Started: 04/27/2021 Ended: 08/24/2021 Ang hirap palang tumanda. Ang hirap magbayad ng bills. Ang hirap suportahan ng pamilyang akala ay isang milyon ang suweldo mo. Ang hirap ngumiti sa nanay na mataas ang tingin sa'yo pero hindi ka kayang ipagtanggol. Ang hirap tabihan sa hapagkainan ng tatay na pinag-uubusan mo ng pera pero hindi ka maalala. Ang hirap mag-abot ng tulong sa kapatid na baon sa utang. Ang hirap intindihin ng hipag na nakakapagpa-rebond pa kahit kapos na kapos na. Ang hirap pakisamahan ng bunsong halos ilahad ang mga palad tuwing makikita ka. Ang hirap ngitian ng mga taong tanong nang tanong kung bakit hindi ka pa nakakapag-asawa. Ang hirap humarap sa mundong isasampal sa'yo na mag-isa ka. Tulong, bigay, utang. Isang iling mo lang, madamot ka na. Kasama mo sila kapag may maibibigay ka, pero hindi mo sila mahahanap kapag wala na. Ikaw ang kakayod, sila ang tutuka. Ikaw ang iiyak sa pagod, sila ang magtatamasa. Iyon ang summary ng buhay ko. Sobra-sobra ang naririnig na paghingi, kulang na kulang ang naririnig na pasasalamat. Sobra-sobra ang pagpapasensya, kulang na kulang ang natatanggap na pagpapahalaga. Sobra-sobra ang binabayaran, kulang na kulang sa kasiyahan. Kaya nang dumating sa buhay ko ang nag-iisang lalaking hindi ako nakita bilang naglalakad na alkansya, ang nag-iisang lalaking nakinig sa mahabang listahan ko ng problema, ang nag-iisang lalaking nagbigay sa akin ng kakaibang saya, ipinangako ko sa sarili na sa gitna ng hirap ng pagtanda, magtitiis ako basta't siya ang kasama. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay pagtalikod sa minahal na pamilya. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay paglaban sa mundong pinatatakbo ng kapangyarihan at pera. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay ang pagdurusa't pag-iisa. Siya ang ginhawa, pahinga, at kasiyahan ko. Dumating man ang araw na tanaw ko na ang dulo. Dumating man ang araw na wala na kaming sagot sa lahat ng bakit at paano. Dumating man ang araw na pareho na kaming talo.

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 11/20/2020 Ended: 01/29/2021 How far would you go for someone? How many hailstorms and dark clouds would you endure? How many falling stars would you wait for to make a single wish come true? For Reese Deborah Madrid, the sky was the limit. She was used to having whatever she wanted. Clothes? Shoes? Jewelry? Name it. She could get it without putting in so much effort. So, when she hoped for another shot of love with her ex-boyfriend, she was ready to sacrifice everything to win him back. Even if that meant she had to look stupid and desperate. Even that meant she had to suffer through the pain of watching him be disgusted by her. Even if that meant she had to deal with his harsh words and apathy. She did everything in her power to go back into his arms. She stood up to the rain that soaked her and the sun that burned her skin. She waited from daybreak to nightfall, hoping that he would eventually fall back in love with her. She thought she was getting there. She felt like she'd made it. But then, in the world where she could be anything, she lost everything in the name of her love for him. Because much like the sky, Harvin Rouge Foster was only meant to be loved from afar.

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 10/07/2020 Ended: 11/18/2020 Elora Chin Valencia grew up in a toxic Christian family where she was viewed as the black sheep. Araw-araw ay ipinaparamdam sa kanya ng mundo na wala siyang lugar sa sarili niyang tahanan. She was a consistent dean's lister and an obedient daughter, which left her wondering what she had done so wrong to be disregarded as a speck of dust in the wind. They made her feel like she was just dirt, filling up the empty space. The one who would never have her own safe place. Feeling all of this contributed to her endless suicidal ideations. Baka nga tama sila. Baka nga wala siyang halaga at kailanman ay hindi na sasaya. She almost believed that. She almost held onto that notion. Not until she met the man in his BS Civil Engineering uniform and gorgeous grin, Troy Jefferson Dela Paz. He kissed her forehead, and her loud thoughts were silenced. Her demons calmed down. Her foes were defeated. For the first time in her life, she had proven her family wrong---a happy Elora Chin was possible. She was loved and well-taken care of. Troy embraced her sharp parts, not minding the wounds he might get. But fate had a lot of cruel things in store for her. Because when she thought she had reached the peak of happiness, she found myself drowning alone in the ocean she now called home, alone in her shame, alone with the waves she couldn't tame.

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 09/09/2020 Ended: 10/07/2020 Solene Clemente was a typical Civil Engineering student who struggled to put up with her studies. Kung pwede ngang i-bake na lang ang napakaraming itlog sa test papers niya, ginawa niya na. At a young age, she experienced the harsh reality of life-poverty, abuse, and a broken family. But, as someone who could see the bright side of everything, she knew she could make it with only her mother and best friend, Duke Laurence Sanders, whom she secretly loved. Kahit pa naghihirap, basta kasama niya ang ina, kaya niya. Kahit pa madalas niyang hindi maintindihan ang lessons, ayos lang kasi may Duke naman na tuturuan siya. Na kahit gaano kalupit ang tadhana, patuloy siyang lumalaban sa buhay dahil may dalawang taong sumusuporta at nagmamahal sa kanya. She became too dependent on the love they could offer. But little did she know, like the sun she adored, she was destined to be alone.

Diana is looking forward to finally finishing high school. Stay out of trouble. Focus only on art. This is Diana's grand plan - until she is assigned to paint the portraits of a girl she can't stand to be around: the school's obnoxious soccer team captain, Alex Perez. ***** It's senior year. Diana just wants to keep her head low while dealing with a family that is slowly but steadily falling apart and a best-friend-turned-enemy that she could certainly do without. The last thing Diana wants to do is spend her last year of high school painting the portraits of Alex Perez. Everyone loves Alex - she's the town's prodigy and the school's golden girl. But Diana and Alex couldn't be more opposite; put them in an art room together and a disaster is bound to happen. [[word count: 70,000 - 80,000]] Cover designed by Ilafi Nastiti [WATTYS 2021 SHORTLIST]

[BOOK ONE] [Completed] [Voted #1 Best Action Story in the 2019 Fiction Awards] Liam Luciano is one of the most feared men in all the world. At the young age of 18, he inherited the family name. 10 years later, the Luciano name is well known for its roll in the Mafia; along with two other families: The Costello's and The Corinelli's. But when a 21 year old is put on all three of the families radar, Luciano steps in the way, doing something he had never done before. Protect her. Through their own series of trials and tribulations, they learn how to love and how to trust. But most importantly, they learn that blood does not define family. - © 2015 taintedkissesxo * cover by thelucianoseries on instagram *

"Curiosity killed the kitty Miss Adams." My body stiffened. Slowly I turned around just to see Mr. Parker standing in front of me with hands in his trouser pockets. I bit my lip. I thought he would be angry but when I looked at him. His face showed no emotion. He then started walking towards me I moved back. This continued until my back hit the door. Then he placed his one hand on my side, leaning forward, close to me. "What was rule number three Miss Adams." His face was extremely close to mine my breath got hitched. I couldn't answer his question why? Because I was more focused in the distance between us. "I asked you something Miss Adams." He said again. "T-That t-there a-are prohibited areas i-in the house where I shouldn't g-go." "It seems like you remember the rules. This room is one of those prohibited areas. So, from next time think before you put yourself into trouble." I just stared at his eyes. I was lost in those pair of sea-coloured eyes. No other guy has ever affected me this much as Mr. Parker. I get nervous around him. I don't know what this feeling is but this feeling is different. A feeling that I have never felt for anyone. "Understood?" he said again. I nodded. "Yes Mr. Parker." ***************** Liam Parker, 25 year old billionaire. Arrogant, handsome, ruthless, the only thing matters to him is his son and his work. Bella Adams, 24 year old simple and bubbly girl, who lives with her Nanny in an orphanage. What will happen when Bella comes as a babysitter of Liam's son? Let's find out in the story.....

Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction? ****** Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything. [[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]

Eliana Snow is a sweet, innocent young woman who's about to inherit the family fortune at age 21. Right now her parents' company, bank accounts, and estates are managed by the court-appointed trustee - Harvey Snow, an uncle who sincerely hates her. The feeling is mutual. Harvey is capable of anything. Even murder. The plot starts exactly six months before Eliana's 21st birthday. It's the moment when harassment becomes too much to handle. Eliana out of sheer desperation asks the mafia boss Rafael Vincenti for protection and to her surprise she receives a marriage proposal from him. At first, their relationship begins as a passionless business deal but it slowly grows into something more.