"You killed my father! Did you think you got away with it? That you had won?!" I scream at him. "Bell, what are you talking about?" he asks, confusion and hurt reflected in his eyes. "I don't..." "Liar! You are a liar. And a murderer! You.." "Enough!" Isabella thought it would just be a marriage of convenience, as common for most Mafia families, no need for their paths to ever cross. But when she overhears a conversation which revealed that Luca was in her home the day her father died, everything changed. From a union of convenience to that of revenge? Can she play this game to completion? Who will survive?
LUCA.
"Is this a joke?!" I snap at the man sitting on the leather arm chest with an expressionless face, as if he hasn't just told me to ruin my life. "After everything? Now you mention your old pact?! What do you take me for?!"
"I take you to be my son who would do anything to ensure that our family remains at the top," he responds.
"You are asking me to throw my life away! To marry a woman I have never even met!" I snap back.
"I am asking you to ensure the continuity of two bloodlines, ensuring that the power of the Romano family, our family, will not dwindle. Listen, Luca. Rocco, is an old friend of mine, we built this town and our empires side by side. It is unfortunate that he has only been blessed with a daughter but that has worked in our favor! He has promised to hand over his entire fortune to her on her wedding day, to you, to our family? Do you have any idea what that means?!"
"Dammit!" I snarl as I whirl around. "And fuck you for doing this to me," I say again as I turn back to him, anger flooding through my veins. "Now of all days. You could have told me about this when I was busy proving myself to you all these years,you could have prepared me!"
"It didn't seem to be the right time."
"Didn't seem to be - Fuck! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Fuck you!" I snap as I whirl away, slamming the door behind me.
Unbelievable.
Just unbelievable.
I had done everything.
Every bloody thing he had asked.
I had infiltrated our rival family from the ground up, despite how risky it was I did it.
I crippled them.
Go to another country and set up a fraudulent scheme.
No worries.
Train in one of the most deadly assassin's sects for three years?
No problem.
On and on it went, for eighteen years I have carried out impossible trials and instructions and succeeded at everything.
All so that I can be worthy to one day step in his shoes, first becoming the consigliere and then the Don.
And now, today that should be one of celebrating my promotion, he tells me I have one final instruction.
To get married.
And not just to any woman, no, to the daughter of Rocco Bertelli, a girl that is rumored to have absolutely no inclinations or sympathies with the Mafia world.
"How the hell am I supposed to convince her?" I snarl to myself as I walk into the hall only to be startled by a champagne cork nearly taking off my head.
I am still catching myself when the deafening cheers of the crowd reaches my ears.
Right.
This is a celebration night.
"Congratulations, Luca!" Enzo, my close friend and right hand man, cheers as he pats me on the back. "Now, Signore(Mr.) Romano won't have any reason to delay you any further."
I scoff as I reach for a champagne flute.
"You would think so," I mutter as I gulp the contents down all at once.
"Oh no," he says as he takes in my countenance. "What did he say this time? I mean, you were brilliant! Playing the French government like that and leaving them no recourse but to let you go is a sign of pure genius, surely even he has to admit that."
"Oh, he admitted it alright," I reply as I turn to face him."Then what is the issue?" "The issue is that now, I am to get married."
"Shit," he says in a wince. "To who?"
"Isabella Bertelli."
"Bertelli... Bertelli... Rocco Bertelli?!" he exclaims before reducing his voice at the curious looks thrown our way. "Rocco Bertelli?" he asks again.
"Si."
"Hmm, that is not so bad but isn't she all the way in the USA? I heard a rumor that she had a fight with Rocco about his affiliations and left, swearing to never return."
"The very same."
"Maledetto!" he curses as he turns in agitation. "What about Giulia?"
"Giulia," I whisper in despair before giving in and reaching for another drink. A brandy this time.
Giulia has been a rock to me all these years. She as well as Enzo have been by mode all through it, supporting me, helping me... we are a team.
She is strong, smart, vicious, everything you would want in a Mafia wife.
So, it had made perfect sense for me to ask her out.
A fact that my father knew and still said nothing about.
If he knew about Rocco's condition, if he knew he wanted me to end up with Isabella, why didn't he say anything?
Why wait till now?
How am I supposed to break this to Giulia?
How can I look her in the eye and tell her that I am going to have to marry someone else.
For the family.
The same family that she had sacrificed for, had given the best of her life to.
How do I betray her like that?
"Maybe you can refuse," Enzo says after some minutes of silence. "You don't need the Bertelli fortune, you can take us to greater heights without them."
"Actually, I can't."
"What do you mean? You are the consigliere."
"According to my father, I am not. Not until I have tied the knot with Isabella."
"No offense, Luca. But your father is an asshole."
"I agree."
"So, what now? What is our play? Are you going to talk to Giulia?"
"No. Not now at least. Not before I talk to Rocco first."
"What do you plan on doing?" he asks as he falls in step with me.
"I don't know. But I am going to try to get out of this... unwanted ultimatum. If he agrees, then father can get off my case."
"What are the chances he will give in?"
"Slim to none."
"Hmm, that has never stopped you from achieving your goals before."
"No, it hasn't."
As if her world hadn't crumbled enough, Kendall got drunk and had a one-night stand with a stranger, hours after being diagnosed with stage 3 Ovarian cancer. Told that she may never get pregnant, and she spent her lifesaving on IVF. Luckily, she got a job as a PA to the CEO, Jason. On her first day, she made him her enemy, and to redeem herself, she had to be his girlfriend for the weekend. Things got complicated when Jason's mother planned an impromptu wedding, forcing Jason to get into a contract marriage with Kendall. She framed Jason, pinning the pregnancy on him. Gradually, Jason began to fall in love with her, only for chaos to visit, Jason's stepbrother, Thane's sperm was used for Kendall's IVF. Desperate for revenge, Thane would do anything to ruin the couple. Caught in the web of family feud and drama, will Kendall be able to save their union, even though she has to put everything at stake?
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
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."
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
During her three years of marriage with Brendan, Adeline had become as humble as dust itself. However, what she got in return wasn't love and affection, but endless indifference and disdain. Worse yet, when the woman in Brendan's heart suddenly showed up, he further distanced himself from her. Finally, Adeline couldn't stand it anymore and asked for a divorce. After all, why should she stay with such a cold, distant man? The next one would surely be better. Brendan watched as his ex-wife left with her luggage in tow. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he made a bet with his friends. "She'll definitely regret leaving and will come crawling back to me in no time." After hearing about this bet, Adeline sneered. "Dream on!" A few days later, Brendan ran into his ex-wife in a bar. It turned out she was celebrating her divorce. Not long after, he noticed that the damned woman seemed to have a new suitor. Brendan was starting to panic. The woman who had clung to him for three years suddenly didn't seem to give a damn about him. What was he going to do?