more under the surface

**Mature Audience Only** This is a collection of steamy short stories, showing that a relationship does not need to be all about s*x... But its a good start... The first story was about Luke, who had a chance to be a tutor to the girl he was in love with. Will they have happy endings? See and find out.

Upset about the sudden marriage arrangement, Via ran away from home to come back with shocking news: she was pregnant and did not even know who the father was. Due to disappointment, her father sent her away. But after a few years, she was asked to return with her adorable twins. Little did she know that as soon as she stepped foot in her home country, she would once again encounter the stranger who gifted her two adorable children, and her life would be turned upside down when the man started pursuing her. “We already had children together. Aren't we a little more than strangers?”

Caterina Marino, the daughter of the great doctor Dante Morano, grew up in La Vendetta, the largest mafia group in Mexico. Following in her father's footsteps, she also became the chosen doctor who was given the task of treating every mafia member injured on the battlefield.   Caterine loved mafia leader Leonardo Bianchi, but her love was unrequited. Leonardo disliked her and was often rude to her. All the attention she gives him is considered very annoying by Leonardo, so he often says harsh words.   Dante advises his daughter to stop bothering Leonardo if she doesn't want her life to be difficult. The love she has been giving is considered a burden and a shame.   Caterine felt hurt, so she decided to leave La Vendetta and go to the city to work in a hospital. Since Caterine left, Leonardo was lonely and missed her terribly and forced her to return. Caterine refused, because she had fallen in love with Gabriel Russo, who was her coworker at the hospital. Which turns out Gabriel is also favored by Rossie, who is the sister of Leonardo's biggest enemy.   Until suddenly Caterine disappeared without a trace. Everyone was very panicked, and finally Leonardo realized that he had fallen in love with Caterine.   “Just kill me; Leonardo won't care. I'm not important to him; my death won't mean anything.”   “It's a pity if you have to die now. Be my pet; I'll let you live until I get bored.”

Mati. Kata itu bakal menjadi momok menakutkan bagi sebagian besar manusia di muka bumi ini, tetapi tidak untukku.Pertemuan pertama dengannya merupakan kesialan sekaligus keberuntungan bagiku. Aku hidup, tetapi terjerat dalam pesona maut si pembunuh tampan bernama Axel.“Matamu cantik.” Kalimat pertama yang dia ucapkan padaku. Aku tahu dia tak melihat ketakutan akan kematian di sana.Bersamanya, aku merasa diperlakukan sebagai manusia setelah menerima begitu banyak sakit hati.Namun, sampai kapan Axel bersedia menerimaku. Setelah pembunuhan-pembunuhan mengerikan yang ia pertontonkan.Sampai kapan hingga tiba giliranku berikutnya? Ketika mataku ... tak indah lagi baginya.

Living with my aunt and her family was meant to be a temporary, quiet arrangement just helping out and keeping to myself. On the first day of the new year, while everyone else was out celebrating, I stayed home, enjoying the rare silence and catching up on sleep. But when we ran out of water, I reluctantly stepped outside to fetch some, and that’s when I saw him. He stood by the gate of the house next door, effortlessly commanding attention with just a glance. A smirk played on his lips, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes behind his blue-ray glasses. At that moment, he was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, I felt disheveled and barely awake, my hair was a mess and still shaking off sleep. But he didn’t seem to mind. There was something about him an air of mystery that made me wonder who he was and why he was there. Before I could look away, he spoke, “Hi.” Caught off guard, I managed a quick, “Hi,” while trying to pull myself together. “Can I know your name?” he asked. I hesitated but replied, “I’m Clara,” and kept walking. “Can I have your number?” he called after me. “Just as friends.” I almost refused but reluctantly agreed, entering my number into his phone. “There,” I said, handing it back. “I’ll call you,” he promised with a smile, as I turned to leave. What began as a chance encounter soon became an inexplicable connection. He had secrets, but there was something about him that saw through me, understanding things no one else did. The man I met next door wasn’t just a fleeting stranger,he became the reason I started questioning everything I thought I wanted.

Lilith wakes in a river on land she doesn’t recognise. What was her name again? Where did she come from? She walks for hours, hoping to find help and salvation. She does find population, but she had never imagined discovering the secrets of a world she doesn’t remember. Alpha Theodore Moon is a wolf-shifter, and what’s more, he’s one of her fated mates who nurses her back to health and falls profoundly and irrevocably in love with her. But with the other comes sordid secrets that have been hidden. Lilith holds a power like no other werewolf, and she’s being hunted as we speak. Will she uncover her secrets and learn to wield the powers she was given at birth before she is enslaved for them? Come and read with us to find out.

Résumé : Nathan est un jeune homme comme tant d'autres, tiraillé entre ses désirs profonds et les blessures invisibles que la vie lui a infligées. En apparence, il avance, il vit, il sourit… mais au fond, il est rongé par une peur viscérale : celle d’aimer, de s’attacher, de s’abandonner. Les cicatrices laissées par des échecs amoureux répétés ont forgé en lui un mur de méfiance, une carapace faite de doutes, d’interrogations et de solitude. Un jour, tout bascule. Plongé sans comprendre dans un monde étrange, un univers illusoire où les lois de la réalité semblent s'effondrer, Nathan se retrouve face à ses propres démons. Dans ce théâtre onirique troublant, ses peurs prennent forme, ses cauchemars se matérialisent, et chaque détour devient une épreuve psychologique et émotionnelle. Ce n’est plus seulement une quête de sens : c’est une descente aux confins de lui-même. Mais au cœur de cet étrange voyage, il fait des rencontres. Énigmatiques, bouleversantes, violentes ou lumineuses, ces figures viennent bousculer tout ce qu’il croyait savoir sur lui, sur l’amour, sur le lien à l’autre. Chacune d’elles devient un miroir : tantôt déformant, tantôt révélateur. Elles réveillent en lui des souvenirs enfouis, questionnent ses certitudes, et font éclater ses défenses. Nathan devra alors faire face à la plus grande question de sa vie : pourquoi son cœur a-t-il oublié d’aimer ? Et surtout… peut-il encore apprendre à le faire ? Entre rêve et réalité, chute et rédemption, ce voyage initiatique est celui d’un cœur brisé qui tente de retrouver le chemin de la lumière.

“You’re going to build me up all over again, just to break me once more.” A marriage contract is all that binds them in the present. But some things from the past seem to haunt and try to tear them apart. Will they still end up together in the future? Andrea Scout has been offered a chance to free herself from crippling debt. Owed to being a well-known actress, her life is plagued with drama and controversy. And when a billionaire CEO proposes to pay off all her loans in exchange of acting as his wife, there was no hesitation in saying “I do.” Although she believed that love and marriage were fantasies people only dreamed about, she may perhaps found the real deal in Sebastian Adams. But luck never seemed to agree with her as hurt and misfortune always follow her, like a looming shadow. So when a special person from his good old days shows up and she’s cast away by the partner she learned to love, Andrea might just have had enough.

When a chance encounter with a disabled man being mugged derails her job interview, Ophelia Sage must confront the consequences of her bravery. But as she faces rejection and humiliation, she unwittingly captures the attention of a powerful CEO. Will her selfless act lead to a new opportunity, or will it cost her everything she holds dear to her heart?

Embedded in the undying feud between the Monroe's and the Villalobos was the bitter memory of the past when the father of the 5th generation of coven, Don Honoracio Monroe died out of unknown disease. His loss brought them commotion when the Villalobos presented a young lady as the Don's other daughter. Doña Victoria never recognized such disrespect to the good memories of her late husband and so she deprived the young Villalobos of her rights for her inheritance... Since that night, the killing never ended. Each of them was forced to leave the grand lives they had in order to keep their safety. In fear of his new born child, Vico sent Victorina Aurora together with their most trusted servant away... Since then, the search for the Monroe's heiress gets on fire. The Monroe's most trusted man, Alezzandro Vizmanos from the werewolves tribe found her in her new name as Blythe Hernandez and identity as a waitress in Ekztatica club, working hard for her ill mother. It's her needs that made her sign his proposal with eyes closed. Zandro held her tight in his fingers just what the Monroe's wants him to do. But he opposed the plan when he kept Blythe away from them... Little did they know, Zandro has been keeping wrath for the death of his dear Cassidy. The servant who took care of Blythe, she died for the Monroe's yet they never recognized her loyalty. Every night, as he watches Blythe sleeping peacefully, Zandro was tempted to kill her. But as days passed by, he used to see from her eyes the spark from Cassy's eyes he once adored. Blythe's giving his heart wild beats. Will he still continue his plan of killing her or he'll rather kill his heart to stop pulsating insanely?