"If I don't get her back, prepare to receive my dead body in a gold coffin, Father." *** Sold by her older brother's best friend into a merciless world of women trafficking, Hana Yun's life becomes deeply entangled into the affairs of Jin Lorenzo - the young Italian-Korean heir of the Dante Mafia Empire who is bound on turning her into his mistress. However, Jin's possessive nature slowly plants a seed of a dangerous, unhealthy love for Hana, who soon becomes his weakness and obsession. When there's another notorious Mafia opponent bound on ruining Jin by taking away Hana, all hell is about to break loose. An arrogant Mafia heir who's used to getting what he wants can never understand how to take no for an answer. He didn't care if Hana was destined to be his doom.
"Let him go!" I yell at the three men defiantly. They're dragging my older brother, Kai to their tinted black SUV. I don't know if I should call the police! "Let him go or I'll call the police on you, I know your plate number."
One of the men who looks like a bulldozer roar out in a sarcastic laughter, as the other man nudge him on the arm to stop laughing. I guess the fats on his tummy have gotten to his brain and clogged it. Thoughtless fool, how dare he mock the police authority.
"Stay out of this, girl. Your brother will have to answer to the boss." The third man says, while he keep pushing Kai's head into the car. Kai is fighting back, but the men are all huge and absolutely more powerful than Kai.
That's it! They'll have to take me too.
I throw away my crossbody bag and lunge at one of the men; the bulldozer, trying to bite off the chunk of flesh on his arm, but he push me away so quickly and I fall flat on my butt.
"Hana ya, don't fight. I'll be okay, don't worry about me. I'll come home by tomorrow." Kai yells through the little opening of the door, but I see the fear written in his eyes right before the door closes and the men enter the car and quickly drive away.
I keep my eyes on the plate number again. It's a customized plate number written '9146 Alfonso'. The name sounds like spanish or Italian, and I'm sure that one among the men is not even a Korean.
What has Kai gotten himself into? Who are those people and who the heck is their boss? I'm going to report to the police if Kai doesn't keep his word and come home by tomorrow.
I grab my crossbody bag and get back on my feet. Darn it! That bulldozer has ruined my dress, I've got mud all over me, I won't be able to walk into the coffee shop looking like garbage.
"Ya, look at that woman, she looks like a skunk doesn't she?" One among the four group of high school boys is pointing at me and laughing at his remarks alone. They have the same blue and white uniform, they must be from the nearby high school where I work part time as a librarian on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Those naughty kids!
"Hey, stop laughing. It's senior Hana, the school librarian. Don't badmouth her again." Another boy from the group says as he smack the head of the boy who's gossiping. "I'm sorry, he's a new student. He doesn't know you're our school librarian, sunbae (senior)."
They all shamefully nod their heads before walking into the alley on the opposite, occasionally glancing back to sneak a look at me who's immovable. I'm standing like a robot, unable to properly process my thoughts or go anywhere. Should I just call the police right now? I'm afraid that my brother will get hurt. He's the only family I have, the person who pays the bigger share of the house rent and electricity bill. If something happens to him, I don't want to imagine. I love Kai too much to let him get into trouble. Maybe I'll go seek advice from Min Oppa, Kai's best friend who lives very close to the laundry shop where I work part time to deliver customer clothes during the weekends.
I manage to walk my legs pass the fence of the basketball court in our neighborhood. We live on the outskirts of Seoul, we're use to seeing loan sharks and landlords mercilessly beating up people over money, because the people who reside in this shanty neighborhood are helplessly poor. It's called the last urban slum in Seoul, where most families use bicycles as a means of transportation. Because cars are a high luxury most people cannot afford to buy here.
I almost bump into the trash can in front of Min's apartment, thank goodness I'm able to realize it. I side step the trash and reach for the door and knock. I hope he's in there.
I knock four more times before Min opens up the door, looking like a drunk frog as usual. His honey brown eyes are the only good feature he has, very bright and reassuring, and at least, he doesn't have the under eye bags like I do. But Min is a lazy guy always at home getting himself drunk while his restaurant business is slowly dying.
He starts running his fingers and untangling his messy brown hair immediately he sees me. "Urm, sorry I got wasted Hana. Don't mind my look. Why. . . are you here anyway, when you're supposed to be at work?"
"This won't be the first time I'm seeing you wasted, so don't take it to heart Oppa. Do you know what my brother has been up to lately? I just got out of home for work, and some men showed up in an expensive SUV and took Kai away. They claim that he has to answer to their boss. Do you know anything about this?"
"Urgh. . . No, not really. Just that he's, urgh. He told me he gotten a new job yesterday and he's going to buy a house in gangnam very soon. He said not to tell you though, so I'm only saying this because I don't want you to be clueless."
"A new job?" I press my hand on the doorframe, using my other hand to remove the whips of my greasy brown hair sticking like gum on my face. This is quite frustrating, I don't know what to do. "This is somehow strange though, I don't know why he never said anything to me about the new job. Kai doesn't keep secrets from me, you know. I'm the only family he has, and then you, Oppa."
"Come in and have water first, Hana." Min says, holding my arm as if to support me so I won't crash to the ground. It's like he's seeing right through me, my legs feel so shaky. I have a bad feeling. Is Kai into something dangerous and illegal? Because older brothers take a lot of risks to take care of their family, even Eunnie's older brother is currently in prison for being an accomplice in women and child trafficking business.
Grace McCullen, diagnosed with terminal blood cancer, believes in keeping few connections to spare them pain after her inevitable death. Her resolve is challenged when she falls in love with Mr. Bradley Archer, a troubled teacher at her school. As their relationship blossoms, Mr. Bradley's past trauma resurfaces, testing their love. Will he find the strength to reciprocate Grace's feelings amidst his own struggles?
Rumors goes around that the rich and handsome Chairman Jay Young is nothing but an arrogant narcissist who treated his Secretary worse than a dog. But this doesn't discourage the rookie Sarah Han to move to Seoul and work for the Chairman as his Personal Secretary. Apparently, Sarah is bound to discover that Chairman Jay's past is connected to her's and he is very different from what people thought about him. Why does he even keep the picture of her childhood in his album?
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Anabel found out she was pregnant and dialed her husband's number to share the good news to him. They have been married for two years without a child. Desmond's mother had been accusing her of being barren and unproductive. When the call was picked, she was flabbergasted and broken. She was hearing a loud moan of feminine voice. "Ohh! Yeah! Don't stop fucking me! Fuck me harder baby!" accompanied with sound of skins slapping against the other. She went home to confront her husband and end up receiving a divorce paper. Desmond divorced him for a lady his mother was rooting. Few months later when he found out that his ex-wife is a billionaire heiress and she is pregnant with twins, he went crazy!
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
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.