"You are a cold-blooded psycho! Get your filthy, bloodstained 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, "that is what you want, little dove?" 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 Big Bucks Casino!!!
I am utterly rustled by an overwhelming sense of dread as we go in, 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. My sister's voice is fervently echoing in my thoughts, 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 even 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, still restlessly cruising my eyes around the place.
"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.
Yeah. No one is willing to talk. Underline that. Because I believe she put it just right...they don't want to talk. But there is surely something dubious about this place.
"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 exertions to speak to him have bore any fruits. I was only allowed to speak to some futile security fools who were just but a total waste of time. And now, the mountain just moved itself to Mohamed? Just like that, 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, 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, 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 detest?" I query, fixing my eyes in his cold ones.
He leans across the table, our faces coming so close as he bleeds his unnerving aura on me. "Your frequent visit to my club is beginning to piss me off, young woman. I came to offer you your first and last drink in 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.
Is that a threat or what? Am I supposed to be scared? "I have not caused any trouble, Don. The club is open to all, right? So, why forbid only me from coming here? Are you scared that I might uncover something?" I speak, refusing to submit to his dominant gaze.
"It is already trouble enough having you here. Since this is my casino, I have the authority to determine who is and is not permitted entry. And I say that you are not allowed in here anymore." He says, his ears and eyes starting to flush with redness.
Why is he getting so worked up by me being here if there is nothing they are hiding? There sure is something I can get in here to fuel my search. My hunch cannot be wrong. It probably is no coincidence that my sister was right here when she made that call and disappeared. This place holds a secret that can help me find my sister and I am not backing down from knowing what it is.
"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 can not 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 springs 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. Not a single fucking clue for two fucking weeks and they are fucking working on it?
Fuck them!!!
At this point, I am worried that if I don't take action, my sister's case will end up being just another lost course. 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 to my face makes me want to believe my instincts. He roars in a dense whisper, "Since you think you are a smart ass, why don't you figure that on your way out?" He whispers in a tone that irks my demons.
His confidence sucks, 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 gotta 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 touching. If it was the sense of rage and loathe that I saw earlier on his face, then I am dubious of how to interpret this current demeanor. It is more lethal. Extremely creepy that I am almost freezing on my spot.
He leans closer, feeding me the heat of his rage as he makes sure that his remarks are intended solely for my ears."You are walking down a very dangerous path, young lady! You won't like how this turns out. 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?
No. He surely knows something.
"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 entirety 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. Definitely, this is not the last time I will be seeing you, Don.
I flush him a smile, and turn to leave while contemplating how to start my next move, but I must have been so absorbed with 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 the try 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 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.
What the hell does she mean? Like, she intended to get fired or what?
"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 on 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 remove my hand away and apologize when she held my hand and pins 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! Get out of here before we start to seem suspicious. Hurry!" She says between gritted teeth, 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 unfold it.
There are only four scripted words on it: TOMORROW 9 AM. HERE.
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!
“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?
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?
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
**This book contains a trigger warning. Mention about rape and torture in this book. Please read with caution** "Our marriage is nothing but a deal," he said looking at the girl, her green eyes met his cold silver eye, and both of them glared at each other. "For any rules you break, I will claim any part of your body," his gaze grew dangerously darker at his word. Ashley Harlow was at the top of the world, living the perfect and luxurious lifestyle as the legitimate daughter of the well-known Daniel Harlow. But sadly, a one-night stand put an end to that and brought her life upside down and that of her family's name to the ground. To restore his family's reputation, she was forced into marrying Damien Albrecht, a young, ruthless, obnoxious, brutal billionaire and the head of a mafia gang in exchange for her father's company.
She was hurt. She was bullied and made fun of. And the only hope that kept her going was finding her mate. She has always been weak. Weak to the world. Why? Because she was a lantern. She didn't have a wolf. That's what everyone thought about her. When she found her mate, he wanted her to be his slut and not a wife. She might be an omega, but it doesn't mean she will take disloyalty and betrayal lightly. So she did something that no one in history ever did. She rejected an Alpha. "I, Alexis Clark, reject Brandon Sterling, the alpha of Black mist pack, and consider myself a free soul until I decide so."; Were her last words before she left that torturous place and became a rogue. A rogue that everyone was fearing and finding. Why? Because she was the rogue that has become one of the biggest problems of almost all the packs in the country. She was Alexis Clark. A rogue that rejected an Alpha, stealth food, kill other rogues, and more than that was living with humans and studying with them. What will happen when her case is given to the world's most dangerous alpha, Sebastian Sinclair, who has taken it upon himself to punish this rogue. The one who hated rogues and omega to a level that was beyond understanding. Why? Because his mate was an omega, who betrayed him with a rogue before dying. How will Alexis tackle this alpha, in whose College she was studying and living under hiding for almost a year? What will Sebastian do when he finds out the new girl he had been talking to is none other than the rogue omega that he had decided to kill? "To love you with all my might was my only wish, but you were the only one who gave me endless suffering. So today, I promise myself to not fall for anyone."; A simple saying that both Alexis and Sebastian had vowed upon. Will they be able to find their love amidst all these problems?
"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony. On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide. Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge." On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling."