"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!"
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.