang kanyang pamilya ang gusto niyang makuha. Ang kanyang kalayaan ang hiniling niyang kapalit. Itinayo ni Irish Wei ang kanyang pangalan bilang ang pinakakinikilalang art curator sa lungsod—isang babaeng may dangal sa mundong pinaghaharian ng yaman at kapangyarihan ng mga dinastiyang negosyante. Ngunit nang gumuho ang imperyo ng kanyang pamilya dahil sa utang at pagkakanulo, siya ang naging huling collateral na gustong angkinin ng isang walang awang bilyonaryo. Hindi naghari si Kendrick Reyes sa pamamagitan ng pagiging mabait. Matagal nang hinintay ng negosyanteng ito ang pagbagsak ng pamilya Wei. Subalit nang makaharap niya si Irish—mayabang, matapang, handang ipagpalit ang sarili para sa kaligtasan ng kanyang pamilya—binago niya ang kasunduan. Isang taon. Ang kanyang buhay, kanyang pagsunod, ang kanyang lubos na pagpapasakop. Kapalit nito, ang kanyang ama ay makalalaya at mananatiling buo ang kanilang pangalan. Maninirahan siya sa mundo ng mga nakakulong na penthouse sa Gangnam, dadalo sa mga eksklusibong gala, at magiging tropeo sa harap ng mga piling tao ng lungsod. Nakakulong sa isang ginintuang hawla, inaasahan ni Irish ang kalupitan. Ang hindi niya inaasahan ay ang lalaking puno ng kontradiksyon—isa na magbabantay sa kanya nang may bangis na magpapalabo sa linya ng kanyang pagkabihag at pagiging protektado. Ngunit ang imperyo ni Kendrick ay itinayo sa mga lihim, at ang katotohanang taglay ni Irish ay maaaring siyang tanging bagay na hindi kayang kontrolin ng kanyang kapangyarihan. Sa larong puno ng yaman at pagnanasa, ang pinakamapanganib na pusta ay hindi ang pagkawala ng kanyang kalayaan. Ito ay ang pagkawala ng kanyang puso sa lalaking nagnakaw nito.

Lucien Valez, billionaire CEO of Valez International and secret money launderer for the world’s most dangerous cartels, isn’t used to mistakes. But when a cartel’s heiress, Elena Ramirez, vanishes with $20 million in product, Lucien needs leverage to save his own life. His solution? Kidnap Cassia Monroe, Elena’s quiet best friend from school. A gifted violinist with no ties to the criminal underworld, Cassia is suddenly pulled into a game where love and survival are equally dangerous.

Synopsis: An arrogant CEO finds himself chasing his resigning collateral secretary and discovering his dark past. The pompous-ass young master, Connor Cater Vozinelik, is a versatile billionaire; who was shattered by a tremendous heartbreak from his brother’s boyfriend. His collateral secretary Paul Victoria is now resigning from sacrificing himself for the guilt he felt towards his friend. One night, he stumbled with his ex-sugar daddy, who is avenging from his swindle doings before. Paul’s is in trouble of losing his dignity and career from the threat of the notorious drug lord, Davon Davidson. However, there is only one way of rescuing himself from the burden, and it’s to sign the collateral husband’s contract. Paul Victoria falls from his billionaire’s trap. As day counts, both of them are slowly learning each other’s way and profound dark secrets. Will it give way for Connor to heal in the presence of Paul, or Connor would fall for another ache of heartbreak?

The Ashford family opposed my relationship with Everett Ashford. To separate us, they drugged him, and his fiancée ended up pregnant with twins. Everett threatened suicide if I left him. He begged me to stay, swearing he would never see them again. He even told me the pregnancy had been terminated. Three years later, I spotted him at a parent-teacher conference. Enraged, I kept the twins after school and, on their way home, they were kidnapped. Everett blamed me for everything. To force me to reveal where the twins were, he strapped my mother onto a high tower ride. However, my mother had a heart condition. I sobbed that I did not know anything. Everett screamed at me. "I've been good enough to you! Why the hell would you go after those kids? Tell me where they are right now or I swear I'll push your mother off this thing!" He shoved her toward the platform's edge. The safety harness hung loose on her frail body. I had no idea where the twins were. Everett shoved my mother off anyway. Just then, someone found the twins. Everett walked away without looking back, leaving my mother dying of a heart attack. While he rushed to pick up his children, I stood in a hospital room pulling a white sheet over my mother's face. That was the moment I finally stopped loving him.

Twenty years ago I was born with his curse on the whole village and was abandoned in his mountain forest. Twenty years later he came to fulfill this curse but by mistake became my patron saint.

Emily, age 24, feels like she's treading water, unable to find work and uncertain about her future. She's on the verge of giving up, plagued by worry and a string of dead-end jobs when fate steps in and introduces her to Nathan, a gorgeous young billionaire and a single parent. Nathan requires a personal tutor and nanny for his 5-year-old, intelligent, and beautiful daughter, Lilliana, who is having difficulty adjusting to life following her mother's death. When he gives Emily the job, it feels like a lifeline. As Emily encourages Lilliana with her studies and emotional issues, she discovers a passion for teaching that restores her sense of purpose. Meanwhile, Nathan, who has been entirely focused on his work and daughter, begins to lower his guard. He admires Emily's generosity and drive for the sake of his daughter, but he's also afraid of exposing his heart again. Is their encounter fate or a curse?

On the eve of the National Robotics Championship, I smashed my carefully designed bot to pieces and announced my withdrawal. Everyone said I was a fraud who was quitting out of fear of being exposed. Online, the netizens mocked me relentlessly. Only one person, Adrian Cross, the so-called genius of the century, spoke up in my defense, his voice dripping with false sincerity, "I believe in River Lowell’s skills. Only he deserves to be my opponent. No matter what setbacks he’s facing, I hope he comes back to the arena and proves himself." In my previous life, the robot I built was identical to his. No matter how I tried to prove he had copied me, Adrian stood before the cameras, wearing his benevolent mask, and said, "It’s fine. This robot can go to River. I can always build something even better." His fans swarmed me, tearing me apart online, and no one believed in my talent. I swallowed the humiliation and vowed to rebuild my robot from scratch. However, when I was assembling it, the Power Core in my kit exploded, shattering my skull. That same night, I was rushed into the ICU. Netizens clapped and cheered, saying I got exactly what I deserved. That night, my girlfriend, Lila Hart, signed the hospital’s DNR consent form without hesitation. Until the day I died, I never understood how Adrian had gotten my robot’s data or why Lila had joined forces with him. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day of the competition.