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.
IT'S still dawn, but I'm already up. I'm already used to it, though. It's just that... today's a little different. I tossed and turned last night. My mind is filled with lots of thoughts-about my life changing starting today.
"Cris?"
I am gazing over the dark woods from my window, waiting for the sun to come up as a sign of a brand new day when my mother came inside my room.
"Good morning, Mother," I greet with a smile.
"Did you sleep well last night?" she asks and returns my smile.
I smile curtly and shake my head.
"Why don't you go back to bed then?" she says.
"I can't fall asleep even if I try."
Mother wakes up very early every day, but she does not always check me in my room and ask how I slept. I suppose she did not sleep well, too.
"Are you anxious about what will happen today?" Mother stands beside me.
"A little."
"Are you thinking of backing out? You know we'll understand."
"It's not that, Mother," I reply and sigh. "I'll do everything for our tribe. I'm never backing out as long as it's for our tribe's future."
And I mean it. I live for our tribe, and someday, I will become their leader. It's what keeps me on holding on despite my uncertainties. It's new to me. I don't think I am ready, but I don't think I could disappoint my tribe either.
"I am so lucky to have you as my daughter." Mother carefully caresses my hair.
"Because you did a great job of raising me," I reply with a smile. "Can I just help you with the chores today?"
"If you don't plan to go back to sleep, then you can help me while your grandma is recovering." Grandma has flu since the other day.
The three of us have been living in this house for years. My grandpa died when I was young, and I never met my father. According to my mother, my biological father lives in the city. They met when Mother was in her last year in college.
To cut the story short, my father got my mother pregnant and did not hold responsible because she found out that my father was already married. Just when my mother's dream of being a teacher was within an arm's reach, I happened. She was devastated, but she did not let it destroy her future. She said she used me as her inspiration to pick up herself and dream again.
And my grandma was disappointed for the first time in her life, but she did not regret having me as her granddaughter. My mother took bookkeeping as a vocational course, and she had been helping my Grandpa Mario, grandma's brother, manage Bianon's ample vegetable farm ever since. Mother handled being a mother, a father, and a teacher all at the same time. It's not a mystery why I also dreamt of becoming a teacher-to continue the dream she once dreamt of herself.
As for my father, I never wished to meet him. I don't want to cause a conflict with his family. His absence did not leave an inadequacy in my life either. I have my mother, my grandmother, and the tribe, and they are already more than enough for me.
***
Author's Note: "Adobo" is a popular dish made of marinated meat.
***
"AREN'T you going to cook adobo for the guests, Mother?" I ask her in the kitchen.
"Oh, good thing you brought that up. Can you catch chickens in the woods if you don't mind? I think three are enough for our guests," Mother says.
"Of course, I don't mind. Would that be all?" I say with a grin. "It's been a while since my hands got tainted with blood."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Mother retorted jokingly. "Don't act like that when you're in front of your future husband. You'll scare him."
"Mother, come on," I mutter, wide-eyed. I am not very prepared to face the truth yet.
I return to my room and fetch my bow and arrow under my bed. It's my weapon of defense against wild boars that destroy our crops.
As for the members of the tribe of Bianon, our physical features are not actually different from those who live in the luxury of the city. We are not from other minority groups. Our ancestors fled here in the mountains to avoid the influence of the Spanish colonizers.
I'm not trying to brag, but we are all good-looking, too. Most of us have sun-kissed skin as a result of working hard under the sun and the rain. I am just a little fairer compare to them because my mother said that my father was a mestizo. Ah, no wonder she got fooled. Right?
I walk a couple of meters from our house before reaching the falls.
Farming is our primary source of income. We have all kinds of vegetables here. Grandma says that our tribe was really different before Don Conrado Florencio, who is our generous benefactor, came.
According to my Grandpa Mario, who is the current leader of our tribe, the rich man's chopper had an emergency landing in the woods because of engine trouble. It happened more than thirty years ago. The rich man was wounded along with his pilot, and the people of Bianon helped them.
To show his gratitude for our tribe's kindness, the rich man helped us elevate our livelihood. He gave us advanced machinery in farming. He fixed the road that led to the town and gave us trucks to deliver our harvests. It was because of him that our tribe became the official supplier of well-known restaurants and grocery stores in the city.
He even built schools for us, and those who wanted to take college in the city were offered full scholarships. And of course, I am one of those who are privileged. I've been teaching here at Bianon for three years now. The children here are enjoying free education. I dream of raising our tribe's status in the society that's why despite the tempting job offers in the city, I chose to practice my profession here.
To me, Don Conrad is indeed a blessing to our tribe. And he is also the reason why from this day on, my life is going to change. He and grandpa made a pact a long time ago to strengthen the friendship between our tribe and the Florencios. A member of our family should marry a member of his family.
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?
I received a pornographic video. "Do you like this?" The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts. "Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response. "You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!" The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed. I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella. ************************************************************************************************************************ “I want to get a divorce, Mark,” I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time—even though I knew he'd heard me clearly. He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!" The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him. "I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster. He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table. I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
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."
When they met again, Jason cast aside his paranoia and pride, warmly embracing Chelsey. "Please, come back to me?" For three years, she had been his secretary by day and his companion by night. Chelsey had always complied with his requests, like an obedient pet. However, when Jason declared his plans to marry another, she chose to stop loving him and to let go. But life took unexpected turns. His unyielding pursuit, her pregnancy, and her mother's greed gradually pushed her to the brink. Eventually, she endured tremendous suffering. Five years later, when she returned, she was no longer the woman she once was. Yet he had spiraled into five years of chaos.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"