a dish best served cold novel

It was the perfect opportunity for the desperate Oriel. "The cancer in my body is going to take me earlier from this world. All of this is the punishment I am getting for my sins. However, it looks like a blessing has been mistakenly delivered to me by the heavens, that's you," said the leader of a drug mafia gang, a victim of Oriel's charms. She also didn't think twice before accepting his proposal, more like an offer that was to get her immense fortune in return. "I will make sure that your remaining days will be filled with happiness." She promised the dying boss and agreed live as his mistress. She knew that he had a wife and that the relation only existed on a piece of paper. Her name was Ursula, feisty and savage spouse of the dying mafia leader, Mr. Bruce. "Let him have that young girl as a last token of joy in his numbered days. But, I want you to keep her in close scrutiny because she also has her eyes set on his wealth. See to it that she never gets what she wants." Heartbroken Ursula ordered Collin, the loyal brother of Mr. Bruce. He was appointed as a personal bodyguard for his boss's mistress, "I will be following you everywhere from now on, you will have to bear with me because your safety is now a matter of concern for my boss." Oriel refused his company with a stern denial. "Don't tell me that you are still awkward around me, it has been years," but who knew that they shared a tragic past and a passion so deep. "Take my everything in return of your love. Just never betray me, and if you do, be meticulous hiding it," reminded her of Mr.Bruce.

"You whore!" A masculine voice. "You philanderer!" A feminine voice. "I'll kill you in this house!" He bellowed as he charged straight to the woman and started beating her up. The little boy stood at the door and watched his parents go about their daily routine, tears spilled from his eyes. He stood in the shadows, just watching and crying. If he speaks out loud, they'll remember him and his father will beat him also. No one remembers him. Not unless they want to beat him too. Then he saw the blow, heard the awful sound. The blow that made a difference. The blow that made that day stand out from every other day. His mom stopped screaming, she laid there on the floor, staring into nothingness. Dead. "Gia." His dad paused mid-beating. No answer. "Gianna!" He patted her white arms turned red from being beaten. Terror filled the little boy's system, a sound escaped his mouth, drawing the man's attention. "Oops. I've forgotten about you." He said to the little boy. "Mom's dead..." The little boy said in a tiny voice. The man looked down at the lifeless white woman, "Seems like it." He looked at the boy with an eye filled with menace. "You'll pretend you didn't see a thing. You'll......" The siren rang outside. The police had arrived. A neighbour had alerted them when he heard the noise. He watched as the policemen pointed their guns at his father. He watched as they took his father away. He remained hidden, his blue eyes returning to the woman who laid on the floor, with eyes as blue as his. She was staring right at him. Finally, she sees him. Only in death, did she really see him. Something died in that little boy that day. Replaced with bitterness.

Isang masayahin at palakaibigan na dalaga si Bella. Matalik niyang kaibigan na lalaki si Vin simula pagkabata. Magkapitbahay lamang sila at madalas na magkasundo sa lahat ng bagay. Naging magkaklase sila ni Vin simula elementarya hanggang high school. Sobrang close nila sa isa't isa kaya madalas silang magkasama. Ngunit pagdating ng college ay kinailangang umalis ni Vin upang mag-aral sa ibang bansa. Hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman ni Bella na nagmula si Vin sa mayamang pamilya kaya hindi na sya nagtaka nung kinailangang umalis ni Vin upang mag-aral sa ibang bansa. Lumipas pa ang mga taon ay bumalik na si Vin sa Pilipinas at nalaman eto ni Bella. Nang magkrus ang kanilang landas ay nagtaka si Bella kung bakit parang iba ang pakikitungo ni Vin sa kanya at madalas ay iniiwasan pa nga siya. Doon na nalaman ni Bella na may nararamdaman na pala si Vin sa kanya. Higit pa sa matalik na magkaibigan. Sobra ang tuwang nadama ni Bella dahil napagtanto nyang mahal na rin nya ang binata. Ngunit isang araw ay napalitan ng lungkot ang saya na nadarama ni Bella nang makita nya si Vin na may kasamang ibang babae, si Nicole, at napag-alaman nyang ikakasal na ang mga eto. Labis na nasaktan si Bella. Akala nya kasi ay si Vin na ang nakalaan para sa kanya pero may ibang plano pala ang tadhana para sa kanila. Magagawa pa kayang ipaglaban ni Bella ang pagmamahal nya kay Vin? O hahayaan na lamang nya etong magpakasal sa ibang babae.

SYNOPSIS! Meet Gabriella Pons, a twenty years old lady, Who lost her parents when she was just eight years old. She was forced to live with her wicked aunty, who maltreated her. As a kid, she was forced to do things that is bigger than her.. Some years later, Gabriella clocked eighteen years and she decided to run away from her auntie's house.. She lived with her friend for two months, then she went in search for a job.. It was like Luck was on her side When she saw a poster "Maid needed" ..She decided to apply for the job but that's where the story changes, that's when she met the worst part of life.. What happens when she began to live a life on Earth, but it felt like hell? Will she quit? Let's find out in this heart thrilling story ..🔥💝 Grab your popcorn..🍿

Be a Billionaire and good looks is not a guarantee that Nicholas Alistair's love story will run. Feeling very disappointed because his previous fiancé had betrayed him, Nicholas closed his mind and acted cool. He thinks women are creatures to be avoided. However, this caught the attention of an assistant named Kimberly. She, who had just taken up the position of Nicholas's private assistant, had a secret love. The cool and indifferent attitude shown by Nicholas made the young woman very challenged to crush the mind of her boss. Can Kimberly, a young woman full of secrets, crush Nicholas's mind as cool as ice in Antarctica?

Clay Nikolaidis: I don't know why everyone's so worried about me. I'm happy being single. H-A-P-P-Y, Happy. I don't understand why my twin sister thought her getting married and having my niece and nephew meant I felt left behind. Least of all, to the point that she decided I needed a dog… It’s a joke. She gave me a corgi and said he’s my new wingman. of a wingman, I've been striking out, and worse, just got evicted from my apartment. Now I'm staying at my cousin's place till I find a new one. This dog owes me. Xenia Rosario: I've loved everything about living in the Big Apple. Everything but my apartment seems to be big here. Shoebox apartment aside, I just became the owner of Tinkerbell, a therapy training dropout. Trust me when I say her name is meant to be ironic. She's bigger than me. This is probably how I got dragged through the park, and if I ever find the owner of that tiny dog who scared Tink, I'm giving them a piece of my mind. This is a standalone story but is the fifth book in the Ravenwood series. Book 1 - The Princess of Ravenwood Book 2 - Chasing Kitsune Book 3 - Expect The Unexpected Book 4 - Out Of My League Book 5 - Man's Best Wingman

“What about you?” I give him long look. “I don’t think you want to consummate a marriage you don’t even want.” Something darkens in his expression. “I wouldn’t worry about that,” he murmurs. *** On a quiet Spring morning, Avila awoke, six months after her death. By some miracle, she was suddenly alive, with no memory of her life. Confused, Avila is thrust into a world of where she is a Princess with a secretive family who battles a vicious rebellion. And, she is engaged to a wealthy, handsome Prince who couldn't stand who she was before she died. Avila is forced to piece together her previous life while making sense of her current one, but with a rebellion member who is in love with her, and the attraction growing between her and the Prince, things are only getting more complicated. (Themes: Arranaged Marriage, Forced Proximity, Royalty, Love, Romance etc)

Elgan Gaulia Lambert CEO muda berhati dingin terpaksa menikah dengan gadis manja dan agresif karena sebuah perjodohan. Gadis yang selalu mencari perhatiannya saat mereka sudah sah menjadi sepasang suami istri. Gadis yang selalu menggodanya dengan kata-kata manis yang lambat laun mampu memberikan getaran aneh dihatinya. Patricia Florence Berjuang seorang diri demi pernikahan adalah sesuatu yang sulit yang pernah Cia alami sepanjang hidupnya. Berulang kali jatuh dan sakit hati menjadi hal biasa yang ia rasakan sejak pernikah itu. Seharusnya, alasan itu cukup bagi Cia untuk membenci suaminya tersebut. Namun, seolah mengerti rencana tuhan, Cia tetap bertahan untuk mendapatkan cinta suaminya. Apakah perjuangannya berhasil? Apakah Elgan berhasil Cia taklukkan? Sebesar apa perjuangan cinta Cia? Tentunya, berjuang seorang diri bukanlah hal yang mudah. Bukan hal yang bisa dilakukan oleh sembarang wanita.

"Why did you leave the party in such a hurry earlier?" Ignoring her sarcasm, Kaleb changed the subject. He just had to ask! The audacity he had! Sasha smirked. "Did you want to enjoy seeing the girl you just a few minutes ago making a friendly chat with your girlfriend?" she snapped, her wound reopened. "Oh, so you left because of Claire?" Again, Kaleb's voice was mocking. "No, I left because of me," Sasha recoiled, and it was her stupidity sending him a text. "And what about you and Samson? I see the way he looked at you at the party. He seems to really like you and the both of you seem really familiar with each other. What do I make out of that?" Kaleb sounded different, odd even. —---------- When Kaleb Luthor decides to move back to the town he grew up in, Sasha Sullivan is bombarded with a lot of emotions. This is a guy she has had a crush on for as long as she can remember, and this is her chance to make him see her more than just his sister's best friend. But as she gets closer to Kaleb, Sasha realizes that he's a totally different guy from the one she has built up in her head, but she still can't let him go. A one night stand was all she needed… But she isn't prepared for the consequences that one night could bring…. And what an affair with Kaleb Luthor would do to her friendship with her best friend, Tilly Luthor.

Mumbai. The city of dreams. Shining bright with impressive skyscrapers, glamorous filmstars, and glittering malls. Standing tall on the shimmering coast of the Arabian Sea. Everywhere Sun hits here, this city dazzles. But beneath this warm dazzle, there is another Mumbai. The cold Mumbai. The dark Mumbai. The stronghold of the mafia. Where narrow alleys are splattered with gun-powder and blood. Where lives are discarded like tissue papers. Where an obscene amount of money circulates unaudited. And since years now, this formidable underworld is under Lala Amarnath Vaghela's thumb. The powerful mafia kingpin who started his ascent from the slums of Dharavi years back, today he controls most of the Indian subcontinent's illegal dealings and organized crime with an iron fist. But not without help. Kunal Ranjan Vaghela. Lalaji's grandson and his heir apparent. Apple of his grandfather's eyes, he is calculative, sly, and cold-blooded. Samar Jagtap. Lalaji's ruthless and cunning protege. Indispensable, he is as unapologetic as they come in this business. Everything is working smoothly in Lalaji's world. Like a well-oiled machine. Or is it? Because apart from sharing Lalaji's trust, apparently these two capable young men also share an undisguised hatred for each other. Not above playing dirty in this high-stakes arena, both are merely bidding their time to tear one another down. But no matter who emerges the winner out of the two, there is someone who will only lose. A torn heart that refuses to take sides. A girl who dared to love them both. Stubborn and loyal-to-a-fault Maahi. Full name Maahi Ranjan Vaghela. Kunal Vaghela's beloved baby sister. And the beautiful confusion of Samar Jagtap's life.