Three abandoned siblings, torn apart by a cruel past, endure years of torment under the hands of their mother's abusers. When tragedy strikes, a DNA test leads them to the family they never knew-their biological father and brothers. But can love and blood heal the scars of a lifetime, or will their past haunt them forever?
Avery's POV
"Hurry guys, they'll be here any minute!" Quinn reminded us in Russian the three if us barely ever speak to each other in English unless we are in public. Our Papi's parents were Russian and Mexican and they taught him both Russian and Spanish and he taught it to us before he died.
I rushed to finish dinner with Quinn while Sawyer worked around the house to clean up before they got home. We needed to make sure the house was clean and have their dinner ready before our so-called mother and step-father, Jacob, arrived back at the house and we were running late.
The front door slammed open and my heart dropped along with my twins. The three of us knew that they were drunk and probably not alone. I finish serving the food quickly with shaking hands trying to distract myself from what I know is going to happen.
Our step-father and his friends walked in and my body fills with dread knowing what was coming.
"Have you made my dinner brats?" Jacob's loud voice filled the kitchen and Sawyer, Quinn, and I lined up against the wall fearing what would happen if we didn't.
He stumbled into the kitchen and I along with my twins knew this was not going to end well as the small group made their way into the kitchen. Jacob looked over the spaghetti and wrinkled his oversized nose. "This is what you call dinner?"
The house was out of food again and I was only able to make spaghetti and meatballs and while it might taste good it wouldn't satisfy him. Honestly, I'm not sure anything would. He picked up the plate in front of him and threw it at us almost hitting Sawyer in the head but instead hit the wall and shattered to pieces on the ground.
"Clean that up and go to the basement now!" We all flinched at our father's friend Isaac's voice and rushed to pick up the broken shards and discarded food and while I was crouched down my so-called mother Dianne kicked me in the stomach and laughed as I fell.
Sawyer helped me up as Quinn narrowly escaped over to the trash can and threw away the broken shards. I held onto Sawyer's hand to stop from shaking and to hopefully try to calm him as we scurried over to Quinn and walked over to the door that I knew the three of us feared the most. I opened the door, tightening my hold on Sawyer's hand and the three of us descended to the dark basement as Jacob and Dianne laughed about us with their two friends in the kitchen.
Quinn's POV
I walked slowly down the creaky stairs, my heart racing knowing what was about to happen and knowing I had no way to get myself and my twins out of it. Sawyer and Avery were behind me and I felt Sawyer's hand brush against my arm as we descended.
When we made it to the bottom of the stairs we stayed standing in the middle of the room holding one another to calm each other though I don't think it worked for any of us. Although the basement was dim I could still see the outlines of the chains and shackles that were attached to the walls and the table with knives and other objects they used to hurt us.
All three of us hide our emotions knowing if they see how afraid we are they will hurt us worse, begging and pleading for it to stop just encourages them.
We all stood silently and you could hear their voices approach the door and then their footsteps as they descended the stairs.
As they came towards us we shrank back which made their smile grow. Isaac grabs me and yanks my arm hard, sending pain throughout my body. He shackles my hands together tightly and I can't move. I see Jacob and his other friend Lyle doing the same to Sawyer and Avery though Avery fights back against Lyle. I wish she wouldn't, it just makes this all harder though I am glad she hasn't lost her will to fight like I have begun to. I know the only reason Sawyer isn't fighting is because it might get one of us hurt. Avery fights so they hurt her and not us. Like that would make any of this better.
Dianne stands and watches from the landing of the stairs grinning as the men finish shackling us up. The three of them then move back looking at the three of us chained to the walls around the room and grin.
Jacob seems to examine each one of us slowly as he always does every time we are forced to come down here his eyes land on me and he smirks. Avery and Sawyer both see this as well and while they try to fight to stop him my heart stops. The three ignore my twins like they don't matter in the slightest. I wish they did not try to protect me as much as they did. I know they think I'm the youngest and should be protected but I will be okay and they shouldn't be getting hurt either.
Isaac grabs the knife and smiles as he walks towards me intentionally walking slowly. I count his footsteps, each one getting closer to me. My heart is racing and it's hard to hear my twins' voices yelling at them trying to provoke them to hurt them but honestly, it would just fuel their need to hurt me because they know how much it hurts them to watch me get hurt.
He spins me around to face the wall and pulls my thin old shirt up. Goosebumps ripple through my body as he pressed me against the freezing wall. He traces the knife along my back and I hopelessly try to pull away from him as his deep chuckle fills my ears.
All three take their turns hurting me and doing other stuff and then Dianne comes over. I can smell her sickly sweet perfume that she uses to try to get rid of the smell of the drugs and alcohol.
"You think I will let them have all the fun with you, sweetie? Think again." I feel the knife slice along my back and can feel her carve more words into my back. The men then come back and punch me until all I can think is to wish I could blackout. They finally stop and Jacob unshackles my hands and yanks my arm pulling me away from the wall. When he lets go I fall to the ground and close my eyes
Avery's POV
They let Sawyer and me out of our chains after they punch us a few times. We both do our best to race over to where Quinn lay still on the ground ignoring our pain. I faintly hear the squeaky front door slam open and then closed again. Sawyer picks up Quinn and she moves a little.
"It's okay Quinn, they're gone, rest" I whisper to her in Spanish as I lead Sawyer upstairs ignoring the waves of pain that flow through my body. I unconsciously rub my wrists as we walk down the hallway of the rundown house to our small room. I grab our bag of medical supplies as Sawyer lays Quinn on the bed. I pass him the bag and grab new clothes for Quinn. After Sawyer takes care of her back the best he can I get her dressed in one of our only other pairs of clothes. I then look over to double-check that Sawyer is okay before the two of us get into the bed as well. All of us are exhausted but I barely sleep.
Arrogant, wealthy, and ruthless, **Tony Leonardo** has everything-money, power, and a glamorous model girlfriend. He despises the middle class and never imagined marrying outside his world. But fate plays a cruel game, forcing him into an unwanted marriage with **Olivia Fredinard**, a kind-hearted woman who finds joy in life's simple moments. Thrown into a loveless marriage, Olivia fights to keep her dignity while Tony does everything to push her away. But as hatred turns to unexpected attraction, old wounds and past lovers threaten to tear them apart. Can love truly bloom between two people from different worlds, or will their marriage crumble under the weight of pride and betrayal?
Warning! Mature Contents! ***Excerpt*** "You belong to me, Sheila. I alone am capable of making you feel this way. Your moans and body belong to me. Your soul and your body are all mine!" *** Alpha Killian Reid, the most dreaded Alpha in all of the North, wealthy, powerful and widely feared in the supernatural world, was the envy of all other packs. He was thought to have it all... power, fame, wealth and favour from the moon goddess, little was it known to his rivals that he has been under a curse, which has been kept a secret for so many years, and only the one with the gift of the moon goddess can lift the curse. Sheila, the daughter of Alpha Lucius who was an arch enemy to Killian, had grown up with so much hatred, detest and maltreatment from her father. She was the fated mate to Alpha Killian. He refused to reject her, yet he loathed her and treated her poorly, because he was in love with another woman, Thea. But one of these two women was the cure to his curse, while the other was an enemy within. How would he find out? Let's find out in this heart racing piece, filled with suspense, steamy romance and betrayal.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.