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?
Elena's POV
Although I had never visited this hospital before, just now it felt all too familiar. Everything appeared to reflect the chilly indifference of the world I was born into-the white walls, the distant buzz of fluorescent lights, the faint whispers of staff strolling past. Though Mafia life had advantages, it also had drawbacks; I had always loathed the coldness around it. Here I was, though, standing at the emergency room's threshold, clutching sweets and flowers in a plastic bag, trying to somehow make the visit less embarrassing.
About Marko Kuznetsov, I conflicted emotions. Indeed, he was the ex-sister of mine and indeed, he was a dangerous man in every respect. But there was something about him that made me pity him. Not the merciless monster my relatives depicted him to be. Though no one ever bothered to find out, he had also suffered.
"Excuse me," I began, attempting to keep my voice steady as I went forward to the front desk receptionist. Here I am to see Marko Kuznetsov. He was admitted following an automobile accident.
The woman in her mid-40s who had dark circles under her eyes, the receptionist, stared at me like I had just asked her to clarify quantum physics. She tapped away on her keyboard then turned back to me with a neutral face.
"I'm sorry, Miss," she stated squarely. Early today, Mr. Kuznetsov was released.
My heartbeat dropped.
Not knowing exactly what I was expecting-maybe an apology, maybe a reconciliation, or maybe simply the chance to see the man who had previously been so vital to my sister, whose name had tormented the family for years-I had traveled all this way.
dismissed. Exactly as such. Wordless.
I tried to control the flood of emotions threatening to sweep over me by hard swallowing. I nodded, trying to keep it together, and left the hospital head held. Every stride made the blooms feel more weight in my grasp.
I kept thinking about Marko as I climbed into my car. His world was one of coldness, power and danger; my family hated him for it. They had never seen him the way I did-or perhaps it was that I had always seen the damaged man behind the mafia chief. Now, though, I couldn't help but wonder if he was out there somewhere secluded, maybe even hostile to everyone who had turned their back on him.
I considered the last time I saw him-many months ago during a family get-together. He had been strange as well as charming, dangerous, definitely. Perhaps I had imagined it, but I had seen something in his eyes-something gentle that defied the image he wore so successfully. Once the love of his life was my sister Isabella. Though they had blazed brilliantly together, they both dropped hard when things went south. Still, why did I find myself thinking of him?
"Stop it," I said to myself, shaking my head as I drew up to the mansion. He is only trouble. always has been.
The great house loomed ahead, austere and chilly. Though I had not yet entered, I could already feel the weight of the family secrets bearing down on me. Inside, everyone was waiting for something to shatter, their breath thick with tension.
I stopped as soon as I entered the living room. As I pulled the door open, it creaked slightly and there they were-my lover, Dmitri, twisted in my sister's arms. His lips pressed tightly to hers, and she answered with such force that my stomach turned around.
My breath seized in my throat. For a while, stunned in incredulity, I stood there. It felt unreal. My heart thumping against my chest, I turned from Dmitri to Isabella. Was this some kind of cruel joke?
Dmitry? I crooned, the word coming out harsh as though I had swallowed glass. With wide-open disbelief, he withdrew from Isabella, but his eyes revealed only panic-not an apology.
Quickly turning away from Isabella, his voice low and guarded, he whispered, "Elena, wait; it's not what it looks like."
My thinking spun. As I turned from Dmitri to Isabella, whose haughtiness did little to cool the fire burning inside me, I could hear the blood hammer in my ears.
With a shaky voice, "You're kissing my sister," I managed to utter. How is it not what it appears like?
"Elena, we...." Dmitri's voice wavered, and he came toward me, but I immediately drew back, my chest tight with wrath.
Isabella interrupted two times, her voice icy and matter-of-fact. "It's not a big issue." Elena, we had kissed just twice. Simply said.
I was not able to breathe. As I digested her words-her laid-back attitude-my vision tunneled. "It simply occurred. I kept repeating, doubting. "Isabella, you are my sister." And he is my boyfriend as well.
She crossed her arms, her mouth curving into a smile that froze my blood. "Well, I wouldn't have had to search elsewhere for consolation if you hadn't always been so busy saving face for this family. Dmitri and I simply... became closer.
Her voice suddenly sounded to me as angry, with a barely veiled disdain. But it transcended Dmitri as well. It covered everything, her entitlement, her jealousy, her ongoing rivalry with me.
Beyond sadness, I felt a deep, burning burn in my chest. It was in its most basic form betrayal.
Hissed at her, my voice faltering with fury, "You're just... disgusting." "How long have things been going on??"
"It doesn't matter," she murmured, pushing her hair back as if the whole thing were only a slight annoyance. "It's done right now. Dmitri's mine. I'm not sure why you're drawing such attention to this. Elena, here we are a family. You should desire us to find pleasure.
Family.
It hit me like a slap. The exact individuals I had trusted-those meant to have my back-were the ones who had just pushed a dagger right into my heart.
Then there was Dmitri, there like a moron, his eyes begging me for some sort of pardon. But he was the one who had broken something inside me-something I wasn't sure could be healed.
Do you even give any thought? My voice breaking, I asked him. "Do you give anything other than your own convenience any thought?"
He did not respond right away. Though it would not matter anymore, I could see the guilt in his eyes. Nothing could turn back the treachery.
"I'm sorry, Elena," he added, approaching closely. "I never wanted it to turn out like this. You must grasp, I-"
But I could no longer pay attention. My heart hammering with a mix of wrath, treachery, and a deep, gnawing ache, I turned on my heels. I wasn sure whether to believe or feel. Everything I understood about loyalty, about love, had just been ripped apart.
My footsteps resounding in the empty corridor, I dashed from the living room. Looking at either of them made me sick now.
But something stopped me as I arrived at the door-a slight noise from the room's corner. First quiet and almost invisible, it then got louder.
a little rustle.
After that-click.
Someone had recently unlocked the basement door.
My breath seized in my throat. I had no desire for research. Who was down there was not something I wanted to know. Still, I found myself unable to control. Slowly turning toward the steps leading down to the basement, the hair on the back of my neck stood on edge.
And then the lights flickered and went out as I started ahead.
The quiet was overwhelming.
Then I listened for his voice.
"Did you really think you could flee Elena?"
Anywhere I would find a voice I could identify.
Leo.
Then all seemed to be whirling out of control.
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?
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.
"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.
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
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."
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
A twist of fate bound Allison to Derek in marriage-she, a powerful heiress with countless hidden identities; he, the city's most admired man, now lying silent in a coma. For three years, Allison used her unmatched medical skills to heal him, all while quietly falling in love. But when Derek's long-lost love returned from abroad, he handed Allison divorce papers without a second thought. Resolved to stop chasing shadows, Allison signed the papers and turned her back on love-rising to fame as a dazzling force in business, medicine, and more. Only when she stood high above the world did Derek finally see her worth. He knelt before her, eyes brimming with regret. "Will you take me back?" he whispered.