"Unfortunately for you, there is no going home. You're mine now, to do with as I please." Fate seems to be throwing problem after problem at nineteen year old Makayla Delgado. Her own parents are not who she thinks they are, and now on top of that, they want to send her away. As if that's not enough, she is kidnapped by sexy, mysterious Damon Cucinelli who doesn't seem to care that her father has a lot of money and could be dangerous. All she knows about him is he f**ks her really well and he has held her hostage in his enormous house. What happens when the lines start to get blurred for her and she finds herself falling for her father's worst enemy, and who will she choose if it comes down to it?
"The MAFIA?!"
I shriek, my hands balled into fists at my sides, and stand up from where I'm sitting on the couch. Usually, I would have never used this tone of voice with my parents.
But then again, usually, we would also not be seated in our living room-which now, come to think of it, is not what a lawyer and therapist can normally afford-talking about something I have always thought just an urban legend.
"Calm down, Kay. Yes, we agree that that was not the best decision on our part," dad says calmly...way too calmly, and places his hand over mum's, who nods at me like she has been doing all night. There is no way she just agrees with all the bullshit he is spewing.
"But right now, they don't know about you, and we plan on keeping it that way."
I laugh, a hollow dry sound, and drag my fingers through my hair. Who the fuck are they?
"Okay. They don't know about me, great. What's going to happen to me if-when they kill you guys? What are you going to do?" I choke out, my voice cracking at the very end.
"It will not come to that, Makayla. And for your own safety, we are sending you far away from here. You're growing up, and it's about time you learned to be respons-"
"Oh, bullshit! Growing up my ass. When it comes to what I want, it has always been you're not old enough yet, so what has suddenly changed?" I yell, and slap my palm against the sofa.
Their wide eyed, disbelieving expressions tell me that I have their attention, and I clench my jaw to try and level my breathing.
"This is not about me. You're just trying to protect yourselves. You know that by getting rid of me, you're making yourselves invincible right? Because then you'll have nothing to lose. They'll have nothing to blackmail you with, right?"
Mum shakes her head and stands up to come to me, but dad grabs her hand and stops her.
"Kay, you should know...we did not know-"
"So why the hell am I the one paying for your ignorant bad decisions then, huh? Why is it me who has to go and start over, like I am the one who made the mistake? I am not just a fucking liability you know!" I scream at him, and I watch as his face changes from sympathetic to annoyed.
I know I am acting out of line, but can they blame me? This information is too much to process all at once.
Did he expect me to just smile and say it was all fine after finding out that they are criminals who now want me to just uproot my life because of their life choices?
And, they must think I'm really stupid if they believe I don't know that the only reason they're telling me all this now is because there is some kind of problem.
"It doesn't matter what you think we are doing here. You have tonight and the morning to pack a few bags. I'll give you three credit cards of clean money for the start. Everything else, we shall send over when you settle. Hugo will take you to the airport, and there will be a plane waiting for you there. You will leave Manhattan, and there will be no further discussion about this," he says with an authority to his voice that he has never used with me, one that says he means every word.
"You can't make me leave, dad." I grit out with way more confidence than I actually feel, but he does not even flinch.
"I hope I will not have to. And, the sooner you understand that everything we did-everything we are doing is for you, the easier this will be. I'm tired... I'll go and rest now," he says dismissively, turns on his heel and walks away.
Mum stands up and follows him, glancing at me over her shoulder with tears in her eyes.
"I never asked for any of this! Don't try to pin your shit on me. You can't make me leave. I hate you both. I fucking hate you," I scream into the empty living room, tears falling freely down my cheeks.
Great, now my makeup is ruined. I want this to be a bad dream, or for my normal, ordinary, boring parents to appear at the top of the staircase and yell April Fool's and then we can all laugh about this, but it's all too real, because a) I'm wide awake and b), we're in the middle of fucking May.
My knees buckle, and I fall to the floor and rest my head against the cool leather of the couch with resignation.
The mafia? What next...is someone going to tell me the illuminati is real too? Or werewolves?
And...they are just sending me away without any sort of explanation other than 'you would not understand'. What about my dreams? My goals? My friends? My scholarship at Yale-the only thing I have that is really, truly mine, that nobody has just handed over to me, what about all that? And if something is wrong, how do they expect me to just leave and stay away knowing that they are probably not safe back here?
"Fuck!" I breathe out, and hug my legs to my chest.
And then it hits me. I don't have to leave. They cannot make me if they don't know where the hell I am. Manhattan is littered with hotels, and all I have to do is switch out every couple of days.
I go upstairs to my room, slam my door extra hard for good measure, and pull out the wad of allowance money I have stashed under my mattress since junior year. I count the bills and stuff them into a bag together with a couple of clothes.
If I run out, I could just place a random call or something, but they would have probably abandoned the whole sending me away idea when that happens. Anyways, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
I climb out through my window, run across the backyard and duck out of the small gate that leads right into an alley behind the house. When I am a few blocks down the street, I order an Uber and then turn off my phone as soon as it arrives.
"The Silver Springs hotel, please," I tell the driver with a smile, and lean back on my seat.
Mum and dad are right about something. I am growing up, and I have to start acting like it. They need to stop controlling my life, and I need to stop fucking letting them.
Carlos has landed the jackpot with his new job at Logan's porn company. Or so he thinks. Logan has an old score to settle, and Carlos just happens to be the missing link in that puzzle. After a calculated romantic getaway where Sparks fly and feelings combust, will the truth settle easily on either of them?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross 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.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
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."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"