Chapter Nine Mga Nobela at Kwento

Nubia has her life planned out. She is working on her master's degree in post colonial studies. She has a quiet apartment and a schedule she sticks to. Every Wednesday night she finishes class at nine thirty, walks to the bus stop, and waits. The bus is always late. There is always a stranger sitting on the bench. He wears headphones and draws in a sketchbook. He never speaks. She calls him Pencil Boy in her phone and does not think much about it. Then one October night the bus is delayed by forty three minutes. Eli studies architecture but he draws people instead of buildings. He has been sketching Nubia for six weeks without ever saying a word. He is quiet and pays close attention to things. He has learned to keep people at a distance because it feels safer that way. But when the cold night gets to Nubia and he gives her his hoodie, the silence between them finally breaks. What begins as pie at a late night diner turns into a Wednesday night tradition. Then a friendship. Then something much deeper. As Nubia and Eli grow closer, they must face the things that make them different. Race. Class. The dreams they are chasing. The families they come from. And the strong pull of a connection neither of them can ignore. Set over one school year, 43 Minutes is a warm and sensual love story about two people learning to truly see each other. It is about letting yourself be seen. And it is about the moments that change your life in less than an hour but stay with you forever.

On the night of their third wedding anniversary, Aelara watches the man she has loved since childhood drive a blade through her heart and say her sister's name as he does it. She dies on the ballroom floor making one wish — not for revenge, not for answers, just the day before everything was decided. The day before she chose wrong. Fate listens. Because Aelara is not just a king's daughter. She is the Goddess of Fate and Life, and even dying, her power answers her own prayer. Reborn to the morning of the choosing ceremony, she faces four suitors and a kingdom that expects her to name Caelan Dray the God of Conquest, the man who will one day kill her. She does not. She names Riven Ashveil, the quiet, unbothered God of Sovereignty who has spent nine years showing up for her in every way that mattered and never once asking for anything back. No one understands the choice. Caelan does not grieve it. He starts watching her instead. And Lysa, her half-sister and Caelan's secret lover, goes very still. What follows is not a simple love story. It is a slow war for a kingdom, a throne, and a goddess's life fought in corridors and courtrooms and dark divine channels by two people who believed they were owed something and could not accept that they were wrong. Riven is the most powerful god in the kingdom. But power means nothing if you do not know what is coming for you. Aelara knows. She died once already. She is not dying again.

"I, Sebastian Knight, reject you, Rose Pecklewood as my mate..." Rose waited to hear these words tumble off his lips. Just a moment ago, they had found each other as mates and his burning gaze told her she was far from being accepted by him. She immediately shook her head no, "I don't want you to reject me. I'm in love with you, Seb." He smirked, the coldness in his eyes stretching. "Deal, but I will make you wish I did," he grabbed her by the neck, yanking her to him until their bodies merged. "You just dug your own grave, sweetheart, but there is no turning back for you now." She held her breath, fighting the urge to break as he continued brutally; "This, every fuckin part of you belongs to me now and I will make sure to ruin them one by one until there is nothing left, until you disappear like Leah. All of you." A tear strolled down her cheek but she quickly wiped it. He hates her but she couldn't bring herself to reciprocate the feeling. She had loved him for nine years, it grew into a habit. He was having fun, she could see the glint in his eyes and she knew it was only the beginning of her misery, but her stupid self was excited that a powerful wolf like Sebastian Knight accepted her as his mate. It was all she ever dreamed of, even though they were the only ones who knew about it.

My marriage certificate with Shane Galingston was lost again. By the time we went to replace it for the ninth time, his childhood sweetheart deliberately raised her voice as she said, "Lily has been divorced eight times and has had nine abortions. She also has AIDS and syphilis… practically every vice in the book. Did you know all that?" With a loud crash, a newlywed couple sitting nearby was so startled that they fell to the floor, groaning in pain. In an instant, contemptuous and disgusted gazes poured in from all directions, pinning me in place. The icy slime of rotting refuse dripped down my face, chilling not just my skin but my heart as well. This time, I didn't hold back. I turned and walked straight toward the complaint counter. But Shane, who had stayed silent all along, suddenly grabbed my arm. He wiped the filth from my face and coaxed me in a low, gentle voice. "Don't be angry. She's just childish—she likes to fool around. She didn't mean to smear your name. "Besides, she's not targeting you. She's just throwing a tantrum at me. How could I not know what kind of person you are?" As he spoke, he shot his childhood sweetheart a helpless yet indulgent glance. "Go ahead and help us reissue—" I pushed his hand away without expression and cut him off. "No need. Let's get a divorce."

On the morning of her wedding to Alpha Caelum Sterling, in front of six hundred guests, Ariadne "Ari" Voss is publicly rejected. Her cousin Isolde is named Luna in her place. Ari does not beg. She does not weep. She does not look back. What no one knows is that she walks out of the ceremony carrying the Sterling Pack's inner sanctum ledger the financial record book she stole during the rejection itself. Five years later, Ari returns to the Northern packs to bury her father. She returns as the owner of the largest werewolf-tech investment firm in the Free Cities. As the controlling shareholder of six Northern pack businesses, including the Sterling Pack's main revenue source. As the woman Alpha Caelum Sterling rejected on the floor of his own ballroom and now owes nine hundred million Free Cities credits. Caelum's marriage to Isolde has collapsed. The Sterling Pack is financially failing. And the morning Ari's plane lands in the Northern Hollow, Caelum learns that his pack's largest creditor is the rejected first mate he threw away. He wants her back. But Ari did not survive five years in the Free Cities to come home for a second chance with the man who destroyed her. She came home to take everything he loves and burn it to the ground. And there is one thing Caelum does not yet know one mark hidden beneath the collar of Ari's silk blouse, one bond she has been carrying in secret for three years. She belongs to the Lycan King. And the Lycan King is on his way to the Northern Hollow.

After three miscarriages for Xavier Lowe, I see it—my mother-in-law has three years left, my father-in-law nine years, and my sister-in-law two years. I say nothing. After the third miscarriage, my mother-in-law blames me, calling me a curse who "kills" children. My sister-in-law sneers, saying she almost died in a car crash the year I married Xavier—as if my bad luck dragged her down. My mother-in-law snaps, "She can't even keep a child. It must be because she's cursed!" Xavier just stands there, silent. He doesn't say a single word for me. I know that, deep down, he believes that I bring bad luck. Maybe it's also because he already has someone else—his secretary, Yvette Snyder. His mother has always liked her better, and he clung to her the night I lost my third child. I don't explain because I know the truth will only destroy them faster. On my 28th birthday, I catch a glimpse of my own countdown in the mirror. On that day, I take a leave of absence. I go to the funeral home and pick out an urn—pure white, just like the wedding dress I once wore. Wearing a beautiful floral dress, I text Xavier, asking him to meet me at the lake where we first met ten years ago. I wait from daylight until nightfall as my countdown ticks to zero. I die, and he never shows up.

**EXCERPT** He rasped, his teeth grazing my earlobe. "I'll make sure you're addicted to the way I fúck you until you can't breathe without wanting me inside of you." Jesus Christ. He was going to kill me at this rate with his words... ⫷◍◍◍◍◍◍◍◍◍⫸ Lilith has perfected the art of disguise. She is an ambitious college student balancing her family’s needs by day. By night, she transforms into Raven—a mesmerizing dancer in a club where secrets reign, and the most feared man in the room, Giovanni, watches her every move. Giovanni's ruthless reputation is undeniable, but beneath his icy demeanor lies a deeply complex soul. When he hires Raven to uncover his rivals' darkest secrets, Lilith seizes the opportunity. The payout could change everything for her family—if she can handle the risk. One reckless night intertwines their fates in ways neither expected. As she ventures further into his world, every lie and secret draws her closer to disaster and a desire she never saw coming. If Giovanni uncovers her true identity, he’ll claim her in ways she never imagined—or destroy her in the process. *MATURE CONTENT AS THE CHAPTER PROGRESSES*

Chapter 47-49 have some glitch so please skip those chapters Read at your own risk, It's FICTION*Have you ever been in a situation where it feels like the world is against you, that's the life of Aubrey Shawl, struggling to make end's meet and survive through the hardship of life. A 22 year old Aubrey with a dead father and a runaway mother, she takes up the responsibility of her younger sister June Shawl. Working as a waitress at Billie's placeWhat happens when she gets fired from work and getting home to meet an eviction notice and finding out her sister needs a kidney transplant all in the same dayWhat more does Aubrey have to go through to survive?Chris White, A successful doctor who works in the same hospital June is admitted, he is cold but humble when he wants to be. Loosing his wife to cancer three years ago has shaped him to who he is now, earning the famous title 'Doctor Ice', still grieving over the death of his wife. He meets Aubrey and offers her a life changing experience that comes with a huge priceWill Aubrey be able to go through with it?Will Chris be able to get over the death of his wife?Find out in THE SURROGATE MOTHER

Emelia Perez has spent twenty-five years living as a stranger in her own home. Not once has she felt the warmth of her parents’ love. Instead, their affection is entirely consumed by her younger sister, Bianca Perez. In that house, Emelia is nothing more than a servant whose energy is drained without end. On one fateful night, Emelia’s world falls apart and opens up all at once. Her father, trapped in massive debt, offers her as collateral to a powerful man, President Samuel De Leon. Without hesitation, Emelia accepts the arrangement. To her, marrying a man rumored to be cruel, temperamental, and disabled by a tragic accident is a golden ticket to escape the hell created by her family. She would rather face a monster than remain a slave in her own home. However, a shock awaits her behind the gates of the De Leon palace. Samuel is not the disfigured man people spoke of. He is a man of lethal handsomeness. Unfortunately, that beauty is paired with a heart as cold as ice. Instead of becoming a queen, Emelia finds herself once again a servant under Samuel’s absolute authority. Amidst Samuel’s chilling gaze and the secrets hidden behind his paralysis, can Emelia find the freedom she dreams of? Or has she simply moved from one prison to another? Don’t miss the next chapter every day!

Lilith's parents taught her that everyone deserved a second chance, including the devil. But her parents are dead, along side her baby brother, and Lilith doesn't believe that the man responsible is even worth the consideration of second chance. Lilith Hayes and Javier Escobar were childhood best friends and each other's first love. But they got separated at sixteen when Javier's father had a business breakthrough and he had to move to Mexico. Before he left, Lilith and Javier promised to find each other when they got older to continue their love story, but that's just what it was. A silly teenage promise. Because nine years later, when they find each other, they're both on the opposite, yet same sides of the world. Lilith is an undercover FBI agent, sent to infilterate one of the most powerful mafia houses in Mexico–Los Muertos, and to gather dirt on the Head of House. And Javier? He's the Head of Los Muertos. When Lilith infilterates his world under the false name of Dakota Alister, she discovers three things. One: Javier is no longer the chubby nerd she was in love with. He's grown into a sexy ruthless devil who believes that love is just another form of weakness. Two: He still owned every inch of her body and heart, now even more so when he's a hardened criminal with the looks of a god. And even though she hates him to death for killing her family, her Judas of a body still responds to him. Three: The underworld is a game of survival and if she wants to kill him, she has to survive first.