Sold to the highest bidder to pay off a blood feud, I never imagined I would be the pawn in my father's fatal game. Still, here I am before Enzo De Luca, the most vicious mafia leader in the city. Though appealing, he is cold, deliberate, and as lethal. Though my heart races just from his proximity, it is his touch that ignites me. My body betrays me and reacts to him in ways I am powerless over. And I melt as he softly, commandingly says my name. Enzo loves neither me nor another. In his deadly kingdom, I am only another bargain, another transaction. But every time we are alone, the conflict between us snaps-desire becomes a terrible addiction. Although I detest him for everything he stands for, I yearn for the way he consumes me, body and soul. He has made it quite evident-our marriage is more about power than love. Still, every angry gaze and every snatched moment in the shadow reveals something different. Benevolent underneath his icy façade lies something broken that appeals to the darkest sides of me. But depending on a man like Enzo may mean losing everything. Bound to him now, for better or worse, I am caught in a world where loyalty is brittle and treachery carries a bullet. Our friendship gets more perilous the more truths about his empire I find. And as the past calls for us, I have to question myself: will our passion be the thing that ruins us both or can I survive loving a guy like Enzo De Luca? Burning in his arms is me. But in his universe, I could roast alive.
Isabella
Twenty-two was the night I first met Enzo De Luca; hardly old enough to understand the actual weight of the planet I had been born into. He was only a figure murmured in dark corners, his name passed about like a secret, tinged with dread and longing; he was not meant to be in my life. But my life changed permanently when I saw him-that is, really saw him.
And much of what scared me was not him. That was the side of me longing for him.
I had come upon him in the most unusual manner. Though there were sections of the home I had been advised to avoid, my father's estate was constantly alive with murmurs of mafia business and violent dealings. I need to have paid attention.
But that evening, my curiosity won out. Cigars and costly whiskey hung on the walls, and muted laughing floated over the vast hallways.
It was late, far later than I ought to have been prowling about. But something had attracted me to the guest wing I never explored at the rear of the home.
I heard it at that point.
It was first simply the gentle murmur of voices, nothing uncommon for the guys my father connected with. But suddenly one of the guest rooms' damaged doors let out the clear sound of a woman's shorted moans. My heart thumping in my chest, I stopped. Though every instinct urged me to turn around and leave, I was unable.
For I could hear his voice.
I had only heard it once, in passing, while my father had been speaking to him in the study-low, dominating, with a trace of menace. Enzo de Luca. Though I understood enough to be terrified, I had no idea why he was here or why my father was interacting with a man like him.
I ought to have turned away, but instead I drew nearer.
I could see them through the barely open door: Enzo, his black hair ruffled, his powerful hands clutching the hips of the lady in front of him as she wrung beneath his grasp. His shirt unfastened. His motions were methodical, measured, exactly like everything else about him. Love and tenderness vanished from the picture. Just sheer, relentless force.
"Tell me what you want," he said, his voice full with directive power.
The woman gasped; her words were almost clear as she whined, "You... I want you."
He laughed, a dark, delighted sound that made my back tremble. Then, ask for it.
She really did. And he took more the more she pleaded. < His slow, deliberate motions were every reminder of who was in charge. Their body noises, and her reaction to him-that was unlike anything I had ever seen.
I couldn't stop looking away. Though I didn't want to say it, there was something about his handling of her that made my skin quiver and caused something deep inside me to stir. I found it terrible. I detested what I was seeing; despised that part of me questioned what it would feel like to be in her position. Under him.
To be his is the way.
I didn't know I was breathing until he turned to face the door, his eyes locked with mine for the shortest of a time. Nearly halted in my heart. He spotted me. His lips opened to a grim smile, but he continued not stopping. If anything, his motions grew more forceful, as if he were performing for just me.
My heart beating, my cheeks flushed with a passion I wanted not to admit, I staggered back. I should have left sooner rather than later I ought not to have seen.
But it was already too late. The harm was done.
Years turned by after that evening. Despite the developing bonds between our families, I had avoided Enzo. But Enzo's presence lingered in my consciousness, a continual, terrible reminder of what I had witnessed even as I sought to separate myself from the gloom of my father's reality. What have I experienced?
And now, standing in my father's study staring at Enzo in the flesh, those memories washed over me like a tidal wave.
He hadn't changed. Now, if anything, he was even more menacing; his power emanated from him like a black aura. As soon as I entered the room, his eyes fixed on mine, the same cold, deliberate stare that had tormented me for years. He recalled. It showed itself in the way his lips twisted into a knowing smile.
"Isabella," my father began, his voice dragging me from the intensity of Enzo's gaze. "We need to talk about something.
My heart pounding in my chest, I swallowed hard. The suspense in the room was stifling, laden with something I quite identify with.
"This is Enzo De Luca," my father said, gesturing to him as if I knew not immediately who he was. You are going to be marrying him.
The words strike me like a gut-reversal punch. My head spun, the air now too thin for human breathing. Marry him? For years, the guy who had tormented my dreams-and deepest fantasies-had plagued me.
"No," I said, shaking my head incredulously. "You couldn't be serious."
But the way my father looked revealed he was. He was dead real.
My father added, his voice stern, "This isn't up for debate, Isabella." This has to do with power. pertaining to survival. Enzo has consented to this agreement to help our families to mend their conflict.
Desperate to see any shred of humanity in Enzo's face, I peered at him but all I saw was apathy. cold, deliberate apathy.
Then he spoke, his voice low and silky, like the memory of that evening coming alive. The right of your father is: This marriage serves power more than affection. But do not confuse that with charity. Right now Bella, you are mine. And once you are mine, you cannot turn around.
I felt the room spin as he shouted my name and listened to his voice encircle me like a chain. Deep down, I understood that this was more than simply a commercial setup. He called for me. Always desired me, he had said. And right now he would have me, totally and fully.
My voice cracking with desperation, I turned to my father. You are incapable of doing this. You cannot only sell me like real estate.
Though his expression softened, my father showed no compassion in his eyes. Isabella, this is how our planet works. Whether you enjoyed it or not, you were always going to be part of it.
The walls of this world I had lived in for years of wanting to flee seemed imprisoned and suffocating. But there was no exit route. Not now. Not with Enzo fixed on me like a predator at last got his victim.
The wedding was a hollow performance more like a death sentence than a celebration, a haze. I couldn't ignore the draw between us, though, even as I stood at the altar and my hand shook in Enzo's'. The gloom that had always been there, waiting to swallow me whole just under the surface.
Enzo bent down as the priest announced us husband and wife, his lips brushing against my ear as he said, "You're mine now, Bella. Remember also not to forget.
Though it shivered down my spine, his words did not inspire terror in me. It was something else. Something more sinister.
Something I had been dodging far too long.
And I knew something that worried me more than anything as I stared up into his eyes.
I wasn't just his.
I wanted to be.
Nothing is more deadly than a wounded heart in the world I have always known-where power, loyalty, and treachery prevail. I never imagined that one visit would cause everything to fall apart when I went to see Leo Volkov, the infamous mafia kingpin and ex-lover of my sister. The ruthless and merciless king of the Volkov empire, Leo, had been in a terrible car accident and I felt I might offer him something-anything-before it was too late. He vanished though when I got to the hospital. Discharged, vanished, leaving just questions and a gnawing sense of abandonment. The true shock set in when I got home and discovered my boyfriend, Dmitri Baranov, locked in a hug with my sister Mara. Betrayal hardly starts to cover the damage I experienced. The worst of all is also Cold as usual, my family hardly even looked at it. Always more worried with family reputation than with my own happiness, my mother chastised me for being "dramatic." She solely considered what would be best for the family, not what I needed. But when Leo gets back, exactly as volatile and deadly as before, I find myself dragged back into a world of secrets and revenge threatening everything. Between the broken bonds with my family, a renewed, forbidden connection to the guy who once held my heart, and a conspiracy that can ruin me, I have to choose whom to believe. More importantly, if he would even take me back, am I ready to risk it all for a second chance at love?
I thought I was invisible-forgotten and discarded by the family that claimed to love me. When they dragged me out of my countryside solitude, I didn't think it was for love. It wasn't. It was for a deal. To save their own skin, they married me off to Alan Walker-a man they called weak, crippled, and harmless. They lied. Alan wasn't weak; he was calculating, deadly, and harboring a secret that may ruin us all. The marriage was never about love; it was conflict, a battlefield for power and survival. And yet, in the quiet times between our battles, I glimpsed parts of the guy beneath the mask-a man scarred by betrayal, motivated by retribution. But then the lies unraveled. Alan's disability was a façade, his kindness a weapon, and his true enemies closer than I ever imagined. As Philip Louis, his half-brother, launched a vicious attack to claim the family empire, I became a pawn in their twisted game. My sister Maria-cruel, conniving, and unforgiving-joined forces with him. Together, they sought to ruin us. Now, I'm caught in a storm of deceit and danger. Alan says he'll protect me, but how can I trust a man who built his world on lies? How can I protect my heart from a man I might be falling for, knowing love could be my undoing?
"Mr. Dre," she started speaking in a low tone, her voice quivering, "I have agreed to the contract and Ariel's operation was successful... but this... this deal... " She lost her words. That was the first thing she said; "It feels so cold here I didn't expect it to feel like this." Alison's life becomes miserable when her husband dies leaving her with three young children to support and take care of. Having financial difficulties, things turn even for the worse when her youngest daughter Ariel is diagnosed of a severe heart disease. Ariel has to undergo a very expensive surgery and Alison has no means to get the money for it. Desperate and running out of time, she faces a terrible choice: sign a contract marriage with her cold and powerful boss, Mr. Dre, or lose her daughter forever.
Synopsis: Samantha Dawson felt she could leave her errors behind, but one fateful night everything changed. Driven by a great urge to pay off her family's debt, she entered the arms of a stranger-a brief, explosive meeting that left her whirling. That evening, she never anticipated the outcome: a kid she has kept secret from the world and from him. Four years fast forward: Samantha's meticulously repaired life is collapsing once more. She is presented with an unimaginable offer-a contract marriage with Adrian Blackwood, the mysterious millionaire with more influence than anybody should-as her son's safety is at stake and debts are closing in. The only issue is Adrian is unaware she already carries his most secret. But Adrian also depends on her. He has to seem to have a flawless family if he is to land the commercial contract confirming his empire. Samantha is his response; he still doesn't know about the lethal shadows from her past threatening them both. Time is running out because of Adrian's own complex network of family treachery. Should he not get married soon, he runs the danger of losing control of his father's business to a merciless competitor with dark motives-someone already too near Samantha for comfort. Neither of them understands how interwoven their fates have become as they descend further into this perilous dance. Secrets grow, passions blossom, and foes lie around every turn. Samantha has to choose, nevertheless, whether Adrian comes near to learning the truth about her son: should she tell everything or keep quiet while the walls of their precarious arrangement collapse? And then a terrible revelation destroys their world, just as their well planned lives begin to fit. Samantha has been hiding secrets other than the child as well.
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
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."
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."