Under the gaze of a fallen mafia, Elvie, a young woman with a troubled past and victim of a brutal ex, seeks to rebuild her life. Working as an assistant in the villa of the Corleone, an influential crime family, she tries to avoid conflict with the three Corleone brothers, all as dangerous as each other. But everything changes when Adriano, the eldest brother and heir, breaks his arranged engagement to embrace the war between enemy families and must quickly remarry. Cold and calculating, he sees Elvie as a simple piece in his game. For her, he is just another nightmare to flee. But as they interact, appearances crumble and unexpected bonds are forged. As her ex resurfaces, Elvie will have to choose between her new life, her secrets and the growing violence that threatens everything she has rebuilt.
The massive doors of the Corleone villa slammed shut behind Elvie, as if the world outside had suddenly become distant, impermeable, and only the sinister whispers of the estate remained within. She stood in the foyer, a large room decorated in a way that seemed both sumptuous and cold, dominated by marble columns and dark furniture. The air was thick, charged with a heavy energy, and yet it seemed frozen, suspended in infinite expectation.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm that was boiling inside her. It wasn't the first time she'd been in such a luxurious, intimidating place, but this villa, this family, everything about her felt strangely oppressive. She was from another world, a world where the dim lights of the noisy streets and the familiar sounds of the seedy neighborhoods acted as a guide. Here, everything seemed too perfect, too smooth, and every corner of the house seemed a promise of invisible danger.
Her gaze fell on the Corleone family gathered in the great hall, all eyes fixed on Adriano, the Corleone heir, who stood in the center of the room. His posture was imposing, his features perfectly cut, but what struck her most was the aura of absolute control he gave off. He didn't need to speak for his presence to take over. The Corleones always listened to him as if he were king, but today, something different hung in the air. Elvie's instinct told her that this meeting would not be like the others.
She clenched her fists discreetly, trying to dispel the tension that was tightening her stomach. She was only an assistant in this house, a piece of the Corleone puzzle, a fragile, almost invisible position. She knew her role was only temporary, that she was here for a reason, but that reason remained unclear. She was an outsider, a tool in the hands of the powerful men who ruled here. And yet, there was one thing she knew deep down: this life, this world, was not for her. She had to get out of it, she had to slip between the lines and disappear before it was too late.
Adriano's voice broke the heavy quiet of the room like a clap of thunder.
"I break off my engagement," he announced, his voice implacable, his gaze swept by a determined glint. "This marriage no longer makes sense. We will crush our enemies in a more decisive, more... personal way."
An icy silence followed his words, as if the entire room had held its breath. Elvie felt a shiver run down her spine. The Corleones never broke their commitments, especially not an arranged marriage that had been carefully planned to strengthen the alliance with another crime family. There was something more to Adriano's decision, something that was unspoken, but felt in the air, in the palpable tension that followed his declaration.
The murmurs began to rise, quiet at first, then louder and louder. Family members, allies, underlings, all seemed shocked by Adriano's decision, but each understood instinctively that this was not a simple sentimental decision. This was a coup in the shadows, a new era in the making. There were calculations, maneuvers, secret alliances. Everything was changing.
Elvie suddenly felt left out, a spectator in a world she didn't quite understand. The Corleone family wasn't just a clan. It was an empire, a well-oiled machine, and she was just one small part of that machinery. The furtive glances that brushed her reminded her that she was just a pawn, someone to rely on and then discard when she was no longer needed.
A sudden noise caught her attention. Something that seemed far more personal than anything she had heard so far.
His heart clenched in his chest.
Elvie's ex had just reappeared. After months of silence, he was there, in the shadows of this cold and merciless villa, with his possessive and violent gaze. He couldn't be here. Not here. Not now.
She turned her head quickly, hoping that he hadn't seen her, that he had made a mistake in trajectory. But Maxime's gaze met hers, and an icy shiver invaded her veins. His face was harder, more marked than in her memories. He still wore that menacing expression that he had when he felt in control, but today, it was not the same thing. He was no longer the naive young man that she had thought she knew. He had become a more dangerous, more deranged man. She could feel the hold he had on her, this invisible hold that kept her in her past.
He moved slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, and every movement of his body spoke of a violence she couldn't ignore. He was here for a reason, and Elvie knew he wouldn't leave until he got what he wanted.
She swallowed hard, her thoughts blurring. She had to leave, get out of this room, slip into the shadows before he reached her. But the atmosphere, the tension around her, the icy beauty of the Corleones, everything seemed to keep her from moving. Like an invisible trap had closed around her. She wasn't ready for this confrontation, not here, not now.
"You're not alone here, you know," Adriano's voice suddenly rang through the room, his tone dry and uncompromising. "If you want to get out of this, you'd better not linger in the dark corners of this house."
She turned abruptly, her eyes meeting Adriano's. That look, sharp, calculating, knowing everything and leaving no room for error. He judged her, he knew what she felt, he saw her fear. But he didn't say a word about it. No pity, no indulgence.
Maxime's voice then rose, piercing the silence like a dagger.
"Do you really think you can escape that easily, Elvie?"
The room seemed to go dark around her, the world shrinking to this single moment, to this single confrontation. The Corleone family members continued their whispers, but to Elvie, everything had become blurred, distant, like background noise in a movie scene. She couldn't hear anything anymore. She could only see one thing: Maxime. Her hand shook as she slowly moved closer to the corner of the room, opposite him.
He took a step forward, and everything inside him seemed to exude suppressed anger. His gaze widened, madder than ever.
"You thought you could escape, but the truth is, you never left me."
Elvie felt a gap in her consciousness. She froze in place, panicking. This confrontation was inevitable. He had found her. He wouldn't let her go. Not until he had his revenge.
Her eyes fell on Adriano again, but there was no support or pity in his gaze. It wasn't his job to save her. Not this time. She had only her own courage to get through this.
Maxime stepped closer, his silhouette growing in her field of vision. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. She had to find a way out. She had to escape. But the villa was a trap. And the war, the real war, had just begun.
Alice's life has been devastated by the betrayal of those she believed to be her allies. Five years ago, her fiancé, in the grip of a professional failure, convinced her to sacrifice her dreams to help him get back on his feet. But her best friend, hungry for glory and power, made a decision that would change their friendship forever, by secretly becoming a surrogate mother. When Alice's fiancé, now at the top of his career, left her, claiming that she no longer met his expectations, Alice, broken, accepted the proposal of the mysterious billionaire, Gabriel Hartman. Known for his coldness and indifference, Gabriel seemed to offer Alice an escape. What she didn't know was that he was the one who had orchestrated her best friend's request for maternity... But what if everything she thought she knew was just a decoy? What if, deep down, the price of her redemption is much higher than she imagined? Can the truth really mend broken hearts, or will secrets destroy everything in their path?
Zoe's dreams of marriage are shattered when she catches her fiance in a compromising situation with his best friend. Devastated, she seeks to recover what she has lost. That's when an enigmatic man, a warm billionaire named Maxime Delacroix, offers her an unexpected solution: a loveless marriage, a contractual alliance with the aim of destroying his ex's career. Although reluctant, Zoe accepts, ready to do anything to get revenge. But as their relationship grows, Zoe realizes that the stakes are more complex than she imagined. Between revenge and a budding passion for this distant man, she finds herself torn between her desire for justice and her budding feelings. How far will she be willing to go to get revenge without losing everything in the process?
Lily thought she had a simple life, surrounded by her adoptive parents in a small town. But everything changed the day she learned that her real parents were industrial tycoons and that she had a twin brother, heir to a family empire. Welcomed into a world of luxury, she found herself facing a reality very different from the one she knew. Her brother, a cold and ambitious man, had always hated her. "You're just an intruder, Lily," he told her. But another secret resurfaced: a mysterious businessman claimed that Lily was the rightful heir to a huge hidden fortune. "It's time you knew the truth," he told her. Between betrayals and revelations, Lily must choose between wealth and family loyalty.
Lara Sanders and Ethan Cole had been together for five years, but Lara had never been his priority. Ethan, obsessed with his work, did not see the soul of the woman he had married. Lara had tried to rekindle the flame, but in vain. She had had enough. One day, she left everything: the house, the promises, and Ethan. Years later, Lara reappears. She has become a successful entrepreneur, an icon of the business world, and no one recognizes her anymore as the fragile young woman she once was. Far from the shy and discreet Lara, she is now a queen of industry, admired and respected. At a public event, a journalist asks her: "Lara, you are the most influential businesswoman of the moment. What is the key to your success?" Lara, with a mysterious smile, answers: "Never let a man define you. Take charge of your life. » The next day, to everyone's surprise, Ethan appears at Lara's door. The man she thought had been forgotten, who had let her go without a glance, returns with a surprising proposition: "Lara, I made a mistake. Can we start all over again... Together?"
Luca Moretti, an influential businessman, is forced to marry Amélie Lefevre, a woman he considers a simple family obligation. Already in love with another, he vows to make Amélie's life hell so that she will ask for a divorce. However, he does not know that Amélie is hiding a secret that could change his life forever. Behind her calm facade, Amélie is much more determined and intelligent than he thinks. What will happen when Luca finds himself caught in his own game? Will he succeed in breaking their union or will he succumb to the hidden truth?
For three years, Althea lived in the shadow of an arranged marriage with Damian Crowe, a billionaire as ruthless as they are insistent, known for his dark things and his absolute control over the elite. This marriage, designed by their families to unite two dynasties by the decline, quickly turned into a nightmare. Ignored by Damian, and closely monitored by his allies, Althea has discovered a world of unavowable secrets and questionable transactions. One night, she comes across compromising information that could ruin Damian and her whole family. Realizing that she is only a pawn in their game, she disappears without warning, leaving behind an empire in danger and a man plagued by her own demons. When Althea resurfaces three years later, she was unrecognizable: independent, formidable and armed with a infallible strategy to undermine the power of Damian. In parallel, it becomes the target of the rivals of the latter, who see in it the key to destroy the reign of the Crowe. But Damian did not say his last word. Torn between his desire to reconquer and the fear of the truths that Althea could reveal, he embarks on a battle where love and destruction are intertwined. Does Althea play a vengeance game, or is it about to overthrow a world that she has sworn to never suffer?
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”