After a lifetime of pain and abuse, fifteen-year-old Gabriella De'Luca loses the only light in her life, her mother. Thrown into the care of nine older brothers she never knew existed, Gabriella struggles to trust, haunted by her past. Will she let her new family in, or will the scars of her past keep her locked away forever?
Waking up to my stupid alarm blaring I sighed in irritation. That stupid thing...I am this close to smashing it against the wall
"Honey! Get ready. You're gonna be late!" I heard my mom yell and that's when I realized. It's Monday, just great.
I lazily dragged myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom and did my morning routine and got dressed.
I went down the old rooky stairs and was immediately pulled into a bear hug by my mom and tried not to wince in pain
"Morning mom. Please let me go. Are you trying to kill me?" I breathed out as her arms were still wrapped tightly around my badly bruised ribs
"Sorry dear. Come eat quickly or you'll be late" she said and I grumbled
"Mom I'll get something to eat at school. If I eat I'll be late besides I already brushed my teeth" I tried to explain to her but she gave me a disapproving look
"No, eat something before you go" she insisted and glared at me. Making me look down. Yeesh this woman can be scary
"Mom you worry too much I'll be fine" I assured her
"You don't value me, you don't care. When I die I wonder who will beg you to eat" she said with a pout and I rose my brows at her. Seriously, how am I the teenager?
"Don't say that, there's nothing to worry about. Here...I'll eat an apple on the way hmm?" I said, grabbing an apple and took a bite
"Fine go. Be careful" she said in defeat. I took that as my que and immediately ran out
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I finally arrived at school barely breathing as my lungs burned. Luke that bastard really did a number on me
I've got math first period, great. I mean I don't hate the subject but that woman is a bitch
Who wears braces and expect the students to understand a word you're saying?. Everything she says always comes out muffled. Plus she seems to hate my guts for some reason
I slowly made my way to the class. I passed some few students but no one bothered to talk to me. Not that I care though, I like having my own space. They're all scared of me anyway
I pushed open the door and everyone looked at me. The bitch glared at me and I rolled my eyes
"Care to tell the class why you're so late?!" She yelled making me wince internally at the noise
"Someone told me to go to hell. Couldn't find it at first but now I'm here" I said with a sarcastic smile on my face. Her face turned red as some of the students laughed
I walked to the last seat in the class and sat down. I glared back at her as if daring her to say anything
"Class submit your assignments now!" She yelled AGAIN. What's her problem, she knows we can hear her so why yell?.
I raised my hand and she looked at me for a while before sighing in irritation and motioning for me to say what I had to
"Would you punish me for something I didn't do?" I asked her, putting on an innocent look
"No of course not" she said quickly
"I didn't do my homework" I said and the class erupted with laughter yet again
"Why are you so difficult. Why must you play with everything?!. For God sake you are here to learn!" She roared at me and I cackled up
"No, I'm here because it's the law. Just do your job and mind your own business" I said hauntingly
She gaped at me for sometime before facing the board with a huff. I pulled out my headphones and began blasting loud music
I sighed and slowly fell into a deep sleep. I was suddenly rudely interrupted from my sleep and I raised my head to glare at the person. Which apparently was the old woman and I groaned
"What!" I snapped at her
"The principal is asking for you. Go now!" She said with a smug look and i flipped her off while taking my bag and walked away
What did I do this time?. I haven't done anything today right?. I mean I did talk back to her but it's normal he'd never call me to the office coz of that so why am I being called now?
I kicked the door open and looked at the principal with raised brows. From my side eye I saw a man sitting in a corner
"Take a sit Gab" The principal said and I glared at him
"It's Gabriella to you. Now why am I here. If it's for punching the stupid Geography teacher then he deserved it. That pervert tried to harass a girl" I said coldly and the principal gulped lightly
"Just take a sit. You're not in trouble" He said while sighing and I sat down while crossing my legs
"I'm sorry but your...your mother was in an accident. She suffered internal bleeding and I'm sorry but your mother is dead" He said with pity in his eyes and I stilled
"What?" It felt like my only support was taken away from me. Mom's dead?...I can't believe this, how am I supposed to function without her
'When I die I wonder who will beg you to eat' Her words from this morning haunted me. My eyes stung with tears but I didn't let them fall. Get it together...no emotions
"Tell me everything in detail" I said coldy, my eyes empty and void of any emotions
"I'm so sorry" he said with pity...pity!
"Wipe that look off your face before I do it for you" I threatened and narrowed my eyes at him. I see him visible gulp and I smirk. I like the fear in his eyes
"Her...her taxi was run over by a truck. And she died on the spot" He said and my jaw clenched. I clenched my hands tightly, trying not to explode
"So what now. Do I get put in the system?" I asked plainly
"No. This is your brother and you're going to stay with him as you've been placed under their custody. He'll take you home where you will meet your other brothers" the principal said and my eyes snapped to the man
Now that I look at him I do see the resemblance, his hair matched mine. He has the same steel grey eyes that I do. Even a blind person could see that were related but that doesn't mean I'm going with him
"No way in hell I'm going with you" I said and glared at him
"Gabriella you don't have a choice. Do you prefer going to an orphanage or foster care when you have a family that can take care of you?" He asked his voice soft but eyes cold
"Yeah sure a family I never knew. A family who didn't care about me, a family that abandoned me now that my mom's dead you want me back?" I said, sarcasm dripping in my words
"Look I don't know what lies Emilia fed you but we never abandoned you. She probably lied to you like she always does" he said coldly.
Okay no he did not just talk about my mother that way. I abruptly stood up and gave him the coldest glare I have
"Now listen and listen good. If you ever and I mean ever disrespect my mom infront of me again I will destroy you. Talk nonsense about her again and I'll eliminate you" I warned him but he just chuckled!. He chuckled, is he mad!
Trapped in a loveless marriage for four years, Elara endures Caleb Morgan's cold hatred and accusations. When she discovers she's pregnant, his cruel assumptions push her to walk away for good. But as Caleb uncovers the truth he once ignored, he realizes too late that he's lost the only woman who ever mattered. Now, he must fight to win her back, before their child is born and before Elara's heart becomes unreachable. Can love rise from the ashes of resentment, or is it too late for redemption?
Tom Riddle has only known pain, betrayal, and darkness. Hardened by a cruel past, he believes love is nothing but weakness, until he meets Ella Whitmore. She is everything he is not: kind, fearless, and unwilling to back down. As she challenges the walls he has built, Tom is forced to face the battle within himself. Can he escape the darkness that has defined him, or will he lose the only person who ever saw the good in him?
What happens when the your married boss pretends to be madly in love with you just to boost the sales of his compan, and get into your pants. Unfortunately for him, he failed to realise that we find love in the most hopeless places. This book brings to you two characters who solely underestimated the power of love. To find out what happens to these characters who underestimate the power of love, click on CHAPTER ONE !!!!!
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts master—each persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashton’s true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.