erps series #3 on-going If only it were me, would you show love just the same? Maria Sarina "Masha" Escano has always been envious of everything that she is not-which made her heart rotten despite her angelic appearance. Distant, two-faced, and a brat. Iilan lang 'yan sa madalas n'yang marinig. She has an untamed greed for wanting more than what she can take. Para sa kan'ya, mess with her once and she'll make sure you're ruined once-and for all. When boredom strikes her and to help her best friend get even with Rafael Eastre Zaguirre, a famous sought out bachelor, she decided to play a harmless prank-creating a dummy account to pester him relentlessly. Nights of awkward flirting, sending memes, and shared laughter turned into nights where they get to know their inner souls and how a screen between them couldn't hide their fiery need for each other. Okay na sana. Kung ma-in love sa isa't isa, willing naman siyang umamin at humingi ng tawad; ng isang pagkakataon. . .but did she mentioned that the picture and persona that she used is not of herself? But her twin sister's?

As she navigates the turbulent journey of self-discovery, Wednesday Denise learns that true freedom comes from within. She realizes that letting go of toxic relationships and embracing her own desires is not only necessary but empowering. *** Wednesday Denise's life is a constant struggle to win the approval of her indifferent parents. Despite the obligations she never asked for as the eldest, she can't bring herself to abandon her family. As a founding member of the Anagapesism band, her dreams take a turn when she leaves the group to pursue a nursing career, wanting to find a solid route that will eventually validate her. Having North Barrinuevo beside her, offering her the support and understanding she's been yearning for, is a blessing, as she discovers her voice, the importance of self-love, and the courage to break free from the chains of expectation. DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Louise De Ramos

Iñigo Soledad de Merced is the most loved and admired among all the Soledad de Merced with his kindest smile and gentle soul, he could easily charm his way into anyone's heart if he wanted to. Confessions, gifts, and letters of declaration of love from his admirers were something he was used to having from the moment he was old enough to understand. He could have hundreds of admirers and receive thousands of love letters... Yet none of those would matter-not because he's arrogant and proud, but because Iñigo's heart already belongs to someone else. An anonymous girl named Ellie. One chain of emails. Thousands of exchanged messages. Four years of searching. And he finally found her... Elleriene Velasco-the only girl who made his heart skip a beat, and the only woman he ever loved. But there was only one problem. Iñigo was fooled. The Ellie of his dreams wasn't Elleriene Velasco... rather, it was Jordan Reverie, his brother's best friend and the woman who stole his first kiss. But time had already passed, and wounds had already healed, without even knowing, he had already lost his dream... his reverie. Iñigo lost her. He lost Jordan Reverie.

Kairos Levi Soledad de Merced was chaos and wildness altogether. A lover of the world and all the pleasures it has to offer. Love and commitment? That never existed in his vocabulary. He was the type to give you the highs and all the best things in life, leaving you wanting more, only to be forgotten by him the next day. Chasing the wild tide of life and living without inhibitions was his way of life. He prefers all things physical and casual. He wants his life to be simple, easy, and hot- the same way he wants his woman to be. Ma. Anisa Sta Ines is smart, confident, strong-willed.... and smart again. Matalino, matapang, magaling. Pero hindi maganda. All her life, she has been nothing but an extra in everyone's story. The wingman, the third wheel, and the go-to person for everyone interested in her friends. She knew she was never meant to be chosen, never meant to be pursued. She was the calm of a Wednesday morning; The stability that people usually take for granted. But her stability and peace ceased to exist when Kairos rejected her love letter in front of the whole Eunthastica. Not because he rejected her in front of the whole school. But because the letter wasn't for him, it was supposed to be for Iñigo, his cousin. ---- Started: June 2025 Completed: September 2025

Elara Soledad de Merced thrives in attention and affection-being the youngest and only daughter, never once did she experience being set aside and treated as someone deemed unworthy. All her life, she was treated with utmost care and love. The princess with a perfect life who had never gone through hardship. Boys dream of her. Girls look up to her. Some hate her. Whatever she does, everyone follows. Second to none, rejection was something she was never familiar with, until him-her first love and the only man who ever rejected her. But not even her first rejection could stop her, so she pulls out her highest heels and her sparkly little dress, because what Elara wants, Elara gets. Luis Silvino Prodigalidad is what she wants, and she will get him, even if it means painting his hurricane into pink skies.

Kio Soledad de Merced always kept his life quiet and private. He never wanted anything flashy and grand. Attention and spotlight were the two things he never wanted to have. Calm and easy, that's how he preferred his life. Shiloh Lumiere Bendia's life was far from what he wanted, she was born for the spotlight. Living under the scrutinizing eyes of the world, Lumiere's life consists of cameras and flashes following her whenever she moves. The world gravitates around her, and everyone who sees her is drawn to her light, including him. The moment he saw her on that stage with the spotlight shining on her, he knew he would spend his whole life admiring her from afar. But with the twist of fate and a little luck, his fate might have changed. A secret moment. A lingering stare. Quick stolen moments behind the camera that no one knows about. But to what extent can they sacrifice for a losing battle they knew they would never win? To love is to risk. To risk requires courage and courage is only found in places we're too scared to take. ---- Date Started: March 2025 Date Finished: June 15, 2025

Disclaimer: This is the second book that I've ever written. Please proceed with caution and understanding. --->> Eros Soledad de Merced was born to lead, rule, and dominate. Born as the eldest grandson of Soledad de Merced, everyone knew the weight of the crown he was born to carry. He was a man destined to lead. A boy who was born to rule. A man who carried the weight of his responsibilities with excellence and perfection. Eros knew what was expected of him at a very young age, so everything was carved into his mind. He knew his life, and he knew his future. For him, there was no room for failure. It was perfect, it was good... until it wasn't. One summer. A girl named Winter. Cold as her name might sound, yet she was able to set fire to his perfectly drawn life. The plans that were carefully built along his path suddenly became unclear. And amid his crumbling life was her, Winter Eloise Cojuangco. The woman who owns the pair of the most perfect forest green eyes he'd ever seen. The woman he left behind to fulfill what was expected of him. And the very same woman also happens to be the mother of his son. Date Started: December 2024 Date Finished: February 2025

Disclaimer: This is the first book that I've ever written. Proceed with caution and understanding. --->> Hiraya Francesca is the golden child of Eunthastica University Foundation, the genius prodigy is bound to nothing but success. She treaded her life with grace and confidence. For her, failure isn't a roadblock but a redirection for something greater. A perfectly curated diamond amidst stone and sand. A perfectly curated success in a world full of commonness and mediocrity. Hiraya can have anything in this world, may it be beauty, brain, or boys. Everything. Except for Deimos Soledad de Merced. Kaya noong nagkaroon ng pagkakataon at hinayaan nitong makapasok si Hiraya sa buhay nito ay hindi na niya pinalagpas pa ito. She seized her chance and gambled, ngunit tama nga yata ang sabi nila; lahat ng matatalino, pag dating sa pag ibig ay nagiging bobo. She poured her heart and soul into all the oceans that she sailed and the spaces in between that she crossed, only to be welcomed by betrayal and loss. She loved him, he despised her. She trusted him, he betrayed her. She watched him tore her kingdom, and offer it to his own queen. Stripped out of her own title, the golden child lost her kingdom and crown. Date started: December 2023 Date finished: December 2024

Almost was never enough. The most is where it all lies; the second is no different from losers. If you want to be chosen, be the best among the options-a sweet rule to every test, a bitter reality Eiah was raised in. She gives everything a hard try, even though she can't grasp it all just right. Maybe she was chasing the wrong things. Maybe she needs to work harder. Maybe she's really... almost there. Whatever it is, she's determined to prove her father she's worthy of her name-but heck, not to the point of marriage! That's why, when he demanded that she get engaged while still in college, she had to 'call a friend', Chase, an accounting junior who has kissed girls everywhere. They had to level up their call sign. From bes to babe, will fake couple rings work? Or was it, again, just another almost? Almost the right move; apparently not the best. Maybe they should've just sat with their friendship bracelets rather than become almost too-almost what they aren't meant to be, almost everything they could no longer be.

When Natalia was born, it was a bittersweet grain of end and beginning. Her mother couldn't survive childbirth, leaving her to be raised by his stoic father alone. Buong buhay niya, hindi siya kailanman nagreklamo sa anumang pasyang ginawa ng kaniyang ama para sa kaniya. Despite feeling suffocated, she has grown smart and has liked the feeling of having control to whatever gets thrown at her doorstep. But life always finds a way-someone rather-to mess her plans up. She knew she has a resolve for her plans and that she sticks with them through fire and water. Alam niya 'yun, eh. Kaso nakilala niya is Octavian. And that becomes a problem. A very big problem.