"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?
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"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?
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
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."