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.

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

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

NOT A COINCIDENCE Belle Isandrina Lacasandile was in a race against time, desperately trying to get back to her university for a dreaded Inorganic Chemistry exam. After running an errand for a friend from another school, she found herself stranded, with no hope of finding a cab. Panic set in as she feared being late and having to take an even more difficult make-up test. Just as her anxiety peaked, the famous UP Maroon basketball star, Juan Gomez de Liaño, appeared and offered her a ride, saving the day. What started as a simple favor soon grew into an unexpected connection-ice cream dates, spontaneous afternoon hangouts, and an undeniable spark that everyone around them noticed. Their chemistry felt like something out of a movie. But Belle believed their meeting was merely a blessing in disguise, a chance occurrence without deeper meaning. As someone who spent countless hours in biochemistry labs, proving theories with hard evidence, she didn't believe in love born from a random encounter. Was it really just a coincidence? Or could it be something more-science, fate, and destiny intertwined?

(Game Series # 4) Charisse Faith Viste believes in working hard. She does not believe in luck, only hard work. Bata pa lang siya, nasanay na siya na pinaghihirapan lahat ng meron siya. Being the only girl in a family full of guys, nasanay na siya na kung gusto niyang makuha, kailangan niyang pagtrabahuhan. And because of this, she grew up tough. She already accepted the fact that guys are just too intimidated to even give her a second glance. She'll always be too smart, too confident, too much for everyone. One day, she had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. She looked around and saw that everyone around her has someone by their side... Everyone has someone to embrace... Siya? Libro lang ang kayakap. She used to be fine with the idea of being alone... alone, not lonely. But not anymore. She needed someone to stop her from feeling so lonely.

(Game Series # 2) Aurora Marie Floresca just wanted to escape their house. Ever since her father re-married, palagi na silang nag-aaway dalawa. She wanted her father to be happy, of course, but not with that evil step-mother wannabe. Unang pagkikita pa lang nila, masama na ang kutob niya sa babae. She wanted happiness for her father, but definitely not with that woman... But unfortunately, the witch won. She managed to get her father to throw Rory out. She was forced to stay in Manila for the meantime. She didn't know what to do in Manila! Wala naman doon ang mga kaibigan niya. Wala siyang pamilya. The only consolation she got was the condo unit from her father--well, at least hindi naman yata gusto ng tatay niya na sa kalsada siya matulog. She'd probably get a job or study again, she wasn't sure yet, but she's certain that everything would be fine... until she realized that her next door neighbor would be keeping her up all night with all the banging against the wall.

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.

Maurice Severina de Morga, a registered nurse, wants to escape the torment of her family by leaving the country, but Ulysses Ridgen 'Yuri' Suarez offers her a fresh perspective on life. However, just as heaven grants hope, it also finds ways to take it back. *** Neglected and mistreated, Maurice has lived in the shadows of cruelty, cast aside by a family that never saw her worth. Leaving home and building a future abroad seems like the only way to prove she can live on her own. But fate has a wicked sense of irony when she asks Yuri Suarez for a bizarre request in her laboratory class. As a grumpy nurse who detests small talk, dealing with Yuri is far from easy for Maurice. But for once, she believes he is a wildcard deal straight from heaven-a chance at something more. Yet when his life hangs by a thread, Maurice is caught between saving him and saving herself. Is he truly heaven's wildcard, or has fate cursed her with yet another inescapable hell? DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Louise De Ramos