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

To care about the opinions of others is to live in a prison you built yourself-but what if caring beyond one's capacity is the only way to keep the world from falling apart? Haunted by a past tragedy and fueled by a vow to never let anyone down again, life gave the perfected art of losing herself to protect everyone else. Anastacia Dawn Naciente has spent years ensuring she never lets anyone down, but Chase Iverson Llegado makes her question the very foundation of her sacrifice. Daggers were shot and words he'll soon regret were thrown, then he finally sees through her cracks, eventually finding himself lost in her yielding warmth. He has built walls and her shadows whispers of charity. Seeping through cracks was enough... or was it really? Uncertainty and hope were all he had, but he heed through the whispers and embraced her tender novelty. "Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner" - Lao Tzu

Zerline Alfaro had always felt invisible to everyone around her, including her own family. She moved through life like a wind, always present but never truly seen. Pain remains unheard and her struggles unseen. And it was okay as she was already used to it. But now she had found someone who made her feel alive, even if their relationship was purely physical. Yet, despite the intensity of their connection, he was in love with someone else, leaving her to wonder if her voice would ever truly be heard. Or... did she need to chase for a love that might never be fully hers?

Yvonne Maica Lim is an aspiring UAAP court side reporter for UST, she was so close to getting her football player crush after plotting on him for almost a year...but everything fell apart when she had to fake date the infamous star basketball player of the UST Growling Tigers instead. Book cover by cottonbro studio in pexels

Heartbreakers Series #2: Leion Eleazar Zendejas Despite being popular because of his academic standing and good looks, Leion Eleazar Zendejas was a stranger to Nicodaine Aceves, the fun, bubbly, and loud student of the Arts and Design track. Walang interes ang dalaga sa honor roll dahil mas gusto n'yang maging masaya at malaya. But when she met the popular overall top 1 student of Torrero University, she immediately got intrigued about him. Nang makita n'ya si Leion, she immediately knew that he'd be a perfect subject for her school project. Hindi inaasahan ni Nicodaine na ang simpleng kuryosidad para kay Leion ang magpapahulog sa kan'ya rito. As Nicodaine continues to fall in love with Leion, fate starts to interfere and mess with her mind, time, and feelings. Leion is the Perfect Heartbreaker. He deserves someone as perfect as him. Kaya bang ibigay ni Nicodaine ang lahat upang makapasok s'ya sa standard na iyon?

Soliesse Adelina is a sophisticated woman from a private family of de Andrades. For the last five years, she was caged at their mansion which most may call a dream-perhaps a home. She knew she was missing a lot about life and she wanted to regain her freedom-even if it means, she has to break the rules. On her 27th birthday, she left Spain and flew to the Philippines. Here, she decided to live a real life with a fake identity. But starting from scratch is harder than she expected, she doesn't know much about the unfamiliar country. In her adventure, Soliesse landed at Yohan Thaddeus Suarez's, an airline CEO, a pilot, and a licensed private investigator. He is a workaholic man who seemed to be lost for reasons to stay at home-he never knew what home is anyway. Two hunters in the wild, lost in places they have been. Will they be able to hunt their homes together or will their relationship remain a forbidden escapade? Ended: August 26, 2023

One of the boys, Alfredalae Moren Zamora, stands as an image of a beautiful lady with a heart of a man: tough, resilient, and brave-just like her father, whom she's living with alone. After her sister died of cancer and her mother left for another family, Moren only had her papa to rely on. Even so, she has four 'boy friends'. The most annoying one is Ross, her childhood bestie, aka ENEMY. She hated him first. He hated her more. Eight words. Sigurado na si Moren na babae ang gusto niya. Hindi lalaki. At mas lalong hindi si Ross! Pero kapag inatake ka nga naman ng kamalasan, hindi ka makaiiwas. Moren unintentionally did something wrong. As a consequence, she has to act like a girl and pretend to be in love with Ross. All that to help him win Celine, his dream girl. From squabbling and petty fights, how will Ross and Moren make everyone believe they are together? Will Moren be able to help Ross win? Or will she find herself losing first? Will their eight words stay the same? Or will the fake dating proceed to something else? Ended: January 2022

THE LOSERS' CLUB SERIES 3 In need of juicy news for her online publication, the struggling journalism student, Millicent Rae Velasco, was forced to interview the intimidating student council president of their university, Juancho Alas Montero. But, not wanting to be the subject of rumors, he rejected her instantly. So, paano siya? Paano ang last requirement niya bago maka-graduate? Si Juancho ang iniatas sa kanya ng isinusumpa niyang prof na gawan ng profile article! Isa pa, dito na lang siya makakabawi! Kailangan niya pang higitin mula sa dulo ng impyerno ang grades niya! Being in a hopeless predicament, she ended up chasing after him. She hid behind the bookshelves where he was studying, memorized his schedule by heart, and talked to him straight on when she could. She only had one goal---write an article about him. Nothing more, nothing less. But life had a lot of things in store for her. Because through the glances she'd stolen, she picked up the sharp fragments of his life. Through the hidden smiles, she unraveled the content of his heart. And through the pages she'd written, she caught herself falling in love with him.

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.

After years of loving the brilliant but emotionally guarded Maxwell, Yaz finally gets the chance to be with the man she's always wanted. But misunderstandings, rival suitors, family expectations, and dangerous secrets threaten a love that refuses to stay within limits. *** Yaz has loved Maxwell for years. Smart, successful, and admired by everyone around him, Maxwell seems impossible to reach despite their growing closeness. As their relationship deepens, Yaz finds herself caught between hope and heartbreak, uncertain whether the man she loves can truly choose her. Surrounded by a powerful family, complicated friendships, persistent rivals, and unexpected dangers, she must decide how much she is willing to fight for the future she has always dreamed of. DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Rayne Mariano