a ruin of roses

Nocturne Ville, as beautiful as the mystery city might be, has always been a magnet for supernaturals in an alternate America. Although neighbouring cities dismissed the bizarre happenings as fables, its citizens knew that there was more to the lovely metropolis than meets the eye, but they preferred to be oblivious to the reality. It was much simpler. There she was in the centre of it all. Desirée Doyle, who had the gentle and luminous aura of an empyrean creature, was divided between accepting the obvious reality and remaining convinced that everything was a myth. All she cared about was finishing college and escaping Nocturne Ville, which was the source of all her problems. Desirée was just interested in keeping her head down as usual, but the appearance of the intriguing André Baudelaire, a Vampire, appeared to be the solution to the hole she had always felt. Their encounter made Desirée rethink everything she had always believed, entangling them in a web of hot passion that André was determined to deny to the ends of the world, given his hatred for commitment as a result of his instability over decades. How can a quiet girl who has always felt incomplete manage the supernatural world? Will she accept the heat and commotion that comes with it, or will she flee to the hills?

How hard would it be to love someone who couldn't love you back? How painful is it to chase someone that will never turn to look at you? How many litters of tears would you cry for your sacrifices? Adriana "Adi" Lopez, a beautiful, smart, and lovely person who had an unrequited love with her mafia boss. She knew this would be hard for her but who would have known that everything will turn her world outside down? None. She ignored a lot and sacrificed a lot, but she never get his heart, was it worth it?

Paalala: Ang kuwentong ito ay isang kathang-isip lamang. Anuman ang inyong mababasa ay huwag tularan. Panimula: Ngunit ang lahat ay nagbago nang isang araw, napilitan siyang magtungo sa police station dahil nasangkot ang kanyang kapatid sa isang gulo sa bar. Doon, isang babaeng pulis ang umagaw ng kanyang atensyon. S'ya si Kurt John McCain, isang multi-billionaire na business tycoon, ay kilala hindi lang sa kanyang yaman kundi pati sa kanyang nakamamanghang hitsura—matangkad, makisig, at ang kanyang ngiti ay sapat na para mawalan ng ulirat ang sinumang babae. Ngunit para sa kanya, ang mga babae ay walang iba kundi panandaliang libangan. Walang puwang ang seryosong relasyon sa kanyang abala at marangyang buhay. Para sa kanya, ang mga ito ay parang laro lamang—walang emosyon, walang komplikasyon. Ang lahat ay laro lamang. Si SPO 3 -Althea Perez, isang dedikadong policewoman, ay hindi lang mahusay sa kanyang tungkulin kundi kilala rin sa kanyang kagandahan, kaseksihan, at kabutihang-loob. Ngunit sa kabila ng pagiging pulis, marunong din siyang magpatawa at makibagay. Lihim niyang binabalanse ang buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagraraket sa palengke upang suportahan ang kanyang pamilya. Bagamat maamo ang kanyang hitsura, huwag kang magkakamali—hindi siya aatras sa sinumang nagtatangkang umabuso sa kanyang prinsipyo. Isang araw, nasapak niya ang isang mayabang na lalaki na nagdulot ng kanyang pagkawala ng malay. Ang mayabang na lalaki? Walang iba kundi si Kurt. Ano ang kahihinatnan ng pagtatagpo ng dalawang taong magkaibang-magkaiba ang mundo? Paano mababago ng isang policewoman ang buhay ng isang businessman na walang pakialam sa pag-ibig? Abangan ang kwento ng dalawang magkaibang katauhan na pinagbuklod ng kapalaran.

Kaden Zacarias and I have been together for a decade. He gives me all his love throughout that time. But one day, I see the news of him marrying Gwendolyn Crawford as part of a marriage alliance. He tells his friends, "I'm only fooling around with Ella—does she think I'll actually marry her? It's not like my parents will ever agree to it. I can just keep her around as a mistress after getting married. Remember to keep your mouths shut about this." Our decade-long love goes up in flames, but I don't question him. Instead, I call my father with a withered heart and say, "I'll go through with the marriage alliance. I'll leave the country."

He was the enemy I was forced to marry. I was the girl raised to destroy him. I was supposed to live a quiet life. Graduate, find a job, stay far away from the shadows of my mother’s past. But then I was taken. Now I’m Mrs. Valerio. Matteo Valerio is cold, dangerous, and untouchable. The heir to a brutal mafia empire built on secrets and blood. He makes it clear: this marriage isn’t love. It’s power. It’s politics. It’s survival. But I didn’t agree to this just to be a pawn. I want answers. About my father’s murder, about the threats still chasing me, about who I really am beneath the name I grew up with. And the closer I get to the truth, the more tangled I become with Matteo himself. Because behind the monster is a man with haunted eyes and a soul that’s been at war for too long. And behind my rage is a heart that was never supposed to feel anything for him. But the past is catching up. Betrayals are rising. And falling in love with your enemy? That’s the most dangerous vow of all.

I fumbled with the lock, my pulse hammering. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t want this. "Alaric," I breathed, but his name barely made it past my lips before his hands were on me—hot, demanding, unstoppable. "Tell me to stop," he murmured against my throat, his fingers sliding beneath my dress. "Tell me you don’t want this." I opened my mouth—to argue, to push him away—but all that came out was a soft, shuddering gasp as he found the one place that betrayed me. His dark chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. "That’s what I thought." __ Betrayed and humiliated at the altar. Isla never planned to ruin herself in the arms of another man. But heartbreak led her straight into the grasp of Alaric Voss—powerful, ruthless, and twice her age. One night. No names. No future. Or so she thought. Because when the sun rose, Isla came face-to-face with her new boss—the same man who had just claimed her in every sinful way possible. Now, resisting him is impossible. He’s everywhere—watching, teasing, owning her with every smirk, every touch. She swore it was a mistake. He swears it’s just the beginning. And the more she fights him, the more she realizes the truth: She was his from the moment he laid eyes on her. And Alaric Voss doesn’t let what’s his slip away.

"The deal was to become the fake mother of your twins, live with them and act like their sweet, perfect bossom only. Follow the contract and fucking let go of me" she glared, her hazel eyes wavering as she lay trapped under the devil, on his king-sized bed. "Say that again" his dulcet voice ran deep into her veins, his hand trapping her wrist above the headboard. "Let. Go. Of. Me!" She spat but her breaths hitched when the man slipped his fingers in between her sinfully-soaked thighs. "Aren't you such a bad little liar, dolcissima?" --- Violette La Rosa wasted five years of her life loving a man who saw her as nothing but his financial fountain. On the day of her wedding with him, she found out a secret which shattered her. Stung by the fatal venom of betrayal, Violette resorted to stabbing Dominic on the alter. Jail was inevitable, but in the wild turnaround, she got an offer from the most devilish mafia living—Massimo Visconti,, boss of the Cosa Nostra. Desperate Violette grabbed the offer with her two hands, but can she get used to living with the devil and his spawns?

Raised in her father's gang, the young gypsy Emma Ferguson was persecuted all her life by the puritanical society of the 19th century, yet she never felt completely part of the Romani group. Vivacious and intelligent, the beautiful Emma only wished to find her true self and live the experiences she had been denied over the 20 years of her life, when an unsuccessful performance made her worst nightmares come true in that cursed Scottish town. Emma only survives all this with the help of the handsome British gentleman, Henry Dashwood, whom she met during the fateful performance, and when he rescues her from the roadside, she begins a new and dangerous journey. In a society where gypsy origin is considered worthy of capital punishment, Henry has decided to help Emma get back on her feet, and hatches a plan that could be the salvation or ruin of them both.

“If I can’t have you, Anna,” Ethan whispered, his voice chillingly calm, “then I’ll make sure no one else wants you either.” Anna’s heart pounded, the once-familiar face now filled with a darkness she never saw coming. The man she’d spent years loving—the man who had left her shattered without a second thought—was back. But this wasn’t the same man. He was relentless, hell-bent on tearing down the life she’d fought so hard to rebuild. Ethan isn’t just angry. He’s obsessed. And he won’t stop until he’s destroyed everything she’s become—or until she finally comes back to him. But Anna is done being his pawn. This time, she’ll play by her own rules… and in the end, only one of them can walk away unscathed.

Ella has always known her place; at the very bottom. As an omega, she’s learned to stay invisible, to endure the taunts and cruelty, especially from the notorious Blackthorn twins, Lucian and Kade. Golden, ruthless, and heirs to the Blackthorn pack, the alpha twins have made tormenting Ella their favorite pastime. To them, she’s nothing more than a reminder of weakness. Until fate plays its cruelest trick. When the unmistakable scent of the mate bond connects the three of them, their delicately ordered world shatters. The twins would rather reject fate than claim a weak omega, and Ella refuses to be bound to the monsters who made her life hell.