Robert was the Prince of the Kingdom of Western Wind. And he had everything. The crown. The adoration of the people. The utmost respect of noblemen inside and out of their borders. But amidst all the riches and privileges given to him by birth, Robert was unhappy with his life. Shackled to an arranged marriage and struggling with his estranged father, Robert wanted more from life. But at the same time, he didn't want to disturb the peace of everyone surrounding him. That was until she arrived.
A kingdom was covered by dark, heavy clouds that carried a millennium's amount of rain. Along with the loudest thunders, the strongest bolts of lightning stretched across the dim sky.
All because of a king and his heir – his only son – lying in bed, currently in a deep sleep.
The time for them to regain consciousness? Nobody could say for sure.
All the members of the court could do was to bargain with the ancient gods to spare one of them.
The queen has been running the kingdom whilst worrying about the state of her family. She knew she was close to losing sanity, but she would remind herself to hold onto it a bit longer.
'The kingdom cannot afford to lose another appointed ruler,' she would often tell herself. Her husband and son were already at the brink of death. She couldn't be swept away by this diplomatic crisis.
T'was in the middle of the day – springtime, to be exact – and it has rained continuously for weeks. People lost track of time because they've been submerged into wet weather for the longest time. And though water continued to fall from the heavens, they went with their usual activities without complaints; something that the queen praised her people of.
She now sat beside her almost lifeless husband, holding his hand at his side. Depressed yet alert, she hoped that he would awaken today. It has been her wish since he and their son were trapped in an endless cycle of sleep. And she held onto this almost unrealistic wish, not because of his duties but because she missed her husband too much already.
He was her rock, her guide, the person who complimented everything about her. His protection and love allowed her to reveal her strengths and weaknesses without shame.
'Is it too much?' she thought to herself. 'Is it too much to ask that either you or our son would wake up today? To ease my worries for just a moment?' she continued as her tears fell.
Her daughter watched helplessly from the side as her mother wept silently. The princess walked towards the queen, her hands folded in front of her. She reached out to her mother's shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. An assurance that she wasn't alone.
The queen held her daughter's hand, not letting go of her husband's. She didn't remove her stare from her husband. She even tried not to blink.
After a moment of silence, the king coughed. His cough persisted as he continued to gain consciousness.
The queen's eyes widened. "Your Majesty?" she called out to him. "Dearest," she turned to her daughter in a panic, "Fetch for the Medicine King as quickly as possible."
The princess nodded and rushed off.
"Your Majesty, are you awake?" the queen called out to him again. Her gentle grip tightened, praying that this wasn't a dream, that he was truly alive.
The king slowly opened his eyes as he adjusted himself to his environment. The light in the room was faint but it was blinding to a man who was under the curse of unending sleep. As his sight became clearer, he was pleasantly surprised to see the face of his beloved. Slowly, he reached out to touch her face.
"Thank the heavens!" she closed her eyes as she whispered. His hand cupped her cheek and she buried her face in his touch. "Thank the heavens you're awake," she sniffled as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
He smiled, relieved that it was all over. But their brief moment of happiness was replaced with horror when something came across the king's mind: their son.
"Where's our son?" he asked his wife, eyes widened. "Where is he?"
She froze as she received his question. She stood still, eyes wide open as she feared how he would react to their son's state.
The king held onto her arms and repeated his question, not wanting to let go without an answer.
With a deep breath, the queen pointed to the bed beside the king's... and there he was: the prince of the kingdom, still trapped in his own slumber.
Not waiting for another minute, he rushed towards his son. He stumbled along the way but he didn't pay any mind to it. All he wanted was to be beside his heir.
His son was breathing as if he was plainly taking a nap. His little hands were laid on his stomach. His head was raised by a velvet pillow.
Gut-wrenched, the king held the boy's hand, doing his very best to fight the tears. He wanted to cry but as king, he didn't want to show any signs of weakness. However, he was breaking deep inside. The sight of his young child in a deep sleep was too much for him to bear. He'd prefer to be in his position, knowing that the kingdom would be better with the younger, future monarch.
"How long will he be asleep?" he asked his queen, not tearing his stare away from his child.
"The Medicine King said the day of his reawakening is unknown. The same was said for you, my love," she explained gently, her hands on his shoulders. It was her husband who needed the comfort now.
"Tell him to do everything, to try anything, just to bring back my son."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," she whispered, slowly sitting beside him.
And with that, the king finally succumbed to his tears, weeping in the arms of his queen.
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.
"Listen, Gadreel Ødegaar," she looked at him, not hesitating this time. "It's my anniversary present for you. Let's divorce." *** Ivory Remington had sacrificed five years to look after her husband Gadreel who was in a vegetative state after an accident and a few months ago, he finally awakened like a miracle. She thought it was the start of their happy life but Gadreel still had no heart for her. On their anniversary and her birthday, she received a cheating video of her dear husband and her stepsister. Heartbroken, Ivory chose to quit this stupid game. She decided to set him free but the reason she left on the divorce agreement pierced Gadreel's noble pride. *** "Impotent? Are you serious?" He gripped her wrist and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I'm a woman, Gadreel. I'm tired of being in a sexless marriage. Let's end it once and for all." "Sexless, huh?" he chuckled lowly and without warning grabbed her chin in between his hands, pulling her face closer. "Turns out my wife was so eager to get a man between her legs? "
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"