Within These Wicked Walls

Antonius Altamirano had everything a man could wish for; wealth, vast properties, and a name in the business industry. But then the problem was, he has a very complicated relationship with women. Hindi niya kayang umiwas sa tukso. He’s a good man, but he can easily be tempted. He had to marry Selene Arnaiz, one of the wealthiest and most famous actresses of her generation. It was a marriage for convenience, for Niu it was to save face from all his investors, and for Selene, it was for her fame and career. But Niu had a secret, he has been in a long-time relationship with Dr. Leann Zubiri, the best surgeon in the country. Niu claimed to be in love with her. Leann was contented to being his mistress for she was really in love with him. She can take it, being not the legal wife, as long as Niu would spare time for her. Niu doesn’t want to add more complication to his relationship with Selene and Leann, but Kate Cadelina entered the picture and shook his world. Niu didn’t expect that he’ll be attracted head over heels with the sassy secretary of her sister-in-law. She’s like a breath of fresh air that gave relief from all the stress in his life. Niu was never been this confused his whole life. Being married to a woman he didn’t love and having a mistress was a huge trouble already. How can he handle this now that he wanted Kate to be part of his life? Who will he choose? The woman he married? Or the woman he claimed that he was in love with? Or Kate, his beautiful ray of sunshine that gives light to his chaotic world?

Shantala Vien Arceo’s mundane life turned upside-down after she replaced her sister in marrying Estermouth City’s infamous mafia leader, Hyperion. She knew him by name and how merciless he was, however, she still agreed with the marriage for the sake of her sister and despite knowing too well that she would likely face death when Hyperion finds out that she was fooling him. Aside from hiding her identity from her dangerous husband, she must also find ways to fully cut ties with the man from her haunting past who wanted her back. Whether she lives or not after all these life-threatening encounters, Shantala would surely go through another hell just to survive.

Labeled a "Dormant Omen" and sold into a Mate-Contract to the lethal Alpha of the Montgomery Pack, Avery has spent years as a shadow in Hudson Montgomery’s glittering, cruel world. She was the mute trophy, the wife who couldn't shift, the girl who loved a man who only saw her as a political necessity. But when Hudson’s favored mistress returns and the pack turns its teeth toward her, Avery realizes that staying in the Silver Ridge will cost her more than just her pride—it will cost her the secret life growing inside her. One final signature. One last look. One clean break. "You want your freedom, Avery?" Hudson’s voice was a low, terrifying vibration against her skin, his hand bruising the small of her back. "Sign the scroll. Walk out of my den. But remember—once the bond is severed, I stop being your protector. I become your hunter." Avery’s fingers flashed in the flickering torchlight, her eyes burning with a defiance he’d never seen. I would rather be hunted in the wild than forgotten in your bed. The pain is a jagged blade. The divorce is a death sentence. But the hunger... the hunger is a fever. As the Silver Ridge teeters on the brink of war, Hudson realizes too late that the quiet girl he discarded wasn't a sheep—she was the moon that held his tides in check. Now, he’ll tear the world apart to reclaim her, but Avery is no longer playing by his rules.

One reckless swipe. One night that should’ve never happened. There's no turning back. Isla Ainsley, 26, never imagined that a silly swipe on Tinder would land her in bed with Julian Wolfe: a dangerously charming 42-year-old, high-powered fashion marketing executive. And a single father with a teenage daughter who tricked her into the match. What was supposed to be a mistake quickly becomes an addiction. And when feelings get involved, it’s not just clothing that gets stripped away, but scars from a past neither of them has fully healed. Thrown back into Julian’s world as an intern, Isla finds herself caught in a tightrope walk between professionalism, desire, and a quiet war of dominance. But love and business don’t play by the same rules. And neither shows' mercy to women like her. When family secrets, reputation, and revenge explode into chaos, Isla has to decide: walk away, or fall harder for the man who could shatter her completely. Some loves are unhealable. They're meant to be fought for. Even when they hurt like hell.

At just twenty-five years, she finds herself in a whole new world completely different from the one she grew up in. This new city is one that never sleeps nor slumbers, earnestly running on a 24/7 work system barely giving anyone the chance to catch their breath. With her best friend by her side, she sails through this unfamiliar way of life- long commutes, endless bills you name it. Life isn’t getting easier, but she manages to stay afloat and thrive. After about two years of living from paycheck to paycheck, her tireless efforts finally pay off when she lands a new job that promises to be sustainable. For the first time in her work life, things finally seem to be going as planned. She earns more and is now able to send enough money home to her family and have some left for herself. But just when everything seems to be perfect, things take a sudden turn left. A coworker accuses her of work malpractice, an allegation that could tear apart everything she has worked so hard for. With her reputation and livelihood on the line, will she be able to prove her innocence before it's too late or will one false accusation destroy the trust she gained from her boss and get her fired?

**Dez** Dezmond woke in a cold sweat. The ache in his heart was worse than ever before. It had been growing more intense over the past few weeks. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn't bother looking in the mirror, he knew what he would see. His face would be white and his eyes haunted with the need to find answers. Dezmond needed to know why he was being tormented in his dreams. He was never supposed to dream again. "I can't take this anymore." said Dezmond gloomily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Ruby** Ruby couldn't focus in class, another night of tossing and turning. Seeing the flames consume her house. Hearing the screams as her family slowly died, knowing there was nothing she could do. It had been almost three years since the incident. The day she lost her family in the fire. She was the only one who wasn't in the house. And she relived that horror every night in her dreams. Though recently her nightmares felt different. More like a warning rather than a memory. "Rough night?" whispered Haven. Haven had been friends with Ruby since they were little kids. "Yeah, they started happening again." Ruby whispered back. They never really stopped. "Have you talked to anyone about it? Ruby, you can't keep it a secret forever." This is the same discussion they had just after the incident.

*Daily updates*She felt as if she were floating. Her eyes were closed, and everything about her felt soft, a luxuriating fluffiness like the satin down comforter her grandma used to have. She thought she must have been sleeping. There was a not-unpleasant heaviness to her limbs, like the time she could finally sit down after standing and walking in the market for hours.Then her brain started to focus in a peculiar sort of way, powerless over thoughts that surfaced unbidden. Abubakar suddenly came to mind...how he had gotten her this way, and how she longed to tell Maama, but couldn't. Maama. . .As her consciousness began to return, she tried without success to open her eyes. Something tight and sticky was holding her lids together. Now she knew she was sleeping. She'd felt that strange paralysis before when wrapped in layers of her dreams, her legs turned to lead as she ran from shadowy pursuers and her eyes became inert shutters. She was scared, what frightened her most was her breathing. Her hand blindly went to her mouth, where she found the tube.Yaa Rahman! She was in a hospital!Her heart was thunderously racing, filling her chest with explosive fear. She blindly pulled at the tube, ripping it from her throat, gagging violently as it made her gasp and choke. But finally, finally, It was free, and she flung it far away.

Falling for the man who is paying you for sex is a dangerous business. Stella Kaye Wyatt is running from an abusive past she'd like to forget. She secures a new identity by working at a brothel to stay hidden. When her once knight-in-shining armor boyfriend becomes what she escaped, she feels responsible for trying to save him at a high cost to herself. Alaric John Carter is an adventure seeker who uses adrenaline highs to forget his own troubled past. When his life crosses paths with Stella's and he's informed of her sexual job, he takes advantage as a paying customer with surprisingly deep pockets. Despite strictly being a business arrangement, real feelings begin to develop between the two. Stella begins to dream of a better life, but will handsome Alaric accept her for who she truly is when he learns the dark truth she's hiding? As Stella's past returns to reclaim her and Alaric's secrets are revealed, the truth will potentially end not only their feelings for each other, but their lives.

Bilang isang anak ng Diyos ng Kadiliman, alam ni Cassy Aguilar na kailanman ay hinding-hindi niya maabot ang liwanag, na kahit na anong takbo niya ay hindi niya matatagpuan ang sarili na nabababalot ng sinag kundi purong anino at dilim lamang. At iyon ang dahilan kung bakit gustong-gusto niyang makatakas sa tadhanang tila kadenang nagbibigkis sa kanya sa mundo ng kadiliman at kasamaan. Nais niyang makalaya. At ang tanging paraan para mangyari iyon ay ang wakasan ang buhay ng sarili niyang ama, ang Diyos ng Kadiliman. Sakit. Kamatayan. Pagtataksil. Sakripisyo. Pag-ibig. Pakikipagsapalaran. Lahat ng ito ay naghihintay kay Cassy kasama ang mga taong magiging kasangga niya sa pagkamit ng kalayaang hinahangad niya at ang pagtapos sa buhay ng Diyos ng Kadiliman na matagal nang banta sa kapayapaan ng mamamayan.

To teach me to behave, my parents forged a paternity test and declared I was not their biological son. My sister ignored my pleas and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. "You troublemaker, why don't you just die?" they sneered. Even the fiancée I loved most watched with icy eyes and used her connections to make sure I suffered inside. After five years, I finally knew how to keep my head down. So why did they suddenly demand I return to the arrogant heir I once was?