"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?
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!
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
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."
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
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