"You need to know what you are getting into, sweetie." He smirked, running his eyes down my body, stripping me bare with his dark, wanton eyes. I gulped and took slow steps towards him, walking on shaky legs but trying to look strong. "You don't know I am, Mark. Bring it on. I can sate your demons." No matter how dark they are. After all, I'm not the angel he thinks I am... **** Running from her foster parents, Giulia had a run-in with Mark, a Mafia Lord in Spain. The meeting was incidental, but it sealed the hearts of the strangers, bringing them back to each other despite how far they tried to go.One is a sadist, and the other is a closeted masochist, waiting for the right one to set free her inner restraints. Will their paths be straight, or will there be internal and external forces trying to keep them apart? Would Giulia succeed in taming the mafia Lord, or will his darkness engulf her?
GIULIA
I kept peeking behind me as I dashed down the busy streets of Madrid. Most of the pedestrians gave me curious looks as I weaved through them. My heart was thumping violently in my chest. I was sweating, but that was the least of my problems.
I knew there was no way those monsters could have tracked me from the States to Spain, but I couldn't help my intrusive thoughts.
I securely gripped my purse, clutching it to myself to discourage pickpockets. The minute I left the airport, I went to a Bureau de Change to get my currency changed from Dollar to Euro. I only had 700 Euros with me, and I hoped to use it sparingly.
I intended to find a motel that wouldn't cost more than ÂŁ3. If that was possible. I didn't mind living in a rat-infested place until I got a job, which didn't sound like something that would have happened anytime soon.
"Sorry!" I apologized to a man I crashed into when I turned to look over my shoulders. It was getting late, and I had found no cheap motel. I had only seen one for ÂŁ9. Too bad none of them wanted to give me any discount.
"Watch where you are going, chap!" he growled at me. Luckily, he didn't communicate in Spanish like the one I knocked into an hour ago.
"Oh, you can speak English?" I beamed at him, trying to strike up a conversation.
The man's eyes took me in. He started from my red hair, down my 5 foot 6 inches body before he fastened his grey eyes on my honey-brown ones. "Mind where you are going!" he snapped angrily before he turned and hurried down the road.
"Huh?" I flipped my hair back. He should be thrilled someone beautiful tried to chat with him!
I turned and proceeded down the street. I steered clear of alleys. No matter where you are, the States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or bloody Antarctica, you need to be vigilant of the dark.
Striding down the streets, I kept pondering what to do. Should I return to that ÂŁ9 motel? But that would cause a dent in my pocket!
There was no freaking way in hell I would do that!
My tummy rumbled the moment I walked past a bistro. I placed my right hand on my belly, glaring daggers at it.
With a frown, I traipsed over to a grocery store. I smiled at the security guy by the door, and he muttered words in Spanish that I didn't quite catch.
With a nod, I strode in. I didn't bother with a basket or trolley. Since I was trying to save some cash, I planned to just get two energy bars for the night and the following morning.
Tomorrow, I will start job hunting.
I knew it would be challenging to get a job with my high school degree, but it would be more challenging because of the language impediment. I couldn't speak shit when it came to Spanish. (Well, I could perfectly say "Hola")
I smiled at the few people in the aisle as I scurried over to the shelves that housed what I needed.
"Shit!" I planted both hands on my waist and glared hard at the bars that were beyond my reach.
Who the hell instructed them to stack items up so high?!
Weren't they aware that there could be short people who wanted something from the top? Could it be that they only kept it for tall people?
Hmph!
I would have given them a proper tongue-lashing had I been eloquent in their language. It would be more like splashing water on a rock should I grumble now.
Groaning, I rose on tiptoe to take it, but I couldn't reach it.
"Fuck you!"
I jumped, only to miss my step. A soul-shattering shriek wrenched from my gut as I helplessly flayed my arms. I expected to fall flat on the floor with my bones broken and my beautiful pearly dentition broken or dislodged.
One, two, three...
I gasped, clutching my eyes tight as I resigned myself to fate, only to feel something strong against my lower back.
I gradually opened my eyes when I felt the warmth on the side of my body and arse. My eyes locked with that of an unfamiliar man. They trailed down his face, noting the scar that ran down the right part of his face and his clenched jaw. He had his brown hair up in a man bun. The long lashes fanning his cheekbones accomplished...
Wait a fucking minute! Where the hell were his fingers clutching?
"Pervert!" I yelled at him, pushing him away from me with all the strength I could muster. I staggered the moment he let go but righted my posture. "Do you think you can cup a touch because I was in a desperate situation, huh?" I pointed at him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes at me, looking like he was barely holding himself from snapping. His eyes darkened. For a minute, it seemed like I was staring into the crevasse.
"Why did you touch my arse?!" I yelled at him, not mindful of the attention we were getting.
He folded his arms, still glowering coldly. He didn't speak a word, but his eyes gave out most of his thoughts.
"Fuck you!" I grabbed the nearest energy bar, ignoring the ones I was trying to take. "Out of all the places to grab, why must it be my arse?! What a flagrant pervert!"
My eyes trailed his body. I started from his head and down to his toes, noting his tight abs that were trying to shred his black turtleneck off -just kidding. The black slacks he had on did nothing to obscure the heavy outline between his legs. Had this been a normal circumstance, I would have eyeballed him. However, the man in front of me was a handsome weirdo!
"What the fuck are you saying? I was just trying to help-"
"Never say that help word around me, pervert! Keep your damn hands to yourself!"
Snapping at him, I indignantly matched to the cash point, paid for the energy bars I picked up, and stomped out of the convenience store still pissed at him. What awful luck to meet someone like him!
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
"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?"
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
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.