When The World Stood Still

The contractions were ripping me in two. My vision was going dark. My husband, Don Vittorio, the man who ruled Chicago, squeezed my hand. His dark eyes burned with love. "Just a little longer, mia cara. You'll meet our baby soon." Sweat poured down my face. I still found the strength to smile for him. Then a nurse walked in. She held a syringe. I thought it was to stop the pain. But Vittorio’s hand fell away. He took a single step back. The needle sank into my arm. I heard Vittorio’s voice. It was cold steel. "Dose her carefully. She holds on until midnight. Not a minute sooner. Not until after Ornella delivers." And then I knew. He thought I married him for the money. He was stopping my labor. All for a sick Falcone family rule: the first son born is the next heir. Pain tore through me. I reached for him. Tears streamed down my face. I begged him to stop. He bit his lip. His voice was pure ice. "My brother is dead. Ornella carries his only heir. You will do as you are told. You and your child will not steal his birthright." The drug hit my veins. The violent squeeze in my belly, like some invisible hand, just… stopped.

Broken and shattered, Andre Torello contemplated suicide. Love failed him, it pierced his heart and left him bleeding. There's nothing left to hold on to, nothing is left when love has failed him. His fiancee left him, she kept him waiting while she walked the aisle with a richer man. He thought love was stronger than wealth and riches, he'd always believed that nothing can break love but it's all a fallacy. But what if love is waiting at the door? What if all he needed to do was glance in a different direction, but it was too late, Andre concluded. There's no love anywhere again. He'd been shattered by love; he is not ready to give in to its deception anymore. Love is cruel. But more than a lost love, something else was waiting, a throne and a lover and Andre Torello had only one option, accept it or get ruined forever.

My daughter hid inside the cabinet, her trembling hands dialing her father—James, the Alpha of our pack. "Mommy's bleeding a lot. Please, come back and save her," she pleaded. "I'm busy. Don't bother me," James said coldly. "If she's going to die, make sure she does it far away." As he wished, I never bothered him again. Because I really did die, right in front of our wedding photo. When he found out, he went mad, completely mad.

After whiskey, betrayal, and the undeniable urge to spite her cheating, gay ex, Maeve Summers had a one-night stand with a gorgeous stranger. Six years later, former detective turned journalist Maeve is horrified to discover he was Aurelian Morgenstein, the mysterious mafia lord she must interview to save her crumbling career. With piercing blue eyes and a jet-black serpent tattoo coiling around his hand, Elian is every bit as tempting as he is dangerous. Especially when her five-year-old daughter, Sia, shares his infamous gaze. Now, Maeve must decide what’s more at risk: her career, her heart, or the truth about Sia’s father.

You can call her Cindy or Elle, well her name depends on the town she's living in. Her real name's Leira Mint Salcedo, the girl who wants to die. Or at least that's what she always says and thinks about. Until at her fourth suicide attempt, an intruder named Chris suddenly came to her, asking for help. Soon as she opened her glass door, it felt like she welcomed him in her life. Crisostomo "Chris" Ychavez, a self-proclaimed man of his words who intervenes with Leira's fourth suicide attempt. He is kind, thoughtful, and a very understanding man who would want to help Leira to appreciate the beauty of life and making things right. Chris and Leira's uncanny encounters continued. They always meet accidentally. When she needs help, when she's afraid, when she's alone, even if she doesn't want Chris' presence, he is mysteriously, always there. After Leira runs away from her best friend, she is now jobless and renting at Lumiere Town. Without a job, she's on the verge of becoming homeless until Chris proposes something to her. Chris wants to travel to the Disney Republic and so she proposed to Leira to travel together. All expenses are shouldered by Chris, all he is asking is for Leira to come and join him. Left without a choice, she agreed. And so, they traveled the country together, met a lot of people, discovered some truths and lies, and the reason behind Chris' kindness towards Leira. Time is ticking for Chris and Leira is still thinking about her own death. Will Chris be able to save her after she finds out who he really is in her life, or it will gonna be a reason for her to continue her final suicide plan?

Nina Romano thought she was stepping into a world of power and intrigue, but she had no idea just how dangerous it could get. Drawn into the orbit of Dante Moretti, a ruthless and calculating mafia heir, she quickly discovers that desire can be as deadly as betrayal. When someone from Dante’s inner circle betrays him, Nina and Dante are thrust into a war that tests their loyalty, their courage, and the depth of their passion. Each chapter escalates the stakes: ambushes, shocking betrayals, and high-stakes mafia conflicts collide with a simmering, dangerous desire between them. Nina must navigate a world where nothing and no one is as it seems, and Dante must confront his past, his enemies, and the unexpected intensity of his feelings for her. From steamy, sensual encounters to heart-pounding action, Controlled Damage is a tale of trust, power, and temptation. When the shadows close in, Nina and Dante must decide whether their love is worth the ultimate risk — or whether the war will tear them apart first.

After being betrayed and left behind by her ex-lover, Zara told herself that she won’t fall in love again. But when she crossed path with Kestrel, the wall that she was trying to build slowly crumbled. But would it be right for her to love him when she took something precious from him and caused his misery? *** Zara Ruiz was the type of person who’s willing to do everything for the person she loved. So when her boyfriend, Matt accidentally killed a woman in a hit-and-run, she took the blame for it and was imprisoned. Four years after, Zara was determined to find her Matt who left her and vanished while also trying to start a new life. Unable to find a job, she decided to work as a maid for Kestrel de Silva—President of JP Investment Corp., one of the largest conglomerate in the Philippines. Kestrel, who hadn’t opened his heart to anyone after the death of his lover soon found himself slowly falling in love with Zara. But love wasn’t that easy and Zara soon found out Kestrel’s connection to her dark past. Does she still have the right to love him after the pain she had caused him? And with the sudden appearance of Matt, Zara is determined to take off his facade and drag him down.

My fiancé's junior colleague went around the hospital every day calling herself "the best girl". When a patient with acute appendicitis was admitted, she mistakenly prescribed laxatives instead of proper treatment. The patient nearly went into shock and died. After the hospital was reported by the patient's family, she simply smiled and said, "I don't even need a supervising doctor to prescribe medication anymore. I'm such a good girl!" On another occasion, she failed to order routine pre-op blood work for a surgical patient. During the procedure, a visiting senior surgeon was exposed and later contracted HIV. She actually puffed out her chest and said, "Even if everyone had to stay up all night helping me save the doctor, I'm still the best girl!" I protested more than once and urged my fiancé to dismiss her. He refused every time. He brushed it off with a laugh, saying "this good girl" just needed time and experience. Then, a prominent patient was transferred from a military hospital for surgery. She secretly tampered with the medical records, switching the pathology findings from the left lung to the right. She even revised the surgical plan, recommending removal of the patient's completely healthy right lung. Luckily, I caught the mistake in time, restored the correct pathology report, and performed the surgery successfully. After the patient recovered, he asked for our team to be recognized. To my disbelief, Elena Bakers ran to my fiancé in tears. "I wrote the entire report by myself! All by myself! I'm the best little girl! "Why do you always take credit away from me? It took so much courage for this little girl to be brave just once! "You're all horrible!" Elena stormed out of the hospital and was struck and killed by a car on the spot. My fiancé did not say a word. However, on the very day I was appointed hospital director, he produced falsified evidence accusing me of altering records and causing multiple medical accidents to advance my career. I was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. As the verdict was delivered, he looked at me with unmistakable satisfaction. "You'll never make up for what you owe Elena. Not in this lifetime." When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Elena altered the surgical plan.

*Warning: Story contains mature 18+ sexual scene so read at your own risk..." "See Ella, you know I am straightforward. So I am telling this directly you should please us both in the bed starting from today. In a simple sense, you have to be our mistress..." When Ella's ex boyfriends break into her apartment and forced her to be their Mistress, her life changed forever.

While they slice me apart, I desperately call my brother, Nathan Slade. He finally picks up as my consciousness starts to slip and answers in an annoyed voice, "What now?" "Nathan, help—" I don't get to finish before he cuts me off. "Can't you ever go a day without drama? Gemma's graduation is at the end of the month. Miss it, and I swear I'll kill you!" Then, he hangs up without a second thought. The agonizing pain swallows me whole, and my eyes close for good, tears still trailing down my cheeks. Well, good news, Nathan… You won't have to kill me because I'm already dead.