"Yes, we have, but I still want you to stay." "Stefano, we just finished arguing, and you did not give me a single reason why I should stay, so I am leaving." "No, you are not," He says, dangerously coming close to me "Excuse me," I say, backing up the wall "You heard me; I won't let you leave me," He says as his breath fans my face with every word that comes out of his mouth. "Then give me a reason to stay," I say, looking down on the ground due to our proximity. I feel shy to look at him with how close we are. *********************************************** Andrea Lopez is a beautiful woman with a wonderful life. Any woman would wish to have her life, but you can't be sure her life is great. Andrea has everything but the one thing she desires most, Love. All she has ever received from Love is pain in return. There is no love in her life, but everything changes when she takes a trip to Italy. She reunites with her first Love, Stefano Costanzo, a cold, ruthless man who hates Love. He would rather pull his heart out of his body than feel Love, but for how long will he hate Love? Will the cold, ruthless man allow himself to love again, or will our Andrea never find Love?
I feel the sunlight on my face, and I don't understand why because I am sure the curtains were closed last night before I went to bed. I hear footsteps around me, and I finally understand why my beautiful sleep was interrupted. I turn away from the sunlight and try to go back to sleep. That all goes out the window once I hear her voice.
"Honey, I know you are awake, so do yourself a favour and open your eyes," My Mom, Rosalia, says
"Good morning, mom," I say, peeling my eyes open and look into the same eyes like mine. They are as blue as the ocean, one of the prettiest eyes I have ever seen in my life. Her wavy pitch-black hair flows down to her waist against her beautiful tan skin. Her oval face holds a smile on those rosy lips of hers, which says she is happy to be disturbing me from my sleep. Like every little girl out there, I believe my mom is the most beautiful woman in the world, even though I am far from little. The only things I inherited from her are her beautiful eyes. I am the female version of my father.
"I can't say the same, dear; you need to get up and get ready. Our flight time has changed; we leave in an hour."
"An hour! Weren't we supposed to leave tonight? Why are we leaving so early all of a sudden?"
"Something came up, so we have to leave early. Your father will explain at breakfast, which you have 20 minutes to get ready for."
"Wow, mom, I haven't even finished packing."
"How are you not done packing? We have been talking about this trip for a week now."
"I planned to finish during the day since we were meant to leave at night."
"Sorry dear, get ready for breakfast. I will have someone help you finish packing."
"Alright," I say, getting up from the bed to walk to the bathroom.
I walk downstairs for breakfast after I finish freshen up. I walk outside to the pool area, where my whole family is seated. I join my father, mother and brother at the table.
"Good morning, everyone," I say, taking my seat.
"Good morning, dear," My dad, Leonardo, says while reading the newspapers. He is 6 feet tall, well-built for a man of his age, has dark brown hair like mine and grey eyes. I am not as tall as him; I am 5'6 feet.
"How was your night, little sis," My brother Santiago says while taking a bite of his French toast. He is 6 feet tall like my father, has a well-built body, dark brown hair. We both didn't take after my mom in hair. He has the same ocean blue eyes as mine.
"It was disturbed by our beautiful mother here."
"Sorry about that, dear, but we had to move the time of our flight to Italy," Dad says
"And why is that? I still had something I wished to do today before we leave" The whole family is travelling to Sicily. Dad has a business meeting over there and asked us if we would like to come along.
"My business partner asked me to come earlier than planned because he might not be available for the rest of the week."
"Oh, alright then."
We left for Sicily a few hours ago, and the plane is about to land. During the flight, I wrote new chapters for my new book. I am an author, but I studied business management in school with a minor in English literature. I have not published any works of mine, but I plan to someday. I am scared people might criticize my work more than they like it.
The last two days have been spent sleeping. The power of jet lag is not to be joked with. I hear a knock on my door, and I drag my lazy ass to open it. I open it to reveal mom at the door; I step aside for her to enter.
"Good morning, mom," I say, walking back to my bed.
"It is far from morning, young lady," Mom says and pulls the blinds. I shield my eyes with my hands from the sunlight but remove them once I realize it's dark outside.
"Oh my God, I slept through the day again."
"Yes, you did, and I need you to get the hang of your sleeping pattern."
"I will, mom."
"Good, and I wanted to ask you if you would like to come along with me tomorrow. I am visiting an old friend, and her daughter is also one of yours."
"You are visiting Mrs. Costanzo."
"Yes, and I felt you might want to see Aurora. I know it's been ages since you guys last saw each other"
"Yes, it's been ages since we last saw. What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"11 a.m. Katherine and I plan to have brunch together, so make sure to skip breakfast like always."
"Don't worry, mom; I will."
The next day I wake up in the morning for the first time since we arrived. Mom and I are on our way to the Costanzo estate, and we should be arriving in a few minutes. I still remember the first time I met Aurora and her family. It was one of the most terrifying days of my life. If I remember correctly, I was a junior in high school around that time. Mom picked me up from school, and we went to the mall together. We had a lovely time shopping, and when we were about to enter the car and go home, everything went south. I was about to step into the car but stopped because I felt someone was following us. I looked around, but I could not see anyone, so I brushed it off. Little did I know those little seconds I spent looking around were what saved mom's and my life. The second the driver opened the door was the same time his life went up in flames. I was never more afraid for my life and mom's like I was that day, and you would think been born into the mafia world would prepare me for such moments, but it does not. The minute our car went up in flames was also when the glass windows around us all started breaking into pieces from the gunshots fired around us. The bodyguards were quick to action by firing back, but it did not stop my pounding heart that day. Mom and I ran back into the mall to get away from the shooting. She quickly called dad and asked me to hide in the bathroom of a store and handed me a gun in case I needed it, but I prayed I wouldn't. Coming from a mafia family does not mean I like the idea of killing someone, but I understand sometimes it's needed to be done to stay alive. Dad was quick to send reinforcement which made it possible for us to leave the mall alive that day, but it did not mean the fight was over. What caused the attack on mom and I's life was because another gang was angry at dad for stealing a client of theirs. They felt killing us was going to cause him far more pain than killing him. To keep us safe, dad sent mom and me to Italy. We stayed with Aurora and her family until dad made it safe for mom and me to come back to California.
I hear the driver talking to someone through his window and realize we have arrived at the Costanzo estate. The driver drives through the gate that leads to a magnificent home. He parks the car in the driveway and quickly comes around to open the door for mom and I. I step outside to be greeted by Mrs. Costanzo on the doorstep. Her face brightens up once she lays her eyes on mom and me. Their front lawn is adorned with beautiful red roses all around.
"It's so good to see you, Rosalia; it's been ages," Mrs. Costanzo says, pulling mom into a hug.
"It's good to see you too, Katherine. I have missed you," Mom says, hugging her back.
"I have missed you too, and how are you doing, dear," Mrs. Costanzo says, leading us into the house.
"I am fine, thank you for asking."
"That's good, dear and Rosalia. I can't wait to show you my new wine cellar; you are going to love the new bottles I have added to my collection."
"I can't wait to taste them," Mom says, smiling.
We walk into a majestic entryway with crystal chandeliers in the ceiling and two stairways with a black handrail. We walk towards the right into the living room. Like everything in this house, the living room is also a beauty. There is a golden chandelier that goes really well with the white and golden painting of the walls and ceiling. The chairs are traditional white sofas, and there is a golden glass centre table. I take my seat on a one armchair while mom and Mrs. Costanzo sit on a two-arm chair. I hear footsteps walking towards us, and I assume it's Aurora, but it's the maid with drinks for us. I decide to ask because I can't imagine sitting with these two women as they complain about their husbands and other topics I have no interest in.
"Mrs. Costanzo please, where is Aurora?"
"Oh, forgive me, dear, I totally forgot to tell you. She is training in the backyard. I didn't tell her you were coming to surprise her. Let me get someone to call her for you."
"There won't be any need for that. I rather surprise her when she least expects it"
"Alright then, and do you still remember your way to the backyard."
"Yes, I do," I say and get up from the sofa to walk outside.
I find my way outside with no difficulty. I find Aurora in hand-to-hand combat with a man, and I must say, I feel sorry for him. Aurora is finishing him off with punch after punch. The man blocks a few, but Aurora is still winning the fight, and to finish it off, she has him between her legs with him on the floor; he either taps out or chokes to death. I walk closer to them so she could see me, and I think I just saved that man's life because his ego was stopping him from tapping out. She releases her hold on the man and quickly stands up from the floor to pull me into a bone-crushing hug.
"What in God's name are you doing here," She says while crushing the life out of me with her hug. Aurora has blue eyes, brunette hair and is 5'7 feet tall, and a body that can put any man to his knees.
"My family and I are in Sicily for vacation, and I know you are very strong; please stop killing me."
"Oh my, I am sorry, I am just so excited to see you. Can you remember the last time we saw each other" She says, releasing me from the hug.
"I can't remember, but I am thrilled to see you too."
"I can't wait to hear about everything going on in your life; we have a lot of catching up to do."
"I know, and I can't wait to hear yours too, but you need to shower first."
"I know; give me a couple of seconds to put my guns away, then we can go inside together," Aurora says and walks back to where she was training.
She puts her guns in their case holders and asks the guys around to clean the place before they leave. Aurora's family is like mine. They are also a mafia family. That was one of the reasons it was so easy to become good friends with her. I didn't have to worry about her finding out my family's secret because it was not a secret to her. Our fathers are old-time friends but hardly see each other. That's why we are not really close.
Aurora and I walk back into the house while talking about everything that has happened in our lives these past years. After Aurora is done freshen up, we have brunch and continue catching up.
"So tell me, Andrea, any man in your life I should know about," Aurora says while enjoying her food.
"Unfortunately, there is none, but how about you."
"You won't believe it, but I am not dating anyone right now."
"Are you serious? What happened? The Aurora I know always had a boyfriend or had a thing with some guy."
"Let's just say I grew up and decided I wanted to experience real love and was tired of those men wasting my time."
"Good for you; I am happy you believe they were wasting your time and want to experience true love."
"Thank you, and I hope you started dating."
"Yes, I did, but so far, no guy has wowed me yet, so I am still searching."
"I know how you feel, and with time, we will find them."
"I, Amelia Anderson, reject Nickolas Adams II as my mate." I've had enough. I don't know why I didn't reject him the moment I arrived here. What the heck was I stalling for? Nickolas and I don't have a single chance in heaven of being together. It's better to feel immense pain now than keep enduring little bits every time we run into each other. The muscles in his back tighten, but he doesn't turn back and says, "Accepting your rejection would be doing you a favor, and that's the last thing I would ever do for you." He walks away after that. ***** Nickolas, the Lycan king, had lost hope of ever finding his mate, resigned to the belief that he was destined to spend the rest of his days on Earth without her. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when he embarks on a journey to the werewolf kingdom. In a twist of destiny, Nickolas discovers his mate-a werewolf, and not just any werewolf, but the princess and daughter of his father's murderer, Amelia Anderson. Despite her royal status, Amelia's life is far from the fairy tale one might expect. A unique aspect of her identity brings difficulty, and being the sole individual among her peers without a mate intensifies her sense of isolation. The trajectory of her seemingly mundane life takes an unforeseen turn the day she encounters her mate. Suddenly, she is thrust into a reality she never imagined, and Amelia finds herself paying a steep price for a lifetime of sins she didn't commit.
Haisley Jefferson, daughter of the Alpha of The Ashen Crescent Pack, finds her life far from fulfilling. She yearns to meet her mate so she can finally escape the hellhole she once called home. Instead of meeting her mate and escaping, fate takes an unexpected turn on her 21st birthday. Rather than a mate, she's given a husband – Hades Stone, the future Alpha of The DuskBane Pack, and a man she has secretly loved for years. The only problem is he has his eyes set on Alice, her adopted sister. In the face of this dilemma, Haisley rejects the marriage, but destiny seems to have its own plans beyond her control. Haisley finds herself at a crossroads. While she wishes for her mate to rescue her, she's also entangled in a deep affection for Hades. A forced marriage to him was not her desire, but it seems destiny has other plans.
“I need to teach you a lesson for defying me,” Beau says, and in an instant, my leg drops down. He puts his other hand on my waist and lifts me off my chair. Landing perfectly on him, my eyes widen once I feel him against me. “Yes, darlin’, you are the reason for it. And tonight, you are going to satisfy it.” He holds me down, hunger in his eyes. “I’ll do no such thing,” I say, resisting the urge to grind my hips against him. My already wet pussy is pressed against his hard length, and I find myself wanting to pull it out so he can fill me up to the hilt and make all my dreams a reality. “Oh, you will, and you are going to enjoy it.” Beau buries his head in my neck and places a kiss on my shoulder. My eyes close as he begins to grind against me. A moan escapes my lips, but Beau spanks my ass hard the second it does. “Don’t moan out, darlin’,” he says, putting his hand under my dress and caressing my stinging ass. “You don’t want anyone to hear us, do you?” he asks, kissing my neck before burying his head in my chest. I shake my head as pleasure surges through my body. “Good girl.” **** Delilah Stephen is a young architect trying to make it independently without Daddy’s help. She is so close to achieving her goal when something unexpected happens. The investor meant to make her dreams a reality turns out to be someone Delilah wishes never to see again, Beau Williams. He is a handsome billionaire with a dangerous family. He broke Delilah’s heart seven years ago and is now back to win her. Delilah passionately hates Beau, so he has his work cut out for him. She refuses to forget the past, but Beau doesn’t give up. He will stop at nothing to make Delilah feel something for him after so many years. But for how long can he keep trying, and will he ever succeed?
“Why can’t I fucking hit you?” Thomas yells, smacking the belt close to her feet. “Why,” he smacks it on the door above her head. “Why, fucking why” to the right and left sides of her body. Melina trembles against the door with her eyes closed and head tucked between her knees. She jumps, sniffing Thomas’ cologne, and tries to hide more. He’s probably bending down. “I want to hurt you, Melina, but I fucking can’t. Tell me why I fucking can’t. Tell me why,” she bites her lips to muffle her sobs as she fears they will exacerbate her situation. “Fucking look at me when I am talking to you,” Thomas says, grabbing her hair and pulling her head up. “I am- so-r-r-r-y,” she says as she turns to face him with her tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes. “Did you think it would work? Did you actually think you could get me arrested and then flee? Are you that dumb, Melina?” he tightens his grip on her hair, and it starts to hurt. Melina can’t believe this is what he thinks. How will she prove that it was never her intention to have him arrested? ******** Melina Davis was born with the face and body of a goddess. Her heart was as beautiful as her, but it never did her any good. Melina was the most unlucky woman in this world when it came to love. Her first love was an abusive con artist who made sure to exploit Melina's kindness. The second one who Melina felt was genuinely worthy of owing her heart was far more dangerous than her first. His name is Thomas Costanzo. He is the second in command of the Costanzo mafia. He was highly feared in the mafia world. Some even feared him more than the don of the Costanzo mafia. Melina didn't know she shouldn't cross him, and she did. She broke the heart of one of the most feared men on this earth, and now, he is out searching for her. Once he finds her, Melina will wish she never crossed paths with him.
Ana was like every young she-wolf out there. She couldn’t wait to meet her mate. She didn’t expect the way things would go the day she finally met him or the way he would treat her once they met. Ana’s mate wants nothing to do with her but won’t let her go. Ana feels like a prisoner to her mate. Her mind is torn on what to do. She wishes her mate would love her, but he shows no hope of that happening. She wants to try and build something with him, but he makes things difficult for her. He treats her horribly, and Ana doesn’t know why. Ana wishes he would reject or let her go, but he won’t. She feels like he is determined to make her his prisoner forever. Read and find out how Ana survives being a prisoner to her.
"What!" Ethan says in his all too familiar deep rude voice. "You hit me, which caused my coffee to spill all over me," I say, pointing out the obvious. "So, what do you want me to do about it," He speaks like he has done nothing wrong "You are supposed to say sorry," I say in a duh tone "And why should I." "Because that is what people with manners do." "I know that, but you don't deserve sorry from me." "Wow, really, and why is that." "Because black bitches like you don't deserve it." "I have told you times without number to stop calling me that," I say getting angry with his insults "Make me," Ethan says, taking a dangerous step closer to me. I don't say anything, but hiss and walk past him. I don't know why I even expected him to say anything better. It is Ethan, after all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a story about two people who knew how to express the word hate more than anything else to one another. Ethan hates Adina more than anything in the world and would give anything to see her perish into thin air. While on the other hand Adina could careless about Ethan other than the fact that she won't let him walk all over her with his arrogant character. What happens when a big incident changes all that. How do these two different people deal with a feeling that is supposed to be forbidden to feel for the each other. Read to find out how the person you hate the most is the one person you can love the most.
Dear readers, this book has resumed daily updates. It took Sabrina three whole years to realize that her husband, Tyrone didn't have a heart. He was the coldest and most indifferent man she had ever met. He never smiled at her, let alone treated her like his wife. To make matters worse, the return of the woman he had eyes for brought Sabrina nothing but divorce papers. Sabrina's heart broke. Hoping that there was still a chance for them to work on their marriage, she asked, "Quick question,Tyrone. Would you still divorce me if I told you that I was pregnant?" "Absolutely!" he responded. Realizing that she didn't mean shit to him, Sabrina decided to let go. She signed the divorce agreement while lying on her sickbed with a broken heart. Surprisingly, that wasn't the end for the couple. It was as if scales fell off Tyrone's eyes after she signed the divorce agreement. The once so heartless man groveled at her bedside and pleaded, "Sabrina, I made a big mistake. Please don't divorce me. I promise to change." Sabrina smiled weakly, not knowing what to do...
When they met again, Jason cast aside his paranoia and pride, warmly embracing Chelsey. "Please, come back to me?" For three years, she had been his secretary by day and his companion by night. Chelsey had always complied with his requests, like an obedient pet. However, when Jason declared his plans to marry another, she chose to stop loving him and to let go. But life took unexpected turns. His unyielding pursuit, her pregnancy, and her mother's greed gradually pushed her to the brink. Eventually, she endured tremendous suffering. Five years later, when she returned, she was no longer the woman she once was. Yet he had spiraled into five years of chaos.
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts master—each persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashton’s true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
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?
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"