"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 with 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 Danco Casino!
As we go in, I am utterly rustled by an overwhelming sense of dread, 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. In my thoughts, my sister's voice is fervently echoing, 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 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.
"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.
"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? 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, has 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 it's a 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 hatred?" I query, fixing my eyes on his cold ones.
He leans across the table, our faces coming so close as he bleeds his unnerving aura onto me. "Your frequent visit to my club is beginning to piss me off. I came to offer you your first and last drink at 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.
"I have not caused any trouble, Don. The club is open to all, right? So, why forbid me from coming here? Are you scared that I might uncover something?" I speak, refusing to submit to his dominant gaze.
"It's already trouble enough having you here. Since this is my casino, I have the authority to determine who is permitted entry and who is not." 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?
"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!"
An obsession? Is this what he seems this as? A damn obsession over his casino? What a mockery, huh! 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.
"What if I tell you that you can actually, live that dream?" Ethan said softly, his voice taking on a gentler tone as he swept his hand on her shoulder. She tensed, everything in her body responding to him in ways she had always dreamed of. But it was so wrong for her to even dare to dream about her boss like that. "You crave for your boss? Wish Granted. You can have me," his words resonated with so much assurance that shook Sofia to her bones. Her breath caught in her throat, the wave of Ethan's unbelievable words shaking her. The tension thickened as he sealed the tiny gap that was separating them. "The question is, Sofia," He lifted his hand to tuck her loose hair behind her ear while she shivered under his touch. "Can you handle your boss?" A cold boss with the darkest insatiable desires that a naive, inexperienced girl like Sofia could never match- what could they possibly have in common? Love? However, even love needs a common ground, and these two are different in all ways, and everything stands in their way. With a possessive fiance who is a perfect match for Ethan in all aspects, perfect even for his darkest desires, is there anything that can make Ethan choose Sofia against all odds?
"Who are you?" I ask, gawking at this ugly man who looks like the devil himself. "Your savior." savior? I may not remember anything from my past, but one thing is for sure, according to my judgment: this monster-lookalike can't be a savior. And from whom did he supposedly save me? "And if you are done ogling me, now, on your knees! Time to serve the purpose for which I saved you." I am snapped out of my thoughts by him tearing his shirt and walking closer in a pretty unnerving way. Cold shivers jolted down my spine, almost paralyzing my entire being. "Whi...ch is?" I whimper, trying to stand up from the bed and perhaps run for my dear life. Unfortunately, he grabs me viciously before I can take a step. A loud growl slips from my lips as he slams me back on the bed and hovers atop me. "To please me, little dove." He hoarses, embarking on his evil, dirty mission.
"In this circle, Irma, it doesn't work that way. It hurts, but we can't be!" The sweet, despotic, icy voice that used to thaw her down now imperiled her cool, evoking shivers of immense heartache and incredulity. "Our pedigrees are way too distinct, Irma! You can't fit in. I am sorry!" He ascertained, as if he rigorously knew where to drill through. Her bleeding heart was shattered by his impudence. This pain was unlike anything she had ever felt prior. It was immense. The man she had given her all without holding back anything now hurt her without a second thought. It stung her more than a double-edged dagger piercing through human flesh! "Someday, you pathetic son of a bitch, you will eat back this shit you just puked now! That I vouch in the name of the thriving fruit of the love I sowed in you!" She thought as she bitterly wore her crown of pride and dignity and turned her back on him. But those were her words and wishes, which contradicted the ways of fate. Nobody knows the ways of fate, and Irma was about to get a taste of the mischief of fate. What lies ahead for poor Irma? Join me on this lopsided but prodigious love story of two bleak soles!
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
Dear readers, this book has resumed daily updates. It took Sabrina three whole years to realize that her husband, Tyrone didn't have a heart. He was the coldest and most indifferent man she had ever met. He never smiled at her, let alone treated her like his wife. To make matters worse, the return of the woman he had eyes for brought Sabrina nothing but divorce papers. Sabrina's heart broke. Hoping that there was still a chance for them to work on their marriage, she asked, "Quick question,Tyrone. Would you still divorce me if I told you that I was pregnant?" "Absolutely!" he responded. Realizing that she didn't mean shit to him, Sabrina decided to let go. She signed the divorce agreement while lying on her sickbed with a broken heart. Surprisingly, that wasn't the end for the couple. It was as if scales fell off Tyrone's eyes after she signed the divorce agreement. The once so heartless man groveled at her bedside and pleaded, "Sabrina, I made a big mistake. Please don't divorce me. I promise to change." Sabrina smiled weakly, not knowing what to do...