When a near-homeless Arabella Laurel is sitting on the park bench in despair with a pink slip, a savior comes to her rescue. Of course, no one is that nice to provide her with food, essentials, and a place to stay for free, so there's a catch. She has to stay with two other boys. To add fuel to the fire, one of them is Theo Benedict-the daredevil responsible for getting a chewing gum stuck in her hair and getting it cut short. Arabella isn't one to make bad blood, but she will certainly run Theo over with a truck any day and the feelings are mutual. Now, how will Arabella live with this tempest in a teapot roommate without getting tangled with him?
|| Arabella ||
I was having the worst day of my life.
My aunt told me to leave her house this morning before tomorrow since she could not handle looking after me anymore.
I understood why my aunt didn't want me around anymore. Her family was facing financial issues and couldn't pay for my meals any longer. I was just an extra burden on her already weak shoulders. But I tried my best to be of help to her by doing all the house chores-I was practically a maid there for five months-otherwise, my cousins wouldn't stop sneering at me.
However, I remained strong like my mom always taught me to be. I smiled and told my aunt that I would leave tonight and thanked her for taking care of me when all my other relatives had turned their faces away from me.
Even now, I am trying my best to be positive.
I have always tried looking at the plus points rather than the negative ones.
But I really was in a pickle at the moment with no bright sides in sight.
I had absolutely no idea where to go. I had no savings. I had no money for food either. I was as broke as a street beggar-wait, never mind, even they have a few bucks with them.
Since there was no point hitting my head on the wall for all of this, I decided to come to school. The worst thing that could happen here was I got detentions for no reason, maybe even trip on my shoelaces and fall flat on my face.
Or so I thought.
I was standing in the hallway, pondering over my bleak life, when I felt something light hit my back.
"Oh, my God." I heard a few people gasp.
Instinctively, I touched my long light brown hair on the back that reached up to my waist. Something sticky made contact with my fingertips. I furrowed my brows and pulled at it, but it kept stretching and stretching.
"What the hell is this?" I murmured in disgust.
Once the sticky thing was up to my eye level, I was able to make out what it was. It was a piece of pink chewing gum. That came directly out of someone's mouth.
Just exactly what I needed. Perfect for my hair nourishment.
"Fuck, eww!" I exclaimed at the yuck factor and turned around to face the culprit.
A pair of familiar beautiful yet infuriating turquoise eyes stared back at me widely in horror.
Of course, it was him.
Theo Benedict.
My one enemy since freshman year. Only God knows what I have ever done wrong to him to deserve this. I must have stepped on his devilishly handsome face in his dream or something imaginary like that to have earned such loath from him.
Setting all that aside, I loved my hair so much. And now...
I was touching his saliva stuck to it.
Some people roared in laughter at my misery, making my anger shoot through the roof.
"Uh... I swear that was not intentional," Theo spoke up in his defense.
I gritted my teeth and approached him, throwing the scariest daggers I could muster with my eyes. "You definitely did that on purpose," I stated furiously.
"I did not."
"You spoiled my beautiful, shiny, silky long hair that I take care of every day for hours! Do you know how hard it is to maintain long hair? Of course, you don't! You boys have it so easy with that short hair," I vented out, raising my voice louder than I expected it to.
My nose was flaring with anger and I was panting from yelling. I probably looked like an angry Jigglypuff.
"I know it's my fault. But it's not as if I have no other better job than sticking gum on your beautiful blah blah hair."
Look at this jerk. He was not remorseful at all. One would expect a basic word of apology from him, but no!
"I won't believe you even if God came and told me that," I spat out.
Theo gave me a flat look. "Don't prioritize ourselves so much. God won't come and tell you the truth for me out of all the billions of people crawling on this earth."
I scoffed. "I think you are right. God's got His hands full with other good people. That's why His lowest priority was giving you a functional heart and brain."
He crossed his arms against his chest, somehow managing to look taller than before and making me shrink smaller. "Look, Stella-"
"Arabella," I corrected sternly. He always purposely takes my name wrong.
"Yes, Annabella, whatever." I tightened my jaw, holding my arm back from knocking his tooth out. "I was talking to someone while chewing the gum and someone slapped my back from behind, which resulted in this," he pointed at my sticky hair with a frown, "so if you don't believe me, which I know you don't, you're free to ask anyone here."
"Just a pat on the back is enough to get you to spit out your gum?" I gave him an incredulous look. "Then maybe you should walk around with a warning label. Because who knows when you might throw up on someone?"
"Well, too bad for you then. You seem to have some eye problems. Otherwise, you would have moved out of my goddamn way," he retorted.
"How was I supposed to know you were going to pull something so disgusting?" I bellowed.
"You were standing in the middle of the hallway, spacing out and thinking about God knows what, without realizing how many people's way you were blocking."
I looked around myself and realized I was indeed standing in the middle. But hey, I was lost in deep thoughts!
"I can stand and space out wherever the hell I want. I don't need your permission for that!"
"Then why don't you do me a favor and go stand in front of a bullet, Annabella?"
"It's Arabella!" I corrected again.
"Yes, I get it, Annabelle."
Great. Now he was calling me by the same name as the horror movie 'Annabelle'. I used to get called Stella, Cella, Rella, or even Cascerella, by many people because of him. From now on, I was Annabelle, from what I understood from the hootings of the students around.
Black fumes were perhaps coming out of my ear. I was so done with everything- especially Theo. I wanted to shave him bald. I wanted to rip out his guts and hang them on the ceiling. I wanted to carve his face with knives. I wanted to chop his legs so that he would come down to my level and we could see eye to eye.
Generally, I was nice to everyone-but dammit, Theo was an exception.
I caught a freshman coming from behind Theo. An immediate idea popped into my head. I snatched the plastic cup of hot coffee from his hand and threw it at Theo's chest, ruining his gray hoodie and dark green overshirt.
All the free-drama spectators gasped in shock as Theo's face twisted in pain. But he didn't let out a single wince while his friends panicked behind him, telling him to go put some water on his burn. "Happy now?" Theo jeered, flashing me a mock smile.
No, I wasn't. I wasn't happy. Not at all.
What was I even doing?
I had no living family. I would have no roof over my head tonight. I was as broke as they come. My hair was sticky with chewing gum. I don't know what I would do with my life. And here I was, picking a fight with an infuriating guy from school. Could I get any more pathetic?
Tears welled up in my eyes.
I turned around in a swift motion before Theo could catch me tearing up. I had enough humiliation for today. I didn't want to be called a crybaby now.
"Y-yes, I am. Serves you right." My voice cracked a bit. "Now have a nice day, somewhere out of my sight!" I hollered before running off towards the girl's bathroom.
I locked the door from inside and checked if anyone was there before breaking down in sobs. I stared at myself in the mirror. My hazel eyes were bloodshot. I looked like such a loser.
I turned on the tap and propped my palms against the sink, looking down at the water running as my tears fell and mixed with it.
My chest was aching so much. I wanted Mom to be with me. I wanted to run back home and hug her tightly. I wanted her warm arms to hold me as her words comforted me. But that was not possible anymore. And I had to accept that as hard as it may be.
All I could do was be strong for her. I only needed to look at the positive sides. I looked back at the mirror, at my ruined long hair.
My face lit up as I found something good within it. "Yes, I can just cut my hair and sell it. It will grow back within no time. I can at least get some bucks through this," I told myself and took out a pair of scissors from my bag on the counter.
I could not afford to go to a salon, so my best bet was myself. I wish my closest friend Coral was here, but she had some emergency at home herself, so she was absent.
Sucking in a deep breath, I held the scissor close to my hair. This was not easy. I was really hesitant. After all, I cherished my hair so much.
I silently cursed Theo for this as I ran the scissors through my hair. My heart was cracking, my feet tickling with the hair that landed on them.
As I cut the last strand of my long hair, I whispered, "Goodbye, long hair."
â â â
Shirley Hamilton has everything anyone could want in their life. But the one thing that she wants is to be a car racer, and the only person she deems capable of fulfilling her dream is Dylan. Dylan Lewiston is a businessman in daylight, who is also a renowned car racer. At the same time, he is a cold-hearted Mafia leader, who solely wants revenge for everything that has pushed him into living this vicious life. What comes to pass when Dylan accepts to train Shirley for the approaching car race? Will the vengeful and cold aura of Dylan change with the chirpy Shirley? Will love bloom between them? And most importantly, what will transpire when Shirley discovers the Mafia secrets?
Veronica Wilshire is a famous actress, a celebrity figure that is adored and admired by almost everyone for her graceful yet kind nature. But behind that elegant stature is an independent woman who wants to live her life to the fullest without any restraints, without having anyone like her husband to control her. Aaron Aldridge is a self-established businessman who does not believe in the concept of marriage. If he could, he would love to marry his work and never deal with the complexity of a woman's mind. Now, these two are plunged into an arranged marriage by their family. However, they come to a truce that Aaron will run away on the wedding day, but what happens when he doesn't? Will Veronica be deceived into an arranged marriage? Will they be able to overcome their differences and be happy? Or will they part ways before love can even bloom between them?
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If youâre eager to see me, youâd better join the queue, darling."
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusionsâhe wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it allâfrom standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didnât return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachelâs terminal illness and realized she didnât have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
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?"