El Filibusterismo Kabanata 23

"Well, well, well," He said, his voice low with a hint of both playfulness and danger in it. I know I am caught like a deer in the headlight but still I did not came out, holding onto a little hope that is crushed long ago. "What do we have here?" His voice was demanding and threatening, forcing my feets to move on their own to come out of the shadows. -- Kirill Volkov, is a 25 years old russian heartthrob with many dark little secrets. His hands are stained with the blood of people whoever discovered his little secret and he never batted another glance to the lifeless bodies he left behind. He is the perfect definition of an emotionless, quiet, arrogant and an inhumane human. Aleeza Aria Russo, is a 23 year old elegant Italian beauty with the dreams of living a life that have nothing to do with her previous one. She wants to taste the freedom in her mouth, not only on the tip of her tongue. But she did not realised she was loosing everything she always wanted while she got involved with Kirill, without even knowing the truth he hides. Aleeza does not realise the pressure and betrayal, Kirill, is going to crush her with, which will leave her with nothing but scars. Happy Reading!

At 18, He asked her to accompany him to the prom and she agreed because she liked him. At 23, He asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend, and she agreed because she loved him. At 25 he asked her to be his fiancee and she agreed, all because she wanted him to be hers forever. But now at 27, he's decided to break the 2 years of engagement to marry his true love and this time he did not ask. He simply decided that it was all over and he didn't need her. All the years, she followed him like a lovesick puppy only to get her heart broken mercilessly. The fairy tale she was living in vanished with just a simple blink. But too bad, she knew how to cure her broken heart and stand up again. But then what's wrong with him? Why is he behaving like a possessive fiancé all of sudden? Why the sudden change of heart? Shouldn't he be with his lover instead of trying to hold her captive? Wasn't he the one who said she's not the one for him and he didn't want her? Why was he behaving like a jealous husband? Does it mean The Cold-Hearted CEO Wants Her Back? _____________________ ________

Aku, Sonia, seorang wanita berusia 23 tahun, terjebak dalam masalah keuangan yang parah akibat hutang pengobatan anakku yang mengidap Thalassemia dan harus menjalani perawatan medis yang sangat mahal dan berkelanjutan. Hidupku yang penuh kesulitan berubah drastis ketika aku bekerja dengan Mr. Wei, seorang CEO sukses berusia 45 tahun. Di tengah kemelut keuangan dan tekanan emosional, aku menemukan pelarian dalam pelukan Mr. Wei. Kehangatan dan dukungan yang dia berikan membuatku merasa dihargai dan dicintai, sesuatu yang telah lama hilang dalam pernikahanku. Namun, kebahagiaan kami tidak lepas dari konflik; suamiku mulai curiga dan berbagai rintangan muncul, menguji keteguhan hati kami. Cerita ini menggambarkan dinamika cinta yang penuh gairah dan sakit hati, pengkhianatan yang menyakitkan, serta pencarian jati diri dan pengampunan. Dengan latar belakang kehidupan kami yang kontras, aku dan Mr. Wei harus menghadapi pilihan-pilihan sulit dan mempertanyakan nilai-nilai yang kami anut. Akankah cinta kami mampu mengatasi semua rintangan? atau akankah kami terperangkap dalam lingkaran drama dan penderitaan?

Zara Thomas is 23, broke, exhausted, and desperate. A waitress clinging to dead-end shifts and shattered dreams, her world collapses further when her mother is diagnosed with cancer.and the bills are more than she could ever afford. Out of options, out of time, and out of hope, Zara does the unthinkable: she sells one night of herself for money. She walks into a luxury hotel suite expecting shame. she meets Alexander Sterling a dangerously magnetic billionaire who strips her down with his eyes and undoes her with a single touch. One night. No names. No emotions. Just survival. Until fate twists cruelly. A week later, she lands a dream job… as his personal secretary. He’s cold, commanding, and acts like she’s invisible. But his gaze lingers. His touch remembers. And so does hers. What begins as tension spirals into a relationship laced with passion, pain, and everything neither of them expected. But just as Zara starts to believe in something more, a ghost from his past returns, lines blur between duty, desire, and something deeper, past secrets begin to surface, and one devastating truth could change everything. Will love be enough to rebuild the empire they lost or will the weight of their past destroy everything they almost had?

Taphney Louins Vergara, a 23 years old fine lady is already contented in her life. She could do anything she want and she could go anywhere she want especially that she is the only daughter of Danilo Vergara, the owner of Vergara Airlines. Ngunit halos gumuho ang mundo niya nang malaman na baon na pala sa utang ang kanyang ama dahil nalulong ito sa pagsusugal. Mapapalagpas niya ang pagiging sugarol at mala-daga nilang buhay buhat nang mangyari iyon ngunit ang hindi niya maintindihan ay bakit kailangan siyang ipambayad utang ng kanyang ama kay Ashton Mikael Santocildez, ang binatang nagmamay-ari ng casino kung saan minalas ang kanyang ama. Taphney will try to run! To hide! Ngunit sa bawat galaw niya ay agad siyang nahuhuli ng binata. Ashton just want her to oblige the contract. Be his wife only for a show and for three months. Ngunit hindi pa man natatapos ang kontrata ay may iba na siyang nararamdaman. She's starting to catch a feeling to the young and hot owner of the casino! Will they end up together? Or stick to each other's arms for three months because it's Just A Contract?

Ella Harvard, 23 tahun. Dia memiliki anak perempuan berusia 2,5 tahun, namanya Sisi Alexander. Ella tidak menyangka jika Sisi, anaknya akan menderita leukemia. Dunia Ella runtuh, anak semata wayang yang sangat dia sayangi divonis dokter bahwa harapan hidupnya hanya hitungan minggu atau bulan. Berbagai cara Ella lakukan untuk menyembuhkan Sisi, salah satunya mencari darah tali pusat dari bank darah darah tali pusat umum. Tapi, ketika semua jalan tertutup, tidak ada pilihan baginya selain menanggalkan harga dirinya dan meminta Mario, suaminya untuk menghamilinya. Mario menolak, dia menyuruh Ella mencari pria lain karena sampai kapanpun dia tidak akan menyentuh Ella. Mereka tidak sadar jika ada yang tak sengaja mendengar percakapan mereka. Dia adalah Zega, adik Mario. Zega menawarkan diri menghamili Ella. Tentu saja Ella tolak mentah-mentah. Dia wanita terhormat, punya harga diri tinggi, dan tidak akan melakukan hal sehina itu, apalagi dengan adik iparnya. Pertanyaannya, apa iya dia sekuat itu menghadapi Zega yang diam-diam suka menggoda secara halus?

Ulayah is a mature woman that just turned 30, she is fiercely independent and has never needed the approval of any man. She lives in a town where lycans as well as humans coexist with one another in harmony and so long as these cocksure arrogant savages stear clear of her there will be no issues. She has never and would never dare to consider being with one and has shot down many handsome lycan males. Ulayah has witnessed how possessive these creatures can be. Crude..nasty..vile beasts of men that believe themselves to be far superior to humans because they have a stinky mutt living inside them. How will this lady react when the gorgeous 23 year old bad boy Alpha walks straight up to her and announces that she is his mate? Should be interesting. The last thing she wanted was to hear this pass the snout of any lycan.....especially one that was a smug pup.' This bad boy Alpha is use to getting his own way with all females whether they be shewolfs or human. Alpha Jenson Steel will finally meet a woman that does not see him nor fear him as all others do, and will not tolerate his brash Alpha attitude. She is even more shocked when she discovers 'much to her dismay' that she isn't just mated to one of these heinous creatures....but also to his identical twin brother.

There’s a thin line between desperation and destiny ****** Sophia Jenkins has lived her life in the shadows of hardship. At 23, she juggles multiple jobs, trying to lift her family out of debt while caring for her terminally ill mother. Her only dream is to escape the weight of her broken home and rewrite her family’s fate. But fate had other plans. On her birthday, when relentless debt collectors humiliate her and her father, Sophia’s world shatters—until a mysterious man steps out of a sleek black car, commanding the chaos with nothing but his presence. Leonard Morano. At 40, Leonard is the ruthless head of the Morano mafia empire, a billionaire controlling over a hundred businesses and underground casinos. What no one knows is that he was once Martin Jenkins’ best friend—and the man who silently watched Sophia grow from afar before vanishing when she was fifteen. Now, he’s back. And he’s not offering help. He’s demanding marriage. With the chilling words, “Marry me, and I will smash every obstacle in your way,” Leo pulls her into a world of luxury, power, and deadly secrets. But can Sophia survive the dark underworld Leo rules? Can love truly bloom in the cracks of fear, obligation, and a past that refuses to stay buried?

23 years old Carmen Garcia is made to marry the heartless Billionaire and her high school Rival, Sean Whitney. The Grieving widower takes no interest in her and is set to make her life a living hell. She discovers secrets about his late wife and the ugly truths his family tried to hide from the public. She uses the information to threaten him into doing whatever she wants, putting her in control. Her newly gained power over him gives her the courage to seduce him and use him to satisfy her sexual needs. Sean's 6-year-old daughter, Evie, a child he hadn't known about, shows up. Carmen soon finds out about her inability to conceive a child and tries all she can to hide it from Whitney. She falls in love with Sean. The news of her infertility and Sean's late wife gets to the media and the family is torn apart. Sean who was already head over heels in love with her fights to keep her despite his family's disapproval. What happens when Carmen gets kidnapped and the ransom for her release is for Sean to give up Evie? Does Sean give up on his child to save his lover?

Being the rivals, Vdius and Aurora hated each other, but the Moon Goddess wrote a different story for them as they were MATED!! One is the Queen of the Rogues, and the other is LYCAN KING of the Alphas. Coming from two different backgrounds, will Aurora and Vdius ever be able to overcome all the obstacles that come their way?? Or will they get lost in the path of REVENGE?? Will the love between them ever be able to overpower the hatred that they have for each other?! Aurora Fright, a 23 years old Princess of her father and her Rogue clan, Moon Howlers. In the blink of eyes, Aurora had to wear the crown of the Queen of Rogues just after her father, Alberto's mysterious death. Vdius Arees, 31 years old, the greatest LYCAN KING, is breathing the air just to take revenge for his father who was murdered brutally. But what will happen when he will have a steamy One-night stand with the daughter of his greatest enemy, the killer of his father? A must-read story which is full of Betrayal, torture, revenge, love triangle and mature scenes ~~~~ Vdius sneered at Aurora and said coldly, "The Moon Goddess must have gone insane when she mated me with you!" Aurora rolled her eyes at him and said in a sarcastic tone, "Then do the favour on me, Alpha Vdius. REJECT ME!" Instantly a devilish smirk formed upon Vdius's lips as he uttered, "NO WAY!" ........