Synopsis Being my wife has its advantages." "Like what?" "Endless money, countless luxury houses." The great manitou eagerly offers her an unlimited black card and a large set of keys. "I'm not interested!" "What about sex?" he asks, starting to unbutton his shirt.
Veronica's pov:
"We're going to Venezuela, " said my father, hanging up the phone.
"What happened?" my older brother, Mario asked. The wrinkles on his forehead are clearly visible.
" Leonardo Garcia is dead."He said, pinching the edge of his nose. "Eighteen of his men died too."
I exchanged a look with my mother. She always looks so scared and so worried. I knew what they were advancing, that the war between the Mafia and the Camorra was intensifying, but I would never have thought that the Capo of the Venezuela outfit would die. I didn't expect to hear these words. Leonardo held a lot of power in the mafia.He sounded like an unstoppable force and was highly respected in the mafia.He seemed invincible.This shows how naive I am. My two older brothers are Made Men. Mario is my father's heir, he will be the next Capo of the Santa Barbara mafia.I was brought into this world,into this life.My dad really put in effort to keep me away from the darker side of his life.
While it might seem like living in a mansion,having a ton of money,and being part of a powerful family is perfect,it's not always the case.Especially when you are the daughter of a Capo.The luxury and power come with a price, and often, that price is freedom. I just have one friend who also shares this type of life. I graduated last year from a private Catholic high school for girls.In line with tradition,my virtue is something that must be fiercely guarded.Without an escort, no man or boy is permitted to come near me.
Father has promised me to move away to get the best political advantage.That's what I heard him say once.
I am happy, at nineteen, that I have not yet been promised to anyone. Father told me about the possibility of letting me go to university. That's all I've always wanted, to graduate in art history and maybe work one day in a museum. The Metropolitan would be the position I dream of the most.
"Go ahead, pack your bags!" my father told us.
Mario, Manuel and I go upstairs, take the corridor and go to our respective rooms to pack our bags. I grab my black dress, modest unlike the cocktail dresses I wear for social evenings. I have always loved Venezuela, I only went there a handful of times when Father took us there for meetings or business. Although I was not allowed to leave the penthouse we own there, we have a breathtaking view. I dream of walking the streets and going to museums where I will meet my great love. We will both admire a painting of...
"Prepare beautiful dresses",said my mother from the doorstep. It looks like she cried, her eyes injected with sorrow. My father had to yell at her again.
"I took my black dress. How long do we stay so that I know how many clothes I have to take?"
"I'm not talking about your black dress, bring some of your most beautiful dresses."
"Why? We're going to a funeral." I frowned.
"We will attend social meetings there..."
"Don't ask your mother questions. Bring the red dress and another",said my father with a distracted look.
"Be ready in twenty minutes, we're flying tonight." He disappears in the hallway and in my brother's room, on the other side of the hallway.
On our private plane, I sit next to Manuel while Mario talks about business with Father and Mother sleeps. Manuel looks nervous, he shakes his leg and fiddles his thumbs. Manuel has always been the most handsome brother, the girls in my class have always been excited in front of him. Even if it was a school reserved for girls, they had more freedom than me. The girls in my class went to parties and that's where they saw Manuel. Unfortunately, I have heard a lot of crunchy stories that a sister should not hear about her brother.
Manuel, like me, has golden blond hair and blue eyes. His tanned skin, white teeth and large size make all girls salivate. Mario on the other hand, with his brown hair and brown eyes, is handsome, but his cold features frighten everyone. He became a man at thirteen, Manuel a man at fifteen.
What a disappointment for my father, but all he could say was to thank God that Manuel was not his heir. He is the spare part, and Manuel has always been angry to be considered as such.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"Do you know what the death of Leonardo and his best men means?"
I shake my head.
"This means that Venezuela is weak at the moment. They will need soldiers because the Belgians will surely strike again. After the funeral, some of Father's men will stay to help them fight."
"And you, you stay?" I'm looking for his eyes that are now looking out the window of the plane. His jaw is tightening.
"Yes. I stay to fight."
Manuel doesn't desire this part,I can see it in his eyes.He will pretend to be the cold murderer that father expects from him,but just like me,yearning for a different life outside of this crime-filled existence.
I cross my arms on my chest while rubbing my arms because of the cold I feel in the air conditioning of the plane. My breasts are not small, but they are not big either, I have always liked their average appearance. The only thing that bothers me is my silhouette. I feel like a stick, I have no hips, no buttocks, not to mention my small size.Just over a meter and a half. I make up for this with my thick and wavy blond hair that cascades on my shoulders, the length stopping near my navel. I've always been proud of my eyes, it's my secret weapon. Bright blue eyes with long dark lashes that look even longer with mascara. Freckles are sometimes scattered on my nose and cheeks. Though I've never really liked them,Gia, my best friend, always raved about how much she adored them.She believed it enhanced my cuteness,but being cute isn't what am striving for.I crave to be called sexy beautiful,sexy and incredible.I'm at the age of nineteen,I don't need to be labeled cute like a youngster. I want more than anything that I am not taken for a young girl, I am a woman.
Monique Carolll was known for her serious and reserved nature until she fell in love...with someone who didn't reciprocate her feelings. For love, she left everything behind to marry the man she thought was the love of her life. As a housewife, she did everything to take care of him for three years. But in the end, she realized that for him, everything she did,did not even live up to her first love. Discouraged, she finally resolutely applied for divorce: “Farewell, I no longer pretend to be humble and poor!” At that time, a shocking news circulated online: “A certain billionaire is suspected of having divorced?”
Belle is an ordinary teenager, she has few friends, she goes to school (and she hates it), she has three triplet brothers who would do anything to protect their little sister. She is just like the others with one detail: everyone around her is werewolves, vampires, angels, giants, dragons, witches... In any case, they are not beings of this world. She will have to, with her partner and friends, recruit allies for the coming war, yet, in addition to everything, she discovers something that will change her whole life. Belle's fate is written in the red moon.
Werewolves?! Were they real? Hope not because I am leaving!” Maddy Watson is projected into a world she did not suspect existed. She leaves her home in Florida and moves to Texas with her grandmother, but things are not always what they seem to be. Add two witty best friends and a sexy alpha male to the mix and watch how it all goes. Maddy is human but she immediately feels connected to Jake! She doesn't understand why, but she knows that something doesn't fit.
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.