Novel & Cerita What Are Face Cards Worth In Blackjack

She got pregnant by the man she loved, but he left her. To protect the image of their family, Ayana Salma De’Mario was grounded and hidden, like a bad omen, together with her child. She knows only the walls of her room, her sweet five-year-old girl, her paintings, the young student she is teaching, and this mysterious ghost lover whom she has never met. But a tragedy strikes their family empire. In need of a savior, her family decided to trade the black sheep of the family to save their company. And in the picture is the cold-hearted Adam Stone De'Leon, the most notorious heartbreaker the country has ever had. But the moment he meets Ayana, something changes—something that leaves his walls in shambles. His heart starts beating only for this girl. But Ayana is done being tossed like an object. She yearns for freedom, especially to save her deprived child. But while she battles over what to do, the billionaire baby Daddy returns to claim what he believes is his. As if that is not enough tangle, her ghost lover finally reveals himself—the one whom she thought would take her out of the cage. But he turns out to be the one person she wouldn't have expected—her student. Three smoking hot billionaires, after one lost, desperate, and confused soul. And the tangle begins! Who will win Ayana's heart?  

While negotiating the terms of a project, a client pressured me into downing a large glass of liquor. While I was washing my face in the restroom, I saw my younger sister’s latest Instagram post. [Low salary? What of it? My parents will always support me!] Above the caption was a photo of a property deed with her name on it, along with a message from our parents. [Mom and Dad will always be your safety net!] It was in a newly developed residential complex. It was also the very neighborhood I had been desperately saving up for a downpayment to buy a home in. At that moment, a torrent of complex emotions washed over me. I splashed my face with water. After clearing my head, I sent a message to my manager, Mr. Jenkins. [I’m willing to take on that overseas project you mentioned.]

At the company's annual dinner, I win a three-day trip to the Marosa worth 50 thousand dollars. But when I go to claim the prize, the person in charge stuffs a cheap stuffed toy into my hands instead. The price tag shows that it is worth five dollars. At the same time, the intern, Katie Thorpe, suddenly cries out in surprise, "A three-day trip to Marosa? I'm so incredibly lucky!" I step forward to question them, but the organizer blocks my way. "Katie is Mr. Cosby's girlfriend. This prize has already been decided in advance. I suggest you do not make trouble." She looks me up and down mockingly and says, "If you anger Mr. Cosby, you better watch out. You'll lose your job in this company." Not only am I not afraid, I am even tempted to laugh in her face. I immediately make a phone call. "Grandpa, I have made up my mind. I do not want to keep struggling alongside Vincent Cosby anymore. The wedding is canceled. Withdraw your investment from his company."

On my boyfriend, Draco Leroyce's birthday, I take him to a newly-opened fancy restaurant of my own for his birthday meal. Thinking that we'll be having a birthday cake for dessert later, Draco and I decide to order a set meal that includes a pizza and a plate of pasta. With a smile, I hand the menu over to the waitress. She plasters a fake smile on her face as she grabs the menu. But she secretly calls us "broke ass bastards" in Virellian. I draw my brows into a deep frown instantly. "What did you just say?" The waitress is momentarily stunned. Then, she shoots me another fake smile. "I said I'll prepare your food right away." I just sneer back at the waitress before responding to her in fluent Virellian, "You were calling us broke ass bastards."

“Lily Myles, what is the meaning of this??!! How can you accept the marriage proposal of your sister's fiance when I, your own fiance, is standing right here?! What sort of embarrassment and disrespect is this??!!!" Aiden bit out in rage. “I told you I forgave you.” Lily whispered. Her eyes glistened as she slipped the ring onto her finger with a smirk on her face. “I never said I’d forget.” When Lily Myles catches her fiancé in bed with her own sister, her world shatters in an instant. Everything… the wedding, the future, her sense of worth turns to ashes. But she isn’t the only one betrayed. Ethan Cole, a secret billionaire, her sister’s fiancé, discovers that the woman he planned to marry was sharing her heart and her body with another man. When pain brings them together, vengeance becomes their common language. Aria and Ethan strike an unholy pact, to ruin the ones who destroyed them. To make their betrayers taste humiliation, heartbreak, and loss. But as the line between revenge and desire blurs, something dangerous begins to grow between them. He was supposed to be her partner in payback not the man she dreams about. She was supposed to help him destroy love, not teach him how to feel it again. Now, revenge has a price neither of them expected: their hearts.

Brix Jose was a famous, but extremely arrogant actor and a movie director. He is very prominent in their country due to his extraordinarily handsome face, magnetic looks, and powerful aura, that every woman dreamed of being with. He never expected that there is still someone who never knew of his existence. This discovery brings out the beast in him. That's why he promised himself that the woman must become his wife. He will pursue her and leave her soon with a broken heart. But what if he is the one who fell in love? Pick this one and find out!

Alyssa Hart thought she was just another woman trying to stay invisible in a city that never sleeps. Haunted by a past she refuses to speak about, she’s learned to keep her head down and her circle small. But one rainy night in Los Angeles changes everything. Stalked through a dark alley by a man with a knife, she’s saved by a massive, golden-eyed wolf, only to watch it kill her attacker in a blur. What she doesn’t know is that the creature is Zodiak, who is the primal side of Cole Donovan, a powerful and reclusive billionaire with a secret. Cole is a centuries-old werewolf, and Alyssa is his fated mate. But when she looks at him in wolf form, all she sees is a monster. Torn between his instincts and the need to protect her, Cole decides to win her over the human way through patience, kindness, and trust. As they grow closer, Alyssa begins to feel the pull between them, even as her past begins to resurface in the form of Lucas Slater, a ruthless enemy with a vendetta and a weapon designed to destroy werewolves from the inside out. With Alyssa unknowingly caught in the crossfire and Cole hiding a truth that could destroy everything between them, fate is no longer just a distant whisper. It’s closing in on them both. Set against a backdrop of rain drenched streets, quiet cafés, and hidden danger, this is a story of two souls from different worlds, one human, one supernatural, drawn together by something neither fully understands. As secrets unravel and danger escalates, Alyssa and Cole must decide if love is worth the risk, or if fear will tear them apart before it ever has the chance to bloom.

Right after finishing a meeting, I opened a forum and saw a warning post. The location tag was our company. The title read: “Red flag! What a cheap company. Anyone who joins is a total sucker. They can’t even afford a decent coffee break.” The photo attached showed the expensive coffee and five-star desserts I had just asked my assistant to distribute to everyone. I frowned and tagged the entire group chat, asking if anyone had suggestions about the afternoon tea. A Gen-Z intern who had just joined, Julian Hayes, instantly replied with a voice message: “Boss, no offense, but these assembly-line desserts are full of trans fats. Nobody would eat them.” “A truly humane company hires a Michelin chef to cook and slice everything fresh on site. That’s what real respect for employees looks like.” I laughed in disbelief. Our company’s daily coffee break budget was thirty dollars per person—already considered top-tier in the industry. So I replied, “Since it’s impossible to satisfy everyone’s taste, we’ll cancel afternoon tea from now on and convert the budget into cash for everyone instead.” Less than five minutes later, that post was updated: “Guys, can you believe this? I made a perfectly reasonable suggestion and the lame boss immediately canceled the whole coffee break perk! This is the true face of corporate greed—can’t handle even a little bit of honesty!”

The day before New Year's, my younger brother announced he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner. Excited, I drove my new car to pick them up, taking my daughter along with me. However, as soon as his girlfriend got in the car, her face darkened. "Henry, you didn't tell me your sister was staying at your place—and with a kid!" she snapped. I frowned and was about to explain when my brother quickly interjected, "She's not staying. After dropping us off, she'll be heading to a hotel." Only then did his girlfriend's expression ease. I swallowed my discomfort and asked my brother what he was planning. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Sis, don't cause any trouble for me, okay? My girlfriend is the daughter of the Cromwell Group's CEO!" My eyes widened in shock. Was not the Cromwell Group the same company my ex-husband had just handed over to me as part of our divorce settlement?

To celebrate our third wedding anniversary, I get us a dinner reservation and prepare a gift for her, complete with a handwritten love letter. But my wife, Teresa Sloan, doesn't show up. Meanwhile, while attending the welcome-back party for her first love, Carlton Unger, she walks around on his arm with a radiant smile on her face. Someone asks her who I am. She replies, "No one worth mentioning." From that day onward, I stop waiting around for her. Sometime later, she comes crying to me, saying, "I love you, Silas." I tell her, "It's too late."