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.

MOUNT VALLEY SERIES #2 Connie Anderson faces the biggest challenge of her life: having to pretend to date the person she despised all her life - the goody-two-shoes, Scout Crimson. A bunch of sorority skanks out to destroy her? That's child's play. But having to act to like she likes the Golden Boy? That's just savage. _______ BAD GIRL x GOOD BOY trope STAND-ALONE You don't have to read Cruel Me first for you to enjoy this. :)

(Trope Series # 3) Arielle was contented living her quiet life. She's got a job that pays well, a place to live, eats three times a day, and had friends that she genuinely enjoys being around with. Life's good as far as she's concerned. It may be boring for some, but she's at peace and contented and that's what's important. Until she met Zion. He's hot and funny and kind-and he wants her. So when he asks her to be fuck buddies with him, against all logic and rationality, she said yes. It's just temporary and for fun. As long as she knows her boundaries and consciously stops herself from being attached, she'll be fine. It's all for fun and experience... so how bad can it be, right?

(Trope Series # 1) Cerise's younger sister is getting married and she's expected to attend. The logical thing to do was to attend (duh, it's her sister's wedding! It would be weird if she's not there) but how could she attend when her sister's getting married to Leo, her ex best friend slash almost boyfriend from years ago? And it's not like she could just suddenly blurt out their 'history' because she's pretty sure that she'd be branded as bitter by their relatives... like, it's been years! Move on! She needed to attend. But she didn't want to go alone. She needed an arm candy, but not just any arm candy-she needed someone who would make her the envy of the night. Iyong tipo na walang magdadalawang isip kung nakapagmove on na ba talaga siya. She looked and looked and looked for the perfect wedding date. Until she wound up in a bar and met this bartender named Pablo.

(Game Series # 9) Mauro Eugenio dela Rama's life revolved around school and work. At times, he felt like drowning pero hindi siya pwedeng magreklamo kasi pinili niya naman 'yon. For him, he'd rather be exhausted with his 9 to 5 and 5 to 9 kaysa humingi ng pambayad ng tuition sa tatay niya. He was doing fine kahit nahihirapan siya. Akala niya hindi niya kailangan ng tulong... Then he met Atty. Achilles V. Marroquin. Mauro thought that he was just being nice to him dahil abogado na 'to ay siya ay 'di hamak na struggling law student lamang. Kahit nahihiya siya, humingi siya ng tulong dito. Kakapalan niya na ang mukha niya kaysa bumagsak siya sa subjects niya. He thought he was just being regular nice to him... hanggang isang araw ay napapatanong na lang siya sa sarili niya kung normal pa ba 'to o nilalandi ba siya ng abogadong 'to?

[OFFICE LOVE AFFAIRS #1] As his personal secretary, Chantal's next task is to marry the president. *** Not getting any younger, Xavi is pressured by his mother to get married and settle down. He is lured on blind dates disguised as business meetings and family gatherings. With his patience stretching to its limits, to escape his mother's persistence, he offers extra work to Chantal and boldly asks her hand in marriage. Having faith in love and believing in destiny, Chantal rejects his offer and files for a resignation. She thinks it will be easy to find another job in the corporate world with her credentials and working directly for the highest post in Dela Vega Holdings. However, Chantal has no idea that Xavi will block her applications until she is hard-pressed and unable support her mother, who is undergoing regular dialysis. In the end, she has no choice but to accept Xavi's offer, be his wife in papers, and play pretend.

Pacifico Trilogy #1: Pirate's Stella "A pirate, an heiress and a treasure that holds the key to their fate." *** Avyanna, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy surgeon and businessman, never expected her life to be thrown into chaos. After a failed attempt on her life, she wakes aboard a pirate ship and was transported to the 18th century of a different world. Now at the mercy of Halcon, a dangerous yet compelling pirate captain, she learns that only he can help her return home. But the key lies hidden in a sunken treasure they must find together. Through storms, sea battles and secrets, Avy and Halcon forge an uneasy alliance. What begins as a quest for survival becomes a journey of self-discovery and a love neither of them saw coming. ***Written in a mix of Filipino and English.

Nadia de Marco knew what she wanted in life and that is to be the most powerful woman in the country. Growing up in the Philippines, she knew that it would be an uphill climb. There is misogyny everywhere, but instead of fighting it, she decided to use it to her advantage. That is probably the upside of being undermined, being almost invisible-people will never see you coming. While she was watching everyone's moves, no one was watching hers. Things were going according to plan until Avery Brienne Eliseo came into the picture. Suddenly, she got an enemy. And unlike Avery who has her cousin by her side, she has no one. And she needs to have someone. She's been looking for so long until she found Archibald Reign Gallego-the perfect partner in crime... or so she thought.

(Game Series # 7) Jersey thought that her life's already as good as it's gonna get... Wala naman siyang karapatang magreklamo-pasalamat pa nga raw siya 'di siya pina-abort ng nanay niya nung nabuntis siya ng tatay niya. Pero araw-araw din naman sa kanyang pina-mukha 'yun... Hanggang isang araw, napagod na siya at lumuwas na sa Maynila. Bahala na. Kahit wala siyang kilala roon, kahit hindi niya alam kung saan magsisimula. Basta mahalaga, malayo na siya sa nanay niya. Pero mali pala siya... maling-mali. Sa Maynila, nandun lahat ng mapagsamantalang tao. Sa Maynila, nandun lahat ng manloloko. Sa Maynila, nandun lahat ng manggagamit sa kanya... Gusto niya nang mawalan ng pag-asa. Mabuti na lang dumating siya.

THE LOSERS' CLUB SERIES #2 Someday you'll look back on your mistakes and laugh. To name a few instances, these are those awkward first kisses you shared with your first boyfriend, those failed recitations that your classmates don't seem to forget, and those poor outfit ideas that you once thought were cute. Iyong mga dating nakakahiya, nakakainis, at masakit para sa 'yo, pagdating ng araw, ngingitian mo na lang. Maybe by then, you'll realize how much time you've invested in being too emotional. Pero may mga bagay na kahit matagal nang nangyari, hindi natin magawang tawanan. Siguro dahil nakakahiya pa rin? Siguro dahil nakakainis pa rin? O siguro, dahil masakit pa rin? For Amari Sloane Mendoza, it's all of the above. Among all the awkward, failed, and poor instances, falling in love with her classmate, Leon Ysmael Zamora, is the only mistake she can't laugh about.