"You are a cold-blooded psycho! Get your filthy-blood-stained hands off me!" Through clenched teeth, Irma shrieked as she battled to liberate herself from the man's barbarous hold. His eyes were a refulgent inferno. They held an insidious fire of lust as they thrived deeper into her debilitated ones. "How flattering!" The man sneered, and Irma froze. A ripple of both ice and fire skint in her nerves at the man's vexatious riposte. Before she could amass any little bravery left in her, the man spoke again in a hoarse tremor, erupting a chill down her spinal tube. "But if you don't watch your sweet-dirty-mouth, you snoopy, pesky brat, my third leg will shut it for you! Or maybe," he wavered, and fixed his dangerous lascivious gazes on hers, gently stroking her hair as if petting his sweet wild pet, "Is that what you want, huh, little kitten?" A freelance journalist, flaming with ardent desires to unveil the secrets behind the series of mysterious disappearances happening in the city. Her hunch points her to the dark underworld of the mafia, and unfortunately, she crashes into LUCCA DE'MATTHEW - the other name for terror! Their encounter will evoke a catastrophe that only they can solve. But how, if their mere beingness is a menace to each other?
The Danco Casino!
As we go in, I am utterly rustled by an overwhelming sense of dread, but my desire to learn the menacing secrets encoded here propels me on.
"So, what exactly are we doing here, Irma?" Mary quizzes in a hushed tone as we enter the club.
My eyes get restless as we search for a table. In my thoughts, my sister's voice is fervently echoing, beseeching me not to give up on this mission. My eyes fail to pick up anything strange, as always, and we finally settle down in the middle of this God-cursed casino.
She was last spotted here in this casino on the ill-fated night she vanished two weeks ago. She was the last of the thirty females to be victimized by the unidentified creature-the evil that has been roaming in this city for months now.
Nobody knows this monster, and if there is, then they are too scared to the core to even whisper the monster's name in their sleep. But I am daring to unmask every single secret just to find my sister.
"You know why we are here, Mary," I say.
"Yes. But I don't get it, Irma. Why do you keep coming here even when you know that no single soul is willing to say anything to you?" Mary speaks again.
"That is the point, Mary. The workers here are scared to hell the minute you bring up this issue. One thing is clear: something is fishy." I respond.
"How long, though, do you intend to continue doing this, Irma? I mean, coming here every day and getting nothing at the end of it. Why don't you reroute your search somewhere else?" Mary again, and she is beginning to aggravate my demons.
I lean on the table, ready to send this friend of mine back home if she does not want to help me, but I restrain myself when two glasses of wine are brought down in front of us.
We have not ordered anything, as far as I can recall.
I raise my head, and I don't have to struggle so much as a male figure perches on the third seat around our table. "I would listen to your friend if I were you." My ears are tickled by Don Emilio's irritating hush grumble.
Him? Here at our table?
He is the owner of this damn casino, as far as I know, and he is supposedly busier than a bee. None of my efforts to speak to him have bore any fruit. I was only allowed to speak to some futile security fools who were just a total waste of time. And now, the mountain just moved itself to Mohamed? And with some trash of alcohol as what? A token of sympathy or a peace offering?
And what's that he said again?
I am aware that there is no link whatsoever between any of the other girls' abductions and that of my sister. The sole connection among these disappearances is that none of the victims come from prominent families. They come from middle-class and poor backgrounds and are all girls of various ages.
They all vanished from different locations.
My sister, however, has disappeared from here. This was her last spot before she went missing. From this dreadful club, she placed her last call, informing me that she was being hunted. Her line was cut before she could finish what she was saying, and that was the last time I heard from her. So, if not here, where else should I focus my search?
"I heard they call you the Don, so it's a pleasure to meet you, Don Emilio!" I remark bluntly because his facial idioms suggest that he is not here for anything good.
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same about you." He responds in a harsh tone full of loathing.
More than his unnerving tone, I detest the iciness in his ugly eyes and his cold countenance. It's like he is trying to scare me out of here or something.
"In our very first encounter, Mr. Don, why so much hatred?" I query, fixing my eyes on his cold ones.
He leans across the table, our faces coming so close as he bleeds his unnerving aura onto me. "Your frequent visit to my club is beginning to piss me off. I came to offer you your first and last drink at my club. Don't come back if you know what's good for you!" His baritone is despotic, the tremor in it adding more fear, but I ain't just giving up.
"I have not caused any trouble, Don. The club is open to all, right? So, why forbid me from coming here? Are you scared that I might uncover something?" I speak, refusing to submit to his dominant gaze.
"It's already trouble enough having you here. Since this is my casino, I have the authority to determine who is and is not permitted entry." He says his ears and eyes are starting to flush with redness.
Why is he getting so worked up by my being here if there is nothing they are hiding?
"When I was begging for even just a minute of your time, you refused to spare me even a second. But today, you didn't even let me ask for you. That speaks volumes to me, Don." I state.
"I had and still have absolutely nothing to say to you, Miss Irma. I offered you the best help that I could, though. If it wasn't enough, then that is not my problem. Stop obsessing over my casino!"
Obsession? It is the life of my sister at stake here, and he calls this an obsession?
"Maybe I am obsessing over this because there indeed is some clue here, and your actions prove me right, Mr. Don Emilio. I don't see why my presence would bother you if you are not hiding something." I affirm, and I can feel my rage rising up. I am shaking with range.
He cannot kick me out of here. This is my only hope to know where my sister is and what exactly happened to her.
"My security personnel told you all there is to know. I understand your grief and determination to find your missing sister, but you won't find anything here. Just leave and don't show your shadow here ever again." He orders and racks to his feet.
And I spring with lightning speed, joining him up. A gesture that stops him in his tracks and disrupts the attention of people in the club. "I am sorry, Don, but I won't give up on the only chance I have to find out what happened to my sister." I stand my ground.
"This is not your work, young lady. Leave the investigation to the police and stick to your lane." Don Emilio says as he bores his eyes on me. They are an inferno of rage and authority.
Oh, the police? What have the inept police done so far? All of the other females' tales came to a dead end. And all they ever say about my sister's case is that they are working on it. At this point, I'm worried that if I don't take action, my sister's case will end up being just another lost cause.
I won't permit that to happen! No!
"Well, it seems like the police aren't helping. Do you know why that is so, Mr. Don?" I query, a very worrying sense crossing my thoughts.
And his smirk as he leans toward my face makes me want to believe my instincts.
"Since you think you are a smartass, why don't you figure that out on your way out?" He whispers in a tone that irks my demons.
His confidence stinks, but it also speaks volumes.
"You don't want me to expose your dirty laundry to the media, Don Emilio! In my capacity as a journalist, I have sway over the public. And we all know how much damage the public's influence can cause. Don't forget that! And yes, you may be right. I will leave the police to do their work, but I also have to do what I must! This isn't the last time we will see each other!" I turn around, grabbing Mary's hand as we turn on our heels.
Two paces away, Emilio beastly grabs my hand and pulls me back. I turn around, and as we face each other, our faces nearly touch. If it was the sense of rage and loathing that I saw earlier on his face, then I am dubious about how to interpret this current demeanor. It is more lethal. Extremely creepy.
He leans closer, feeding me the heat of his rage as he makes sure that his remarks are intended solely for my ears.
"You're walking down a very dangerous path, young lady! You won't like how this turns out in the end. Never say that I did not warn you!" As he storms away, he flashes me a menacing smile that leaves me speechless and puzzled.
A dangerous path? What does he mean?
"Bestie? We are interrupting the mood here. We better go." Mary says.
I cruise the corner of my eyes around the busy casino, and I realize that all eyes are on us. Up the stairs that lead to the next floor, I lock my eyes with the don. He is standing there, his hands dipped in his pockets, and his entire being is banked on me as if assessing my next move.
Well, there is probably nothing I can get from here yet again. I need to try some other way to find my sister. But you and this cursed casino aren't off the hook, you moron! For all I know, you have given me more reasons to suspect this place.
I turn to leave while contemplating how to start my next move, but I must have been so absorbed in my thoughts that I failed to realize that I was in an extremely busy area. I bump into a waitress, and neither of us succeeds in stopping her from dropping. Drinks splash on us as they crash to the ground, and broken glass shards scatter all over the floor.
Shit! For heaven's sake, why didn't I look where I was going?
"I am so sorry, miss. Gosh! I am so sorry." I apologize as I go down on my knees and assist the poor waitress in gathering the broken shards of glass.
"It's okay. It is my fault. I wanted this to happen!" I snap my eyes at her, abandoning my mission of helping her. But she adds. "Act normal. Don't stare at me and don't speak." She speaks in a very low tone.
I embark on helping her again, curiosity itching me as to why she would want such a mishap to happen.
I lost track of where my hands were landing on the floor once more as my distracted thoughts continued to stray off in a different direction. I find my hand brushing hers on the floor. I was just about to take my hand away and apologize when she held my hand and pinned something to my palm.
While our other hands are occupied tidying up the mess, I gently drag my eyes to see what it is.
A piece of paper.
"Take this and leave." She mutters again, and whatever this piece contains, I have a feeling that it is something helpful.
I would like to thank her, but I can't. I hug the ball-like piece of paper in my palm, my heart throbbing with a ray of hope and anxiety.
"Won't you get into trouble with this?" I ask before standing up.
"Just go! Hurry!" She says, her eyes fixed on the floor to avoid arousing suspicions.
I pull myself up and hike out of the casino as fast as I can, with Mary struggling to catch up with me.
I cringe as a chilling breeze slaps my face outside, but I don't have time for the chill. Mary gets into the passenger seat as I jump behind the wheel.
I peel my palm and take the paper. I unfolded it.
There are only four scripted words on it:
TOMORROW, 9 AM. HERE!
"What does this mean?" Mary asks, scanning my face. "Do you think something is happening here tomorrow?" She adds.
The same questions are banging on my head. What could be happening here tomorrow?
I spent years cleaning up a man. We were in love, or should I better say, I was in love, because in the end, that is what that shit felt. After all that I did for him, he heartlessly broke my heart. Found him in bed with our wedding planner two weeks to our wedding. And he had the balls to take pleasure in my pains. I almost became a murderer that night. Almost killed a man. I put the very first stain on my family's spotless name. My father could not take it. He distanced himself from me and stood a safe distance to watch the whole world rise against me. But in all these difficult and trying moments, one thing remained my solace and my beacon of all the good vibes that I yearned for-Joe Fredrick Montana. My stepbrother. And before we knew it, the connection bloomed into something we both never anticipated. It is wrong, yet so strong! It is forbidden, yet irresistible. For a while, none of us seemed to care about the consequences of our steamy undercover affairs, until something that threatens to tear everything between us and beyond happens. This, is our story!
Her grave sin was her spellbinding allure that blurred the blood-tie line for him, and his grave mistake was obsessing over a girl he was supposed to exterminate. The vicious King of Evil, the one who didn't have a heart, now finds himself trapped between vengeance, and the irresistible burning desires for the only remaining enemy he has left - and she, oblivious of the abysm of the evil he exudes, is determined to liberate herself from the cage of the monster at all costs. But her desires are inconceivable. Absurd! invalid dreams- or so did everyone thought, until things started taking a turn. What transpires when the vicious heartless monster finds himself at the feet of his culprit? What more miseries await Ella when the truth of her connection with the monster and the mystery besieging her get revealed?
Betrayed by her fiance and her family, Ellie thought, for a fleeting moment, that being tied down to a ghost she had never known was the only option. But that was until a wild thought banged her head. "Run, Ellie!" Her mind screamed. The heart is always right, they say, and at that point in her life, Ellie had no one to trust but her shattered heart. She ran into a new city, and as if fate had chosen to compensate her for all the sufferings she had gone through, she crashed with someone who swept her off her feet on their very first encounter. But months later, a call came through from home: "Ellie, my child. You need to come ASAP! Your father has been seriously ill. Your father needs you now more than ever." The voice of her nanny echoed through the line. The following morning, Ellie was once again packing her bags and saying goodbye to the love she had found. Finding her father on his sick bed and with a swam of doctors surrounding him broke Ellie's heart into a million pieces. And then came her father's plea in his sick bed. "My dear, I am giving you a choice out of this, but on one condition: that you have to meet your betrothed even just this once. Whatever you decide after that, I, your father, will respect your decision." This was what Ellie had always wished for, but given the situation, she knew she could not upset her father. She had to concede. But the moment her supposed ghost betrothed walked in, Ellie realized one thing: she had never known the face of betrayal until that particular moment!
She got pregnant by the man she loved, but he left her. To protect the image of their family, Ayana Salma De’Mario was grounded and hidden like a bad omen, together with her child. Five years later, she knows only the walls of her room, her sweet five-year-old girl, her paintings, the young student she is teaching, and this mysterious ghost lover whom she has never met. But a tragedy strikes their family empire. In need of a savior, her family decided to trade the black sheep of the family to save their company. And in the picture enters the cold-hearted Adam Stone De'Leon, the most notorious heartbreaker the city has ever had. A proud womanizer who parades his sins as if they are crowns. But the moment he meets Ayana, something changes—something that leaves his walls in shambles. His heart starts beating for Ayana in ways he never imagined. He would go to any extreme to have her. Can she really resist him, or will she also make it to the list of uncountable women he has knacked and tossed aside like trash?
She was all alone, wallowing in divine grief and lamenting her losses. She had nothing to call her own, and all her wounds had refused to heal. She yearned for just one thing now—to disconnect from the cruel world. In the darkness, she closed her eyes, hoping to awaken in a place of tranquility—in heaven, surrounded by the beautiful souls she had lost. But to her bewilder, she found herself in bed the next morning with someone she would never have anticipated seeing again, especially in the darkest moment of her life—Liam Morgan Adams. Her ex. And he came with his own overflowing bucket of surprisal and sorrows that, for reasons best known to him, only Lynn could help him carry. "Bear me a child, Lynn. The price is yours to name.” He spoke, and everything in Lynn froze. A child! Her head spun some degrees, and when it settled, she squinted as the raw memories of her past pains surged in, fused with the memories of what they once had. And his constant, desperate plea left her between a rock and a hard place. Can she do this? Can this be her redemption? And Liam, why would a filthy, married billionaire ask for a child out of wedlock? And why Lynn, of all people?
"But all these scars, they will always remind you of the beast that I am." He said with a faint voice, caressing the scars on her face. "Not when they can be turned into beautiful scars." Her response echoed with confusion and incredulity to him. How could all the pain he had inflicted on her turn into something good? A broken and desperate depressed Billionaire, and the poorest of all naive girl who just lost everything in a blink of an eye, and her mother just traded her like a piece of trash. They are to be bound together by a contract as husband and wife for just five months. Everything seems to be under control, until one night of total madness that complicates everything. She had done and sacrificed so much for him, asking nothing in return or ever complaining. In return, he asked for one night to treat her like the loving wife she was supposed to be. One night they surrendered and lost their souls to each other, marking the beginning of their unquenchable thirsts for each other. In the short run, a bond is formed. What happens if the two of them break the major rule of the contract? Who will bear the blame? What's the punishment for such an offense? Nobody wants to let the other go. Can they forget about the contract and embrace what they feel for each other? But what happens when his real love returns? His crush. His first love. The one he once went insane for. She doesn't return empty-handed. She is seven months pregnant with the son he thought she lost. What will he do? Wait... His passionate nights with his contract wife bore fruits too. She is expecting his child. Will he marry both of them, or who will he choose?
She doesn't remember getting married. Why? Sophia went to Las Vegas only to drink her pain away. Little did she imagine, she would end up becoming someone's wife. But who’s the lucky guy? Who knows? Even she doesn't remember. She was fucking intoxicated! All she has is a marriage contract with an expiry date and a bank balance big enough to pop her eyes out. Contractual terms: 1. Do not marry anyone else unless I permit you. 2. Try not to whore around. Your mother-in-law wouldn't be happy. 3. If I request a live-in relationship. You have to comply. 4. Sex is optional. 5. Contract Termination? Sorry Honey... In my family, couples don’t divorce. PS: I was kidding. Let's catch-up after three years to end this shit and get more money. If there are rules against having sex while drunk, there should be rules against getting married while drunk too. Because THIS isn't fair!
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."
"I am flawed in every way possible," she said. "Good, I never asked for perfection," he replied immediately. When Sapphire Conrad, the wayward daughter of the Conrad Family, was called back to New York after running away from home to Gisborne, she only had a plan. Appear at the mansion, listen to whatever nonsense she had to say and say no to it, put up a strong font, then go back to her kids in Gisborne. Using her energy while trying to get revenge on all of them is a total waste of time even though they deserved to be trampled upon for what they did to her. It sounds like an easy enough plan until she got there and was asked to get into a marriage of convenience. Staying at New York was risky, she would be forced to face her ex-fiance who she had a nine years relationship with, the ex-best friend who snatched her fiance, her sister and mother who hate her with passion, and the list was longer than just that. But she couldn't leave her twin brother who is in danger there and there is this tiny little fact that Mr. Alexander Antonio Aldine, the CEO of Triple A Group definitely won't let her go.
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
Renea was trying the wedding dress, when suddenly the man rushed in the dressing room and held her neck tightly... “Bitch! Are you still trying to pretend innocent!” Jasper said as he tightened his grip on her neck and choked her harder. Then he used his other hand and took out the phone from his suit pocket and played the video of two people having sex in front of Renea… However, what was even more shocking, was that the woman in the video was, Renea Morris, however, the man in the video was not Jasper. Renea struggled to take a phone away from Jasper’s hand and tried to explain, “Jasper, it was not what you think… I… I can…” Jasper looked at Renea with his eyes full of disgust, as he said, “Let’s call of the wedding. I can’t marry a woman like you.” After saying that Jasper walked out of the shop Renea chase after Jasper... But then she sees Jasper passionately kissing her sister Kailey. And she hears everything, that her sleeping with strange men was all a plan of the vipers of the last two days, and that their goal was to get out of this stupid marriage. Even her adopted parents were also involved in this matter... They all do this with her because of the inheritance left by her grandfather... Renea heart was filled with anger and she wanted to expose their true colors to the public... However before she could do anything, Kailey had pushed her in front of the car and she got killed... However, when Renea open her eyes, she found herself sitting in the car with Kailey... She realized that she was reborn and went at the time when everything started... Renea looked at the people who had hurt her in her previous life and her lips curled up in a cold smile... She was back... However, this time... she was back for revenge...
"You're the moon wolf, Lola. You're the wolf with the power of the Moon goddess", Serena said and collective gasps were heard in the room. After being rejected by her mate in Moonlit pack, Lola escaped on a full moon only to enter the territory of the next Alpha King who also happened to be her second chance mate. Adrian is the next Alpha King but he hasn't been able to assume his role because he needed a Luna by his side. A rogue that trespassed on his territory, whom he ordered be killed turned out to be his mate leaving him in a dilemma. Will Adrian reject Lola because she came into his territory as a rogue? Will he overcome what happened to him in the past and give Lola a chance or reject her and go ahead with Fay as his chosen Luna? What will happen when everyone finds out just how much power Lola wields and how she's supposed to protect her kind in an oncoming war? Find out in Lola - The Moon Wolf!