/0/18459/coverbig.jpg?v=1615c4599ef834aead1b2e8d59926a55)
An arranged marriage. A perfect bride. An old, creepy mansion. Deive thought he is lucky to be paired with Callea Lopez - she's beautiful, talented, and loyal. Except she lives on a haunted mansion. And she is keeping secrets from him. Original cover by Runa Lee, lunafatima1093@gmail.com
Rachmaninoff's music from the antique phonograph floated around the old Commonwealth mansion in Nagcarlan, Laguna. Callea loved listening to classical music while reading at the sofa just right before dinnertime. Luna, her black cat purred while sleeping on her lap.
It was as if the music was singing for the dark night and the round moon, even the mystical elements that only live up during the night.
"Señorita, here is your tea, " Marina offered her a cup of tea. She was a hunchback who helped her around the mansion and she was the only person who lived with her.
She was a twenty-six-year-old single woman living in the mansion in the middle of nowhere. There were only fields around them and the neighbors were a few kilometers away. She didn't mind the solitude. She loved it. She didn't need too much human in her life. She already got a cat.
"Thank you, Marina." Luna meowed as if thanking the woman. Then the cat laid down her head on her lap once more, continuing its slumber.
The night was perfect. The full bright moon even made it more so. She would ask Marina to watch the moon with her later. The rise of the full moon was the best chance for them.
The silence of the night was blasted by the ring from the antique telephone. Callea picked it up and answered it. "Hello."
"Callea, how are you, apo (grandchild)?" It was her grandfather, Tomasino Lopez, Sr. On the other line. He was the father of her mom. He owned the mansion she was living in. Her grandfather was living to the clan's main residence in Manila.
"I am great, Lolo, " she answered. "Have you see the moon tonight? It is beautiful."
"No time to view the moon but I will make your moon-watching extra special. I have good news for you. You finally get what you want."
Her eyes became as big as saucers. "Really, Lolo? You will finally give me Villa Celesta?"
Villa Celesta was her life. It has been a lifetime dream of hers to own it. It was the ancestral home of the Lopezes. There was so much history on it because it was erected during 1920s during the American Occupation in the Philippines.
And it was where she was born as well twenty-six years ago. She had so many beautiful memories there with her departed parents. The place made her feel happy. It was also her shield from the cruel outside world. It was her paradise.
But the Lopezes had its own misogynistic tradition. Her grandfather wanted to pass down the mansion to his eldest grandson - her cousin, Tomasino Roque Lopez III or her Kuya Torque. Even if her cousin was not interested with the mansion because he had his own villain Manila and a member of the prestigious Stallion Island and Leisure Club, her grandfather still kept on holding on to his own tradition.
So it was great news that her grandfather was finally giving in.
"But I have one condition."
Callea stopped rejoicing. It was like the air hang around her while the ring of power was in his voice. "W-What is it, Lolo?"
"You have to marry my best friend's grandson."
Like a melting candle, Callea leaned back to the antique mahogany settee. Marry a stranger. A wedding. Ugh! She was pledged to be a single forever. She had no need for a boyfriend or a groom or a husband.
She just wanted to be left alone and free.
She had tinnitus after hearing that bomb of a condition. She couldn't think properly. Even her blood froze. "Who is the grandson of best friend?"
Of course, she must know who she was marrying first. Her grandfather didn't expect her to just accept his edict without asking questions, right?
"It is Deive. Deive Hontiveros. Don't worry. I choose well for you. He was good looking, he studied abroad and he had brains for business. He helped a lot with the family business by introducing innovative marketing system."
And her grandfather kept on singing praises for the man as if the sun rise and set on him.
Deive Hontiveroz. He would be her groom. Of course, she knew him. They were from the same social circle. He was a womanizer. Beautiful women follow him wherever he goes. And she was sure that he was a superficial man. He only sees people for their physical beauty. The type she loathed, by the way.
And she would marry this man? That would be a disaster.
But what choice does she have? She had a mansion to possess. And marrying Deive was the only way to do it. She couldn't find her voice to protest.
Her cat must have sensed her anxiety. It stood up on her lap then rubbed its hairy body to her legs to her arm. But Callea couldn't feel anything. Her cat trying to comfort her didn't work.
She was like a still sculpture while listening to her grandfather discuss Deive and their wedding. Could she really marry the man who won't accept the real her? Could he accept her world?
"I want you to welcome him well, " her grandfather continued. "Make sure that he will like you. He will be at Villa Callea tomorrow night to meet you."
Tomorrow night? That soon?
She hasn't even recovered from the thought that she would marry the womanizing stranger. Then he would just arrive at the mansion and invade her solitude and her grandfather expected her to welcome the man with open arms?
Oh! She just wanted to faint.
But all she could answer was a simple, "Yes, Lolo". it was not the right time for complaints. If she as much as voiced a protest, her grandfather might pull back his condition and won't give her a chance to get the mansion at all.
That would be an even bigger disaster.
"W-What if he doesn't like me, Lolo?" Callea asked, hoping there would be another way out of this stipulation.
"You are beautiful, hija. I am sure Deive can't resist you."
Cheska needs closure from her first love, Darryl, when she decided to go to Jeju Island. She wants to visit his tomb. In her trip, she met Carter, a Filipino who is working in Seoul as an English teacher and he looks a lot like Darryl. She feels like Darryl came back to life in Carter. Chesca wants another shot at love, this time with Carter. Will things work out between Cheska & Carter? Is Cheska sure she is really over with her past and feelings for her lost love?
Esmeralda has no time for love. She has a brother with leukemia and she’s willing to do everything for him. When Aiden offered a marriage of convenience to help him get his inheritance and get away from his controlling brother, she accepted in the condition that he will help with her brother’s medical expenses. Everything changed when she saved a handsome and virile man who was washed away by the flood. Richard Infante is arrogant and rich - both characters she hated in a man. And because the flood and landslides isolated their place, he had no choice but to live a simple life since doesn’t own a cent under his name. Everytime she meets his eyes laced with anger, she melts. He lights up the fire inside of her and shave gave herself to him- body and soul. She’s’ ready to forget her promise of marriage to Aiden to be with him. But who would have thought that her love for him will ruin all her plans and promises? And the man she loves her own enemy.
Completed story Do you believe that love is blind? Errr... I don't think so. Cameron’s playboy ways changed after brushing with death in a shipwreck. Mitos, the crew who saved his life, made him promise to look for his ex-girlfriend and ask for her forgiveness. When he finally found her, Love was being hounded by the gangsters and she was already blind. To protect her, he had to pretend to be Mitos, her ex-boyfriend. Until his lies turn to love. What if she finds out that everything was a lie? The original story is in Filipino published under Precious Hearts Romances
With her apartment devastated by fire, Alondra’s boss asked her to stay at her vacant condo. It has been vacant for a year and was afraid lost spirits would find its way there. One time, she heard someone taking a shower and the voice of a man in the other room. Bringing her antique cross, she went to the other room to offer a prayer to the lost soul. While kneeling in front of the door of the bathroom, the door opened and a man with the face of a demigod and a perfect physique stood in front of her. His body was covered by nothing but a piece of towel. Only, it was not a ghost but the real owner of the condo and her new boss.
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."
"You're the moon wolf, Lola. You're the wolf with the power of the Moon goddess", Serena said and collective gasps were heard in the room. After being rejected by her mate in Moonlit pack, Lola escaped on a full moon only to enter the territory of the next Alpha King who also happened to be her second chance mate. Adrian is the next Alpha King but he hasn't been able to assume his role because he needed a Luna by his side. A rogue that trespassed on his territory, whom he ordered be killed turned out to be his mate leaving him in a dilemma. Will Adrian reject Lola because she came into his territory as a rogue? Will he overcome what happened to him in the past and give Lola a chance or reject her and go ahead with Fay as his chosen Luna? What will happen when everyone finds out just how much power Lola wields and how she's supposed to protect her kind in an oncoming war? Find out in Lola - The Moon Wolf!
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
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 all—from 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 didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t 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."