Twice Upon A Time

Bagaimana bisa seorang murid SMA dipaksa bekerja untuk membiayai kebutuhan sekolah mereka sendiri? Jika mereka menikmati pekerjaan ini, apa orang dewasa yang akan menanggungnya?

Aurora Leandro was cheated on and went through a painful break-up. And so, she swore 'till the depths of tartarus that she will not commit in a relationship again... nor fell in love. But when her life was barely hanging on a thread and an unseen danger was about to put her family in grave danger— her father hired an oozing, jaw-dropping hot soldier with a pair of golden eyes to be her personal bodyguard. Desire starts consuming her like never before. Like a widfire spreading on dried leaves. Aurora knew her words will ricocheting back at her. She knew she's about to break the parameters. She knew she's about to lose herself. Because the tiny spark that startled both of them— ends up in a blaze of glory.

Kalau tahu seperti ini, seharusnya dia mempelajari ilmu medis atau perang saja! . Sheris tidak tahu jika dirinya pernah memiliki kehidupan lain yang jauh berbeda dengan yang dijalaninya saat ini. Namun yang jauh lebih mengejutkan lagi, kehidupannya sekarang sama persis dengan novel romansa-tragedi yang pernah dibacanya di kehidupan lamanya sebelum dia mati. Alur ceritanya klise, semembosankan takdirnya yang terlahir kembali sebagai seorang putri Duke yang akan menjadi istri pertama seorang kaisar tiran, lalu mati oleh orang yang sama karena sifat buruknya setelah menjadi permaisuri yang diabaikan. Sheris tidak keberatan dengan kehidupan gelap semacam itu, kecuali bahwa rasanya mati itu sangat, sangat menyakitkan. Dan dia akan melakukan segalanya agar tidak merasakan peristiwa mengerikan itu lagi dalam waktu dekat. Sayangnya, tidak semudah dalam cerita, seorang wanita yang menikahi kaisar tidak bisa bercerai kecuali mati. Dia akan terjebak selamanya dalam istana terkutuk ini, bersama pria sakit jiwa yang sangat membencinya. Maka dimulailah rencananya menyelamatkan diri dari sang tiran dengan mendeklarasikan cintanya kepada lelaki itu. Sheris tahu, hati lelaki itu sekeras baja yang hanya akan meleleh oleh tokoh utama wanita yang memiliki latar belakang keluarga mirip dengannya. Sosok yang dapat berempati dan memahami rasa sakit dari masa lalu sang kaisar. Dengan keyakinan itulah, Sheris terus berusaha mendekati sang tiran, berharap agar lelaki itu memberikannya hari pensiun yang tenang dan damai setelah kedatangan cinta sejatinya. . . Lalu kenapa lelaki itu jadi seperti ini? . . Edward memejamkan matanya, menelusuri lekukan antara leher dan bahu Sheris dengan perlahan dan kesabaran seorang predator. Jemarinya meremas helaian keemasan yang jatuh di antara bahu perempuan itu, lalu membuka matanya. "Yakinilah, Ratuku," bisiknya, dingin. "Bahkan setelah kau mati, aku tidak akan pernah melepaskanmu." Kenapa jadi begini?!

This is what we do. We fight, we fuck, and we pretend it's fixed. He rips his shirt over his head, the sound of tearing fabric loud in the silence. And I freeze. My hands, which were reaching for him, stop. There. Coiling over his ribs, wrapping around his side, crawling up toward his heart, is an identical replica of Madilyn’s tattoo. "Charlie," he breathes, but it doesn't sound like his voice. His hands are rough, grabbing my hips. One hand slides, pressing hard against my stomach. No. The baby. My baby.

I loved Alpha Lucien Grey with all my heart. From the moment I first saw him, I was drawn to him. However, I always knew the one Lucien loved was someone else. Her name was Summer White. I thought I’d be like one of those tragic side characters in romance stories—forever on the sidelines, watching the man I loved build a life with another woman. However, everything changed three years ago when Summer ran away on the night of the marking ceremony, saying she wasn’t ready to be claimed. Lucien had to make a decision and announced he would find a new partner. So, I stepped forward. Wearing a dress that didn’t quite fit, my hands trembling, I stood in for Summer. That day, Lucien and I formed a bond as mates. For the past three years, Lucien had treated me with warmth and kindness. He was gentle and thoughtful. He took care of me in every way. However, just over a month ago, Summer came back to our pack. On the night of our anniversary, she got drunk and called Lucien in tears, sobbing that she regretted everything. Lucien’s hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped his phone, but he didn’t hang up. He just stood there, torn. When his eyes met mine, full of confusion and pain, I took his hand—still trembling—and said softly, “Go to her.” The moment he left, I filed the mate-bond termination papers at City Hall, requesting to break the bond. After all, these years of stolen happiness were never really mine to keep. It was time for me to leave, too.

Celine felt destroyed after what she had gone through in her first marriage. Her ex-husband abused her and did a lot of despicable things to her, and now her father's law firm was on the verge of collapse. The only solution her father could do was to marry her off to a proud and arrogant billionaire baron, David Wheelers who only agreed to help Celine’s father invest in his law firm as Celine's father was also their family lawyer, but he didn't do it for free, he wanted Celine in return as a wife so he could inherit his father's legacy by producing an heir as stapled in the will. Celine found herself drawn to her arrogant and cold husband despite the trauma of her first marriage. “What would happen when her past is linked with her present?” “Would she be able to overcome her trauma from the past and move on, despite her ex-husband trying to have her back?” “Or would she be able to break the ice-cold baron? showing him that love truly exists".

Adeline has been in love with Blake Rhodes for as long as she could remember-twelve years of silent yearning turned into three loveless years of marriage. She has always wanted him to return her love. However, Blake's heart is clouded by manipulation and misunderstandings, with the shadows cast by Adeline's half-sister Rebecca. Unknown to Blake, it is not Rebecca who is dying but Adeline. Adeline has stage four cancer, a secret she holds tightly, even as Blake is forcing her to give her blood-and a kidney-to save Rebecca. So, while Rebecca is faking being ill for Blake, Adeline keeps the pain to herself and silently suffers by sacrificing all her possessions for the man who doesn't perceive her value.

My parents died in an accident when I was 16 years old. That leaves me and my stepbrother, Freddie Sanford, to rely on each other. At 20 years old, I get drunk and confess my feelings to him. But instead of being gentle as usual, he lashes out in fury. "Rosalie Hunter, do you have no shame at all? I'm your brother!" From that day on, he gets back together with his first love, Bianca Reed. His attitude toward me plummets and turns cold as ice. What Freddie doesn't know is I'm sick. To me, every day feels like a countdown. On the day of their wedding, I quietly reach the end of my life. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to two years ago. At the same time, I learn an unbelievable piece of news. Freddie has been dead for three years.

I'm the heiress of an affluent family. The housekeeper's daughter secretly wears my gown prepared for my birthday party, and I'm about to teach her a lesson. Suddenly, I see real-time comments. "This female antagonist is just jealous that the female protagonist looks better in the gown than she does!" "It's fine. The male protagonists are going to show up soon!" "Let's hang on for a bit more. I'd like to see this antagonist continue being so snobby once her family goes bankrupt!" In the next second, my brother and fiancé show up. They shield the housekeeper's daughter in their arms. Sneering, I commanded the staff, "Strip all three of them."

"W-wife?" “its okay to see me and treat me like trash,I’ve lived with that knowledge for years. Even if you hate my presence so much, why do you want to marry me off to some guy I didn’t know existed until this moment?’’ Camila couldn't fathom marrying at such a young age. "I can't believe you're going to make me marry someone like her," Leonardo muttered to his father, his voice dripping with contempt. "She's nothing more than a child. Just look at her, she looks like she’ll break any moment from now. And for God’s sake she looks naive" With Leonardo storming out in anger, the atmosphere grew tense. "Why do you and Mom hate me so much?" Camila cried out, her tears flowing freely. "You've locked me away in the back house for years, and now you're forcing me into marriage without my consent!" .................>>>>> Camilla's sole desire has always been to experience love and receive fair treatment from her family. However, her world takes a drastic turn when her family arranges a marriage with the seemingly uninterested and arrogantly indifferent Leonardo. Will they defy the odds and make their marriage work, or will they ultimately conclude that the endeavor isn't worth the struggle? Embark on a journey with Camilla and Leonardo . p.s one of this book's trope is slow burn romance