"You know, you always look so much better when I mark you up." He husked out as he palmed my burning cheeks. I buried my face in the soft, silky sheets some more, muffling the stuttered whimper that bubbled past my throat. "If you're going to act like a desperate little brat, I'm going to treat you like one. Got It?" --- When eighteen year old Mia's identical twin gets betrothed to an underboss, Mia was silently grateful for being the least favorite twin who was never noticed. Her relief was abruptly shortened when her twin disappeared on her wedding day, which resulted in Mia being forced to take her twin's spot and marry a man way older than her father. Mia thought her life could never get any worse, but was proved wrong on her wedding night, when her newly wedded husband was killed and she was being kidnapped by a Mafia Lord hellbent on getting revenge on her father through her, showing her just how cruel and heartless, power starved and rage-blinded men could be. And yet, Mia found herself falling. Falling ridiculously fast, for the most dangerous mafia lord to ever walk the earth. Lorenzo Domenico, the one who never dies. All Lorenzo wanted was to get revenge, he was supposed to put a bullet through the petite girl's pretty face and send her body back to her father as a present. But somehow, here he wasâ willing to go to any lengths to protect, keep her safe, and all to himself.
Mia's pov.
My forkful of sticky rice got frozen mid air as soon as father's next words echoed around the dining table.
"One of you is getting married to Mr. Romero the Third of the Romero family, an underboss of the mafia in a few days." His voice was void of any kind of emotions as usual, but the authority behind those words wasn't absent. I glanced up at my identical twin, Maeve, who was sitting directly before me at the table, she had her knife frozen in the air while her mouth was parted in nothing but shock.
I slowly placed my fork on my plate, feeling my hands tremble a little as I dragged in a deep breath and glanced at the head of the table where father was seated at. He has carried on eating like what he had just said wasn't something heart shattering in the slightest way.
My heart was thudding hard against my ribs as I glanced at mother whose lips were quivering as she made to speak. I beat her to it, knowing that I was automatically crossing a line this way.
"Which one of us?" I questioned in a small whisper. He glanced up from the chicken he was about to cut and pointed his knife at Maeve.
"Your twin sister of course, she's the one who's getting married off to the underboss." He spoke, then regarded me with a scoff. "She's fit for that role and position, unlike you."
The breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in, eased out of my chest slowly on a long, relived sigh. For once in my life, immense relief rushed over me for being the least favorite twin.
That relief was cut short when I blinked my eyes open and noticed the look on my twin's face, she looked so much like she was about to faint, and I instantly felt bad for feeling relived that I wasn't the one getting married off.
I watched as Maeve pushed her chair backwards and rose up abruptly, slamming her hands down on the table so loudly, that the sound made me flinchâ not because it was too loud, but because I knew that it was going to make father angry, and getting rather angry was a dreadful thing one could ever do.
Father halted his cutleries movement to pin Maeve with a hardened gaze, and I felt my heartbeat quicken instantly.
"Why do I have to get married?" She cried out and I found myself wincing, noticing mother doing the same thing as well. No one ever questions father, except they wanted to get 'disciplined' by him, because it's a sign of disrespect.
With my heart in my throat and my hands starting to tremble again, I watched as father slowly dropped his cutleries. He shook his head a little before speaking.
"Are you questioning me, Maeve?"
And that's it, I already knew this wasn't going to end well.
Maeve didn't seem like she cared about respect anymore before she shoved her plate of food till it crashed on the floor, as she cried out louder this time.
"Why do I have to get married? Why do you have to decide that for me? I don't wanna get married to that ugly, old disgusting creep!" Maeve's voice was loud as she spoke and I flinched as I pushed myself out of my seat, while silently wondering why Maeve was doing this, knowing quite well that father's mind was literally impossible to move.
"Maeve, that's enough." Mother chastened as she got to her feet as well, but father shook his head. "No, let the child be, let her run her mouth, since that's what she wants."
I gulped in fright, while silently wondering how Maeve wasn't quivering in terror right now. Father's voice held so much promise for discipline, that even mother was clearly frightened on Maeve's behalf.
I knew this was going to one day happen, after we had both clocked eighteen. Arranged marriage was very common and it's automatically expected of every girl child who comes from a noble family, to get given to a man from another noble family in marriage, regardless of the man's age. I had been in fright since I had clocked eighteen, dreading this coming day, and now that it was here, in as much as I was glad that it wasn't my turn yet, I felt so much pity for Maeve right now.
Maeve continued to question father in a loud, pain-filled voice. It was as if she was blinded by her pain. I whispered her name at a point to try getting her to stop, and even walked around to attempt dragging her away, but father's voice made me drop her hand instantly.
"Let her go."
I watched as father finally pushed himself to his feet, towering above Maeve and I and then my mouth fell open in horror when he began to loosen his belt, which made me take some steps backwards in fright.
The fact that father was taking out his belt, meant that he was very furious. Maeve was still screaming questions at him until the first whip of the belt landed on her, which made me jolt and clutch my chest instantly.
Maeve finally stopped talking just as the second whip of the belt landed on her hard, making a ragged sob break out. She attempted speaking but a loud slap on her face made her stumble into the dining table, making more plates fall off and crash.
Father was furious and it was obvious. He beat Maeve until she was a sobbing mess, curled up on the floor, while horrified tears slid down my cheeks. Mother attempted to intervene at a point, but as expected, he hit her with the belt as well.
When he finally stopped, he was breathing hard while the rest of us were crying.
"You're getting married to Mr. Romero in a week, and that's final. He's definitely going to train you into curbing this stupid rebellious attitude of questioning your elders stupidly that's inside of you, just like I did to your mother." He spat out angrily and then he stormed out of the dining room angrily, but not before hitting mother and myself with the belt all because he could, like we had also done something wrong.
I was at Maeve's side in an instant, cradling her body in my arms as she sobbed into my chest while clutching my hand.
"I don't wanna get married, Mia." She sobbed shakily into my chest and I sobbed along with her, because there was nothing else I could do.
"Mother, can you try talking to him later tonight? Maybe try to change his mind?" Even as I asked that question, I already knew what the answer was going to be.
Mother was sobbing as she crouched down beside us, with a painful regretful expression crossing her face as she responded. "I can't. I'm sorry but you know I can't, I can't change his mind and you both know that. He's just going to hit me instead."
Mother's voice broke at her last answer and I found myself sobbing harder, not just for my twin, but also for my mother, who had to get married off to someone as cruel as my father.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't prevent this from happening, I'm so sorry for being unable to protect you." Mother finally whispered in a croaked voice as she took Maeve into her arms. Maeve knew mother was being honest, we both knew that. Maeve didn't respond, and only chose to bury her face in mother's bosom as she cried on and on, the dinner long forgotten.
âMummy, Is the President our daddy?â Layla asked curiously, head tilted sideways. Her brothers listened in attentively, obviously wanting a response. I forced out a chuckle as I crouched low before her to cup her soft cheeks. âHoney, the president isnât your daddy. The President is a very wicked person.â âBut, we met him today and he was very polite. He even complimented my hair.â Layla continued earnestly and my heart hammered against my chest fearfully. âCupcakes, whenever you run into the President; stay away from him because heâs very cruel, okay?â ~~~ Zendaya Montclair unwillingly got into a contract marriage with the President and suffered a great deal in the marriageâ from having to break up with her high school sweetheart because of the marriage, to depression, to public humiliationâ to her ex-boyfriend whom she was still in love with, getting married to her supposed best friend. Zendaya was heartbroken. She got drunk that night and spent it in her husbandâs bed, which instantly led to an accidental pregnancy. The President wanted her to get rid of the pregnancy because he never saw her as a mother of his future children and only a wife of convenience. That was the last straw. Zendaya left everything behind and fled, promising herself to come back for revenge on every single person who had wronged her. Including the President, she was going to make him pay!
âI hate you. Iâve always hated you.â He gruffed in annoyance and I snorted while folding my arms. âBest believe the feeling is fucking mutual.â âCare to explain why youâre always giving me the âlookâ then?â He demanded, a smirk tugging at the sides of his lips. âWhat stupid look?â âLike you want me to fuck you.â ~~~ It was a hate-at-first-sight thing. Ava would gladly strangle the ridiculously rude stranger who had collided into her and ruined her entire plans for the day, while Mason never wanted to have another encounter with the clumsiest person he had ever come across. Neither of them expected that the next time theyâd be seeing each other again, is to be officially introduced to one another as step siblings. Things didnât get better from there, it got worse. Especially now that they had to live in the same house. Things drastically take a left turn when their parents plans a âfirst familyâs vacationâ, but were unable to make an appearance as scheduled because of some last minute changes, leaving Ava and Mason by themselves, all alone on an island. For three weeks. Ava passionately hated Mason, until she didn't. Till she couldnât pretend to not notice how insanely good looking he was⌠till she couldnât pretend to be immune to Masonâs intense gaze and lingering touches⌠Till she couldnât deny that she wanted Mason to play her curvy body like she was his favorite guitar⌠Till she couldnât deny that she had gone ahead and fallen head over heels, for Mason.
âDonât make me repeat myself twice, part those legs for me, Bunny.â His deep voice which always sends my brain reeling due to how silky it sounds, washed over me slowly as he murmured quietly against my throat. I tried to point out to him that there was no way Iâd be able to do as told with his legs still pinning mine down, but the words died down in my throat when he sucked the skin over my beating pulse into his mouth. âGo on. You want to be good for me, donât you?â âIâ I do.â I choked out, letting out a breathy whimper when he wrapped his free hand around my throat and squeezed on it a little. âââ Forced to marry the ruthless mafia lord, whom everyone was afraid of at the age of eighteen, Sofia had no other choice but to follow her fatherâs wishes like a dutiful daughter was supposed to. While Luca Ricci only took a wife, because he wasnât getting any younger at the age of thirty-three. She was the angel to his demons, the light to his darkness, the innocence to his sins⌠He wanted to protect her, since the moment he locked eyes with hers on their wedding day and saw the amount of fright brewing in it. He wanted to make her good for him, to mark her as his; with his handprints on her ass and his cum dripping off her face. To own her completely, to wrap his hand around her throat and do so many sinful things to her body. But he was the mafia lord, and danger just seems to be lurking around him, wherever he goes, and in whatever he does. He must protect his wife at all costs.
Arranged to marry a man she had never met at age twenty, Caroline wasnât keen about it, but ended up reluctantly agreeing to the contract marriage on realizing there was going to be a huge sum of money involved. The marriage ended up being a complete whirlpool of different things for Caroline and her husband, Richard, and they ended up getting a divorce, before parting ways. Five years into the future, a freshly shot patient gets rushed to the hospital in which Caroline works, who surprising turns out to be her ex-husband, Richard. Love really does bloom in unexpected situations and Richard ends up falling for Caroline harder than he ever thought possible, realizing that he could never let her go this time, especially now that he knew she had beared him a son.
Gina is a young, hard working lady who gets heart broken on realizing that her boyfriend had been cheating on her ever since they started dating. Single and determined to take life as it comes, Gina comes across Henry, a good looking billionaire whom she misunderstood at first glance â which led them to part ways on the wrong foot. Unfortunately for her, where she ended up finding a job, was owned by Henryâ and he refused her from getting offered a job immediately. Gina desperately apologized for the previous time they met because she desperately needed the job at that moment. Henry finally throws her a deal, for her to get married to him for a certain period of time, before she could get offered a job. Gina thinks that was the most absurd thing sheâs ever heard, but that didnât stop her from agreeing to get married to him when she saw the amount of money that was involved. Along the line, plans gets ruined, feelings gets hatched unknowingly and both individuals would come to realize just how fast and hard they were falling for one another, unhinged.
Kathlyn Georgia has just gotten fired from her workplace for breaking her supervisor's nose. At this stage, Kathlyn is being pressured by everything. There's nothing worse, than having no boyfriend, no job and your landlord disturbing you every night for rent. She manages to land a job as the new assistant of the most popular billionaire in townâAdam Smith. After spending one late night together, Kathlyn finds out she might just be pregnant for his child and maybe she would have considered a relationship with him, if her boyfriendâTony Richards wasn't in the picture.
Ivy Rosalia Jones, a young and beautiful doctor working at a suburban hospital, is determined to marry a man she met through a blind date, even though he is paralyzed. Actually, the marriage was meant to be symbolic, with both of them intending not to interfere in each other's affairs after the wedding. However, Ivy never expected that she would end up marrying the most influential man in the world. Shawn Dyxon Tate, Ivy's husband, has no intention of letting his beautiful wife go. Once she entered his life, he made a decision to spoil her and gave her the world she never had.
"I, Sophia Addison, of the Crescent Moon Pack, deny your rejection, Jacob Carter." I smiled triumphantly at him and he just glared at me. I can hear loud gasps and whispers throughout the place. They cannot believe that their goody-two-shoes of a senior year president is rejecting me in front of everybody. What goody-two-shoes? More like a two faced jerk! That is why, here I am, denying his rejection. Oh well, I refuse to suffer alone. So...let us both suffer together my dear mate.
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.
I pressed my lips against his and stole his sweet, savory taste, not ready to end the sweet moment. I licked my lips seductively and whispered. "Despite your age, I love you." Sarah was obsessed with the man of her dreams, despite knowing that their love was forbidden and would be disapproved by her father and others. She held onto the many beautiful dreams she had of being with him, wishing for them to come true. She found herself in love with her father's best friend, a very handsome man who had been rejected by his wife. Her desire was to show him what true love really meant. When her father received a job transfer,Sarah saw it as a perfect opportunity to be with him. The situation improved even more when she realized they would be living under the same roof.
Leanna's life had been full of hardships until her Uncle Nate, who wasn't related to her, offered her a home. She fell deeply in love with Nate, but as he was about to get married, he ruthlessly sent her abroad. In response, Leanna immersed herself in the study of andrology. When she came back, she was renowned for her work on solving problems like impotence, premature ejaculation, and infertility. One day, Nate trapped her in her bedroom. "Seeing various men every day, huh? Why don't you check me out and see if I have any problems?" Leanna laughed slyly and quickly unbuckled his belt. "Is that why you're engaged but not married? Having trouble in the bedroom?" "Wanna try it out for yourself?" "No thanks. Iâm not interested in experimenting with you."
She was hurt. She was bullied and made fun of. And the only hope that kept her going was finding her mate. She has always been weak. Weak to the world. Why? Because she was a lantern. She didn't have a wolf. That's what everyone thought about her. When she found her mate, he wanted her to be his slut and not a wife. She might be an omega, but it doesn't mean she will take disloyalty and betrayal lightly. So she did something that no one in history ever did. She rejected an Alpha. "I, Alexis Clark, reject Brandon Sterling, the alpha of Black mist pack, and consider myself a free soul until I decide so."; Were her last words before she left that torturous place and became a rogue. A rogue that everyone was fearing and finding. Why? Because she was the rogue that has become one of the biggest problems of almost all the packs in the country. She was Alexis Clark. A rogue that rejected an Alpha, stealth food, kill other rogues, and more than that was living with humans and studying with them. What will happen when her case is given to the world's most dangerous alpha, Sebastian Sinclair, who has taken it upon himself to punish this rogue. The one who hated rogues and omega to a level that was beyond understanding. Why? Because his mate was an omega, who betrayed him with a rogue before dying. How will Alexis tackle this alpha, in whose College she was studying and living under hiding for almost a year? What will Sebastian do when he finds out the new girl he had been talking to is none other than the rogue omega that he had decided to kill? "To love you with all my might was my only wish, but you were the only one who gave me endless suffering. So today, I promise myself to not fall for anyone."; A simple saying that both Alexis and Sebastian had vowed upon. Will they be able to find their love amidst all these problems?