COMPLETE. Half of her life, Clara had been an obedient niece to her Aunt Carlota. She adopted her and gave her everything she needed. Clara treated her as her second mother, but it was not the same for her aunt. For Carlota, Clara was only a robot meant to follow her orders, including marrying the man she had chosen. Clara only wanted her aunt's affection. And if she follows her every command, maybe she would learn to love her someday. Clara's obedience will be put to the test when she met the rugged and handsome Fuego del Mar after saving her life. Clara could not deny her attraction toward him. She never once broke her Aunt's rules until she met him. But choosing Fuego meant disappointing Aunt Carlota. Will she be able to take the consequences? Is Fuego even worth it?
CLARA scratched her eyes. She was sitting on the counter of her coffee shop for more than an hour now. She was busy with the papers again. With her limited manpower, she had to do almost all of the work, including accounting.
"Are you alright, Miss Clara?" Jennifer asked. She was one of her baristas.
The shop had just closed, and Jennifer was preparing to leave. The rest of her staff had gone home already.
Clara nodded with a smile. She glanced outside the coffee shop. It was almost eleven o'clock in the evening, but the rain hadn't stopped yet.
She was never always in a hurry to come home, though. After all, there was only her Auntie Carlota in the house. But then, she rarely saw her at home because her aunt was a workaholic. She was good as alone.
"I guess I'll have to take these papers home, " she said.
"I'll see you in the morning, then." Jennifer hanged her backpack on her shoulder. "Drive carefully, Miss Clara."
"Take care, Jennifer."
Clara flexed her back as she watched Jennifer exit the door. Then, silence was Clara's only company left. She wondered if she would ever get used to it.
Clara may have got everything she wanted in life, but she was still lonely on the inside. Everything she had was because of her Aunt Carlota. And the latter wanted her to be indebted all her life.
She could not date even if she wanted to. Aunt Carlota had already chosen a man for her, but it would not be an easy quest. And Clara dreaded every time she thinks about how she will get the man her aunt wanted for her. It was like selling her soul to the devil.
Clara stood up and cleared her stuff. She could not afford to fall asleep inside the coffee shop.
CLARA put the plastic envelope on her head as a cover as she sauntered toward her car. It was still raining, but it was not as heavy as earlier. She fished the keys from her bag, and even before she could open the car's door, a force suddenly wrapped around her neck, almost choking her.
For a moment, she froze in horror, and she dropped her envelope on the wet ground.
"Give me your bag, and I'll let you live, " a man's muffled voice said. He was probably wearing a covering for his face.
The man's stinky odor filled Clara's nostrils, adding to the terror she was feeling at the moment. He was also reeking of alcohol. Clara could not breathe, but she was too scared to gasp for air, either.
"O-okay. I-I'll give you what you want. J-just..."
"Hey, I think you also want some of this, " said another man's voice from nowhere.
Clara was thrown off-balance on the side of the car as the robber was violently pulled away from her. She caught her throat as she desperately gasped for air. The second man, wearing an all-black attire with a helmet still on his head, gave the thief a headbutt.
The robber groaned sharply as he fell on the ground, the wet concrete making a loud splash. He tried to get up, and Clara saw his forehead bleeding as she struggled to stand straight. The man in black sat on his stomach and punched him remorselessly. She could only watch the horror happening in front of her.
He turned to her.
"Call the police, " the man in black commanded.
Clara fished for her phone in her bag with trembling hands. She swallowed and cleared her throat as she dialed the nearest police station's number.
After the quick call, she rushed to the man's side. The robber was already unconscious and could not fight.
"S-stop! Y-you're going to kill him!" she said.
The man's fist hung in midair as he turned to her.
"So what?" he said, panting. "Don't you want to get rid of all the criminals in the world?"
"Y-you're not a criminal. Stop."
The man drew a breath as he finally stood up. His fist was bleeding.
"You need first aid, " Clara said anxiously. She tried to hold his hand, but he flinched.
"This is nothing. I punch faces for breakfast."
"You could get an infection!"
"Thanks, but no, thanks."
"P-please..." Clara grabbed his bleeding hand and looked into his helmet-covered face. "I have a first aid kit in my car."
The man sighed, which Clara took as a submission. They sat on the dry pavement just in front of Aroma del Cielo after Clara retrieved her first aid kit inside the car.
"Thank you for saving me, " she said.
"Hmm, " he drawled. He took his helmet off and put it aside. Clara stared at what she thought the most handsome face she had ever seen in her life.
He had messy hair that hadn't been cut for months now. He has a thin stubble around his mouth. His thick eyebrows complimented his eyes. And his nose looked perfectly sculptured. He looked like the hero from the covers of her favorite romance novels.
"What are you staring at?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're handsome, " she said and then blushed in embarrassment. How could she say those words into his face?
"I know, " he responded.
"I'm Clara. I owned that small coffee shop." She motioned behind her.
The man glanced at it, too.
"Aroma del Cielo? Too fancy, " he said with a smirk.
"My parents are coffee farmers. I thought of them when I was putting up this business of mine." Clara smiled at the memory.
When she glanced at his face, he was staring at her. Her heart skipped a beat.
"W-why? Is there something in my face?"
"You're beautiful."
She looked away and focused on putting alcohol on the cotton.
"T-thank you." She looked at him. "This is just going to sting a little."
"Go ahead."
She put his hand over hers as she tapped it lightly with the cotton bud.
"I'm Fuego."
Clara stared at his face once again.
"Hmm?"
"Just in case you're too shy to ask for my name."
"Ah." Clara nodded with a soft giggle. "Too uncommon for a man's name. But it suits you."
"I know."
"Does your hand still hurt?"
"It's nothing, " he replied with a shrug.
"You can drop by at my coffee shop when you are free tomorrow. I'll treat you for coffee."
"Is that indirectly saying you want to see me again? I'm sorry, but I don't believe in love at first sight."
Clara laughed.
"I see that you're a heartbreaker, Fuego."
"I know I said you're beautiful, but you look too young for my taste."
"Well, you're too old for my taste, either. Don't worry."
The police finally came, just in time for the robber to gain consciousness. Clara felt a little sad that she had to part ways with Fuego now.
"Don't forget to shower when you get home. You're going to catch flu, " Fuego said when the police car was gone.
Clara did not expect that. She could not help laughing.
"Thank you for reminding me."
He put on his helmet and mounted his big bike.
"Will I see you soon?" she asked.
"If fate would allow."
Clara could not help watching in awe as he kicked his motorcycle to life. He looked like a movie star. And just like his name, he was hot.
Carson and Mary Cris are two people marrying not because of love. Carson wants to keep his inheritance and double it if he was lucky, while Mary Cris wants to give honor to her tribe as the future leader. But things keep on going in the wrong track as the two clashed even at their first meeting! Well, Carson must tame his fierce wife if he wants the wedding to push through.
"I, Sophia Addison, of the Crescent Moon Pack, deny your rejection, Jacob Carter." I smiled triumphantly at him and he just glared at me. I can hear loud gasps and whispers throughout the place. They cannot believe that their goody-two-shoes of a senior year president is rejecting me in front of everybody. What goody-two-shoes? More like a two faced jerk! That is why, here I am, denying his rejection. Oh well, I refuse to suffer alone. So...let us both suffer together my dear mate.
"It was just one night stand, and now I'm pregnant with triplets? Gosh!" Josephine Jade never thought that she would have to run away from her own family while pregnant. She was alone, without money, without connections, with three fetuses in her stomach. How can she survive? However, Josephine couldn't give up now, until she managed to reclaim her arbitrarily seized property and get back at everyone who tried to get rid of her. A sick child, a past crush that comes back, a mysterious eccentric man, and a family that hates her, will weave together the journey of Josephine Jade's new life. "You have no right to separate me from my children, you bastard! I will survive and you will submit to me. Just watch!"
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"