BLURB After witnessing the death of her parents in the hands of a dangerous mafia, Frida vows to take revenge. She migrates to another country where she plans out her revenge. With a new name and new ID, she is able to move around without being suspected. With her seductive nature, Frida is able to get the information she needs La Sombra. But she needs more than just a plan. She needs connections...not just any connection. Frida gets lucky when Conrad, the heir to Apex industries walks into the club where she works. She seduces him and they have a one night stand. But Frida needs more than just that. Conrad Flinch, the heir to Apex industries finds himself wanting more of the woman he just had a one night stand with. He employes her as his mistress. Despite just being his mistress, Conrad finds himself not just lusting after Frida but falling in love with her. Frida on the other hand, has no interest in her boss but plays along and makes Conrad believe she feels the same. What will happen when Frida's revenge plan is revealed and Conrad realizes that he's only being used? Would Frida's revenge plan be futile?
Frida", Mamá yell out. "Tu comida se está enfriando." Mama barely speak English.
I quickly run down the stairs and to the dining room. I stare at my plate.
"Spaghetti again?" I look at Mama and she's not impressed.
She drops the rag she's holding on the table. "Your papa can't afford to get a better meal for now."
Papa can't afford any meal. The only reason we can eat spaghetti is because that's what he sells. I don't say anything. I eat.
Dad watches me as I eat. He doesn't say a word. We all eat on silence. Mamá is not a fan of silent dining tables. Not like there's anything to talk about anyway.
Mamá looks at Papa. "How'd the protesta go?"
I look at Papa too. A protest?
Papa coughs before speaking. "It wouldn't make any difference. We need more than just a protest to stop La Sombra."
I stand up. "You protested against la Sombra?" I've always known Papa made stupid decisions like making us move to this part of the state. But a protest against la Sombra has to be the stupidest thing he's ever done.
"We need a...uhmm...pista. A cue."he continues.
"Wtf," I yell.
"Lingua Frida." Mama yell.
Protesting against la Sombra, no one has ever done that. No one has tried fighting back. Well, Papa did once. He lost a finger. I look at him. I know this wouldn't turn out well.
Papa keeps talking about the protest. He looks out the window and freezes. I look too. There's a black Jeep parked outside. I know this is trouble. Men come out of the Jeep holding baseball bats. I freak out.
"Papa why tf would you want to pull a protest against la Sombra. Lemme guess, it was your idea right?"
"Now is not the time." He says and gets up. He looks at Mamá as if saying 'you know what to do ' with his eyes.
The men start yelling Papa's name. Papa kisses my forehead before running down to talk with them. I hear loud angry voices before hearing punches being thrown.
I look over at Mama.
"Pasa pasa." she drags me to my room and hides me in the wardrobe. "I'm going to go help your papa. If anything goes wrong, I need you to uhhh...correr...run...si si." Her hands are shaking. "Run go find your Tíos. Find him." She picks up a piece of paper and a pen and scrambles something on it. She gives me the paper and hugs me before running off to help Papa.
I hear Mama screaming and begging them to stop. I hear a gunshot and a body thud. Mama screams very loudly. I know what has happened. Everything has gone wrong. I hear another gunshot and Mama screams even louder. I hear the third gunshot. Another body thuds. It is Mama. I cover my mouth before screaming so the won't hear me. I hear two more shuts. I know that there's no way any of them could've survived those shut.
The men start leaving. I hear a voice. A familiar voice. It is Alejandro, the leader of this miserable Mafia.
"Where's the girl?" he asks. "The daughter. Find her and bring her to me."
They begin searching. In movies, they'd always check under the bed and then the wardrobe.I slowly open the wardrobe. There's no one here. I get out and run to the window. I look down. Ooohh it's high. Very high.
I run to the other window. There's always a dumpster there. I seize my breath before jumping down. I fall right into the dumpster. I look up at the window and see a man looking at me.
"Ella saltó,"he yell. "She jumped!!"
I quickly take off. I'm not going to die. Not today. I run as fast as I can. But they don't stop. They chase me. I run into the market, it's always very stuffy there, literally the worst place you would try to find someone. They follow me there anyway. I look back at the men. They're all holding guns. If they really wanted me dead, they'd have shot at me. I'm not Superman or Wonder Woman, I don't know how to dodge a bullet. There's only one reason why they don't shoot... they need a sex slave. 'Horny bastards,' I mutter under my breath. I run to a quiet part of the market. No one would take me into their home to protect me, it would only cost their lives. I look down and I have an idea. I never really thought I'd be getting into a sewer before but here I am trying to hide away for my safety. I quickly open it and jump in. "Wow typical Teenage Mutant ninja turtles." I chuckle when I say this. I chuckle--cry...if that's a real word. I look at my hand, the not Mama had given me is still there. It has Tíos address.
Papa and Tío never got along. Bold of Mama to assume he'd risk his life trying to help me. I hear voices above me, of course they're still looking for me. I'd have to walk a little bit inside this sewer then.
I walk for what feels like forever. My stomach grumbles. Now I miss spaghetti.
"Fuckkkkk. It stinks in here,"I scream. I find the next exit and climb out. It's night and I don't think they would still keep searching for me for this long. I've always known la Sombra to be foolish cowardly ignorant men. Rather than find work for themselves, they forcefully take hard earned money from workers around. A member of la Sombra can never be seen walking alone. Why? Cause they're scared. Scared that they'd be beaten up by men whom they gang bullied. No one has ever tried that though. Everybody in Durango is either a coward or a fucking coward, well not everyone. Papa had been the only person in Durango who had returned a punch to a member of la Sombra. The man didn't say anything to Papa, he just took his things and left. At midnight, they came in numbers. They'd beaten Papa up and made everyone watch. Before they left, Alejandro cut off Papa's pinky finger.
"Next time, it won't be just your finger,"Alejandro said. "I'd be going home with three heads."
Blurb: "In a world of wealth and power, billionaire Gabriel miles thought he could buy anything, including love. He entered into a contract marriage with the pretty and intelligent Isadora, but instead of cherishing her, he cruelly controlled and manipulated her, using his wealth and influence to keep her trapped. But when Isadora’s courage and resilience inspire him, Gabriel begins to realize the true depth of his feelings for her. He's struck by the harsh reality of his own mistakes and the harm he's caused. Desperate to make amends, he sets out to win her back, but Sophia is no longer the vulnerable woman he once knew. As they engage in a battle of wills, Isadora must confront the darkness of their past and the fears that still haunt her. Gabriel must confront the true nature of his own heart and the price he's willing to pay for redemption. Will their love be redeemed, or will the scars of their toxic past forever define their future? Can Isadora ever trust Gabriel again? Can Gabriel ever make up for the pain he's caused? Or will their love story become a cautionary tale of the devastating consequences of wealth, power, and the pursuit of love at any cost?
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."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.