Wind-up Bird

Di pesta ulang tahunnya, Gilena sedang berharap dalam bahasa Jerman di depan kue ulang tahunnya. “Semoga tahun ini Tante Jolin bisa jadi ibuku.” Suami mengelus kepala Gilena sambil tersenyum, lalu berkata, “Keinginanmu akan segera terwujud.” Aku tercengang, kue di tanganku langsung jatuh ke lantai. Suami bertanya dengan penuh perhatian, “Kau kenapa?” Aku menggelengkan kepala dan jawab sambil tersenyum, “Tanganku licin.” Hanya aku sendiri yang tahu, aku panik karena mengerti bahasa Jerman, sampai-sampai kue pun terjatuh dari tanganku.

“True love stories never have endings.” Dean said softly. “Richard Bach.” I nodded. “You taught me that quote the night I kissed you for the first time.” He continued, his fingers weaving through loose hair around my face. “And I held on to that every day since.”

Ariadne Harper thought her brother couldn't get any worse than just turning into a bad guy, but Jaxon Harper did something Ariadne never expected before by sold her to marry a billionaire. After being dumped to marry a stranger man 10 years older than her, Ariadne's life was no different from a precious bird in a luxurious cage. Everything was available for her, but the freedom was taken away, her life was confined in the mansion, even her husband treated her so coldly as if he didn't care. Ariadne slowly hatee her life, but what if something dangerous was hidden behind the reason for her marriage? Ariadne didn't know much about her husband, and why he was interested in marrying her even though he had another woman he loved. A long journey awaited Ariadne to uncovered the secret behind her marriage, and when she opened the secret box, Ariadne would find the reason for her to love Maximilian Leander Milton, or hated him to death.

Eleanor sterling finds out she is pregnant with quadruplets after an unforgettable one-night stand with a mysterious man.  Years later, she is employed to work for the billionaire CEO of the skyline company, Sebastian Donovan, who was also the father of her quadruplets. They instantly get attracted to each other and as hard as Eleanor fights it, she gets deeper into a strange and dangerous world of riches. She finds herself drowning in secrets, mysteries, and seduction. Will she hide the truth forever, or tell the truth to him? Will Sebastian come to love her, or will he treat her like many others…?

“I pressed a hand to my stomach and forced myself to stand taller, even as the howls grew louder, closer. They will not take you from me, I whispered. Not him. Not the pack. Not even fate. The wind carried my vow into the night. Somewhere far away, I swore I felt a shiver of response, like Kael himself had heard me. Like he was already hunting me.” “You can run, Aria. You can hide. But the child is mine. You are mine. And I will claim what belongs to me.” The bond inside me pulsed, as if she heard, as if she trembled somewhere in the dark. I smiled then, a sharp, dangerous curve of lips. The hunt had only just begun.

Ryan Grey is a self-made billionaire at the age of 26 who no longer believes in love since his past was messy when it came to relationships. He moves to a new city hoping for a new start where he establishes a branch for his ever expanding company. In Georgia, things start out good but this doesn't last long. He meets Diana, an ambitious young and attractive woman who catches his eye. She happens to get a job in his company where his identity as the CEO is kept a secret even to the staff. He slowly grows fond of her and the unexpected happens. He starts to fall in love again. Deciding to give love one last shot, he throws caution to the wind and goes all in. He falls in love deep and despite having an ex who is still after him, he decides to settle for one girl. His one true love. Everything goes on good and just when he thinks that his stars are aligning, he discovers a secret about Diana that breaks him shaking him to the core. In a story filled with love and hope for a chance at life again, darkness looms in the shadows. Deception, betrayal and guilt roam free and seek to ruin a perfect match. What will Ryan do? Will he ignore the red flags and stick to his perfect fantasy world where love prevails or will he end up crushed again. It takes a lot to hurt a man who is in love, but what happens when you break a man in love?

He’s my tormentor. My captor. He shatters my joy, stripping away my freedom, and despite being my brother, his desires are anything but familial. Axe’s obsession with me is relentless, and I’m his perfect prey—his doll, his bird in a cage. Imagine being ensnared by someone who craves you beyond reason, leaving you no choice but to surrender. Trapped in a world where leaving feels impossible, but staying hurts too much, Bridgette knows this agony all too well. Her brother, Axe, is consumed by his need to possess her, bending her will to his every whim, never letting her slip from his grasp. As Axe tightens his control, Bridgette’s life becomes a series of desperate attempts to break free. But his love is like a wound that won’t heal, an obsession that burrows deeper with each passing day. Can Bridgette escape this suffocating love, or will she be forever bound by the dark desires of the one person she should trust most? Discover the harrowing story of a love twisted beyond recognition, where escape seems like a dream and surrender feels like the only option.

On our wedding anniversary, my CEO husband, Michael Grant, invited me to watch the ocean with him. Tragically, a typhoon hit. I stood there in the raging wind and rain for over two hours, and he never showed up. In the end, all I got was a text that he was suddenly going on a business trip and couldn’t make it. Right after that, his intern, Nora Blake, posted a video on her social feed. It showed my usually pampered husband barefoot while helping fishermen haul crates of seafood. Her caption read: "Our hardworking CEO loves to get his hands dirty!" I laughed and commented: "Diligent and enduring—a true role model for us all." The company Slack channel instantly exploded. Everyone was betting on whether I’d finally blow up this time. Michael called me, his voice tight with fury, "Lauren West! What the heck did you mean by posting that comment? Are you trying to humiliate Nora in public? "It was a typhoon. I helped her family move some fish. What’s the big deal? You’re such a pampered little princess who has no idea how hard life really is. Delete that comment now. I’ll take you to the coast another day." Disgust churned in me. I replied, "Let a man who’s already rolled in the mud take me to the ocean? Forget it." Yes. Michael was now tainted, and I didn’t want him anymore.

"I'm not the hero in your fairytale , songbird. You'd do best to remember that." I've been ripped from my life and given to a criminal the whole city fears by my father and only man I trusted in the world as a debt repayment with blames of crimes I never committed! He has 2 rules for me. 1) Obey him. 2) Tell no one ANYTHING about him. And then I ran into a aviary of freedom thinking I will be free ,only you can't be free once you enter a Mafia's life. I ran into his enemy and lived a horror worst than death . For a long time that felt like an eternity Until he returns. Until Zander king returns like an inevitable storm and tips my chin up and again life takes another turn. My downfall has a name , Zander ! -------------------------------------- I should have known she would ruin me the moment I saw her. Women like her are made to destroy men like me. I couldn’t let her go though. Given to me in a war ,to begin a war ; I was too eager to accept. But I didn’t know what she’d do to me. I didn't know she would change everything. She sees through me in a way no one else ever has. Her innocence and vulnerability make me weak for her and I despise it. I know better than to give in to temptation of femininity. A ruthless man doesn’t let a soul like her, close to him. A cold-hearted man doesn't let a little bird twist his decisions. A powerful man with a beautiful woman at his mercy… he doesn’t fall for her. But ! My downfall has a name ,Jasmine !

Evangelina had a tough luck growing up with a family that wanted to trade her for security but one day things changed. She met her mate during a ball and sparks flew. They spent the night taking pleasure from each other. It all felt like a dream to Eva and just like a dream, it shattered when the morning came. When the morning light fell on his beautiful face, she realised with a shock that her destined mate is the vicious Zavion Kessler- the infamous alpha of Midnight pack- their swore enemy. Eva does what she thinks is best. She flees, leaving him sleeping not knowing the alpha had already planted his pup inside her. Two months later she finds out that she is pregnant. Her family decides to kill her baby and mate her off to an old chap. Eva runs away for her baby. Fast forward four years, she is a caring mother to a sweet girl and is scraping through life. Then comes a man who stinks of money and offers her millions for pretending to be his mate in front of his family during his big brother's mating ceremony. She agrees, again not knowing that the big brother of her fake mate is her true mate, Zavion. Tricky, isn't it? .................. "What are you doing?" I asked as his large callous hand wrapped itself around my left breast, clutching the lump in a tender yet firm grip. "Your heart remains calm like ocean when with my brother but flaps like a caged bird when I am around. Suspicious, isn't it?" he rasped while drawing circles over my palpitating heart with his thumbpad. I could sense it. He is close to finding out the truth. That I am his mate and that he has a daughter.