"Please don't kill me." She pleaded in a slightly cracked voice. I pursed my lips, thinking hard about what to do with her. "Kill her, and let's get out of here." Lorenzo urged but I shook my head and lowered my gun. She was too beautiful to die just like that. ~•~ Ava Martinez's world is shattered when a mafia boss, Ruiz Giovanni, brutally murders her family and kidnaps her. Ava's feelings for Ruiz are complicated and her desire to escape is matched by her forbidden attraction to the man who destroyed her life. Will Ava find a way to escape or will she fall in love with the person who murdered her family?
Ruiz Giovanni
~•~
"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." My shrill voice echoed through the church. "It has been long since I had my last confession."
"What troubles you, my child?" The priest's voice echoed from the other side of the confession room.
"I have killed a total of fifteen persons in the last twenty-four hours," I said and closed my eyes tightly as the memories of the previous day replayed in my head.
Father Francis let out a loud gasp and I put my hand over my mouth to prevent myself from laughing. "Did you at least do it for a good cause, Ruiz?"
Of course, I wouldn't go around killing people if it wasn't necessary. They crossed my territory. They stole from me and I had to retaliate by wiping out half of their men.
"Yes, they stole from me." I raked a hand through my long black hair. "Forgive me, father." I slumped my head back on the wooden chair.
"Ruiz, my child, your sins are grave indeed." Father Francis said, his voice laced with concern. "But the lord is always ready to forgive his children, you're forgiven. Strive to do better because I fear for your soul."
I snorted, a wry smile spreading across my face. "My soul is long gone. But I will strive to do better." The lie tasted bitter on my lips but I needed to tell Father Francis what he wanted to hear.
I walked out of the confessional booth, holding back a grin as I made my way out of the church. One must've wondered why I always confessed my sins without any fear but I had Father Francis wrapped around my fingers.
He wouldn't dare say anything about me because he knew it would just put his life in danger. Aside from that, I trusted him.
My mother forced me and my siblings to go to church regularly while growing up. So technically, Father Francis watched me grow up.
I grew fond of him and he tried his best to stop me from joining gangs back when I was a teenager, but my mind was made up and all his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Even if I considered his pleas at one point in my life, there was no redemption for me anymore, because I wasn't going to stop until I found out who exactly killed my brother.
As I settled in my car, I turned up the stereo and was about to start the ignition of the car when my phone started ringing.
It was Lorenzo calling. Lorenzo was my best friend and my partner. "Speak, brother," I asked as I put him on speaker while my eyes were fixed on the road.
"I've gotten intel on the other gang who stole from us, I'll send you the details now." As soon as he ended the call, my phone pinged with a text.
I shook my head as I read his text. The location wasn't far from where I was. Lorenzo and some of our other men were going to meet me there.
Two gangs came together to steal from me. Initially, we had found only one of them. The people who made me visit Father Francis earlier.
"I guess I have to sin again." Anger coursed through my veins as I matched the brakes of the car and turned around, driving at full speed to the Martinez resident.
I respected Mr. Martinez and I never expected him and his members to steal my money and drugs. We were competitors, so we didn't see eye to eye, but I still respected him and would never steal from him.
Pulling up at the front gate, I opened the compartment of my car where I always kept my gun. I brought it out and made sure it was loaded before I stepped out of the car.
Lorenzo asked me to wait for his arrival before making any move but I didn't have much patience. I was fueled by anger, so I walked towards the gate and banged on it multiple times.
One guard opened the gate to see who it was and before he could say anything, I shot him on the head. His body fell to the ground and I walked past him.
As I entered inside, two other guards came firing shots at me, but I took them down with just two bullets. I had been to the Martinez residence a few times for business, so I knew my way around some parts of the house.
I made my way to the front door but before I could twist the door handle, I heard Lorenzo's voice behind me. "You couldn't wait?" He asked and I turned. His eyes darted across the lifeless bodies on the ground.
From his expression, I could tell he wasn't surprised.
The other men surrounded the compound while Lorenzo and I went into the house. The front door was easy to bypass. It was my line of work, so it didn't give me much trouble.
I could only hear voices coming from the TV in the living room. Lorenzo and I walked over to the living room and my surprise, I saw Martinez and his family seated with scared looks on their faces.
It was him, his wife, and two of his teenage kids.
"Ruiz, you don't have to do this. We can talk about it." Martinez pleaded when I pointed the gun at his wife who was also begging for her life.
I let out a dry chuckle. He knew what he did and there was nothing to talk about. He crossed a line and he was going to pay the consequences.
Without wasting time, I fired a shot at his wife and the blood spilled all over the cream-colored sofa. The rest of the family gasped in disbelief and I could see the fear in their eyes.
"Ruiz, plea.... "
I didn't let him complete his sentence before I fired a shot at him too, making his body fall to the ground. I turned over to the children. I didn't want them to have a life without their parents, so I fired two shots at them too.
"Let's go."
Lorenzo and I were about to walk back to the front door when we heard a brief sound coming from the staircase. "Did you hear that too?" Lorenzo asked and I nodded.
We both went upstairs and as we ascended the stairs, we heard footsteps running in the corridor. We looked at each other for a second before I increased my pace, running upstairs faster.
"Stop or I'll shoot you too!" I commanded, my gun trained on the fleeing figure. She froze and turned around slowly, it was dark but I could tell it was a female.
As I moved closer to her, I discovered she was Martinez's oldest daughter. I had seen her once or twice on several occasions. She didn't live in Spain and I had no idea she was in the country.
"Please don't kill me." She pleaded in a slightly cracked voice. I pursed my lips, thinking hard about what to do with her.
"Kill her, and let's get out of here." Lorenzo urged but I shook my head and lowered my gun. She was too beautiful to die just like that.
After five years of marriage, Billionaire Alexander Burke is convinced that his wife, Olivia Burke, doesn't love him. Olivia is also convinced her husband is still in love with his ex and their marriage is just for convenience. Alexander serves her divorce papers but soon regrets his impulsive decision. Desperate to win her back, he puts the divorce on hold. Olivia who has had enough of his encounters with his ex decides to finalize the divorce anyway. What will Alexander do when he realizes he has made the biggest mistake of his life? Will Olivia make him pay for his betrayal or fall for him all over again?
“I, Alpha Dimitri, reject you, Noah, as my mate.” His cruel words always replayed in my head. My stomach churned whenever I remembered that night. ~•~ When Alpha Dimitri rejects Noah Petrova as his mate, she faces an unfortunate fate and is stuck living with the man who broke her heart since his father took her into his home when her dad died during an attack. Along the line, she falls in love with his younger brother, Aiden, who has been in love with her ever since she moved into their house. Alpha Dimitri wasn’t happy about their relationship and tried his best to make their lives miserable. What happens when Aiden challenges his brother for the position of the alpha? Will he win? Or will Alpha Dimitri retain his power?
Being extremely skilled with hacking, Nessa sims faces an unfortunate fate when Vito Giancana, the don of the Italian mafia, notices her. He offers her a job when she realizes he is in the mafia, she rejects the offer, not wanting to involve herself in such an organization. However, Vito will not take no for an answer and forces her to live with him in to keep her identity a secret. In a forced proximity, they agree to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when they share a, would they be able to adhere to their agreement? Or would they put everything at risk to please themselves?
"I want a divorce!" Ryan demanded, despite the fact that he had cheated on her with his ex. ~ Serena is no longer the quiet, romantic lady Ryan Winters married and divorced five years ago. Now the CEO of Rocky's Designs, she is bright, unwavering, and unapologetic about her independence-a far cry from the woman Ryan remembers. When fate brings them back into one another's lives, Ryan is forced to confront the truth about their past, their newfound hot chemistry, and a surprising revelation; Serena has a daughter who may be his. But Ryan's girlfriend, Kate, isn't prepared to lose him again. She will do whatever it takes to keep Ryan in her grasp-even if it means destroying Serena's life and the corporate empire she has built. What happens when Serena's now peaceful life is being disrupted? Will Serena lose once again or will she seize this billionaire's heart?
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.”
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"