Aria morretti, a struggling journalist, offers herself in place of her father-a man wrongly accused of destroying the mafia's multimillion-dollar front. Taken as a sex slave by the ruthless mafia don, Nico Romano, Aria must navigate a world of violence, forbidden passion, and betrayal. But as the lines blur between captor and captive, Aria discovers that beneath Nico's cold exterior lies a man haunted by his past. Together, they must uncover a web of lies to uncover the truth behind the fire that changed both their lives forever.
ARIA MORETTI
Aria took one last sip of the coffee before setting the empty cup back on the table.
She then readjusted the study light to focus on the table where different photos of the same scene lay. It was the same loosely clad man sprawled across the floor with a pool of dried blood on the ground around his head. She shuffled the images and grimaced at each one that came to view before starting to type out the words that would be published by her small online newspaper for the readers who wanted more on the case the next morning.
The lawyer, Milano Cargioli, had been found dead in the most bizarre of circumstances. No sign of breakage into his house, no signs of a struggle, and no signs of even movement through the house. All that was there was a single bullet in his head, and there was no proof that it was a suicide.
For Aria, it was a matter of passion. She felt sad for Cargioli's family, but still wanted a path for herself in the News Industry, a path to fame and being widely known by all the faces around. In a few years, he would be forgotten, and all that would be there to remind anyone of him would be a tombstone covered in dust. Yet, if she could build her career...
She was still typing at her keyboard when a distant noise drew her attention. It was nothing close, and even seemed to be on the other side of the city. Yet, it caused her to jump up to her feet and rushed to check on the one man in the world who mattered to her more than anything else.
"Father," she muttered to herself, dashing through the small, dark space that was her house. Soon she was in his room, and darted to press her hands against her father's ears.
"Don't worry. I can already hear it." He said in the darkness, his voice calm.
She froze right behind him, staring at his head full of grey hair as he sat with his back to her and wondering what was happening on the inside of that beloved skull.
"Check and tell me what the cause of the noise is." He instructed.
She stood still, confused on what to do before walking to the window. The streets were dark except for the tiny glows that were passing cars and a few streetlights and signboards, until her eyes went higher up and closer to the horizon. There, she saw it.
It was a building quite shorter than the ones that surrounded it, but this time something drew all attention to it.
It was on fire.
A number of firetrucks were already working on it and spraying jets of water that ate at the mighty, hot, yellow glow that was the fire. It would be out of operations for a number of months, and no one would be able to work there. That was what half the city who stood watching that fire would be thinking. It was just a burning building that was put out before the calamity would spread.
For Aria, it was far deeper and more heartbreaking. That big building was the one in which her father worked as a truck driver. She knew that the fire meant hunger and poverty and devastation for her father, and the same for her if she could not put some food on the table.
"There's a fire somewhere. It is nothing , Father."
He only sat still and nodded.
"Elena and Mabel will be safe too, will they not?"
It was a ten worded question that set her on alert and caused her to rush towards the drawer, dig his antidepressant pills out within the fraction of a second, and spend another one taking out the emergency water that she had hidden in various places about the house just in case she needed a quick fix for him. Just like now.
"Have it, Father," she pleaded, holding out a single white pill in the palm of her hand. Her father would also take it from her with the gentleness of a lost child and wash it down his throat before sitting in the still manner he was as she entered the room. As soon as he did this, she threw her arms about his shoulders and kissed the wrinkled skin on his face."You are safe and fine. They are all safe and fine. They are happy too." She whispered, her heart tipping apart as he sniffed and started to cry, his body shaking all over.
It took a lot of composure-well accumulated over the years so that it left her with thick skin-to stop her from crying herself. Since the night of the robbery that left their little house picked clean of everything it had to offer and with the bodies of her mother, Elena and her younger sister, Mabel lying dead, her father had never remained the same.
The lights terrified him at night because he was sure that he would find a corpse waiting for him once he flipped the switch on, and loud noises like the one outside now drove him marbles, for they reminded him too much of that night. There was only one force keeping him together, and it was the surviving daughter who had somehow convinced him to go to sleep just then. He too, loved and appreciated how she had given herself to be cared for by him, and it was why he had taught himself never to question any one of her decisions.
She lay by his side and massaged his hair until he fell asleep, before standing up to go to the window where the building had now been reduced from a burning warehouse to half a large brick of red coal. Smoke billowed up from it slowly, and she stared at it for a long time, aware that the caffeine had had its effects and she was not going to be sleeping for a long time, that it was another piece of news, and that she was going to have a hard time consoling her father, who would lose his mind over the truth she just hid from him.
**
To forget all of that, she returned to her room and tried to finish the lawyer's story. Her worry over her father only permitted her to do it with a fair amount of success, and she was pulling at her hair when there came the sound of knocking upon the door.
It was strange, and she froze while trying to guess who was at the door before she heard it being kicked open with the sound of men yelling as they came in. Even then, she could only think of one thing.
"Father."
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
"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.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”