I cowered at the presence of the man in front of me. His presence was laced with power, wealth, danger and dominance. He ruled the underworld with an iron fist, his countenance void of emotions and warmth. He was feared by all and now I was caught in his trap. I committed a crime, I killed his sister. It was a question to his power and I knew his answer would crush me to pieces yet I couldn't help but shiver at his touch. Maybe, just maybe this mafia don would break me in the way I want.
It was a dark night... The roaring thunder and poring rain gave the Castello mansion a darker attraction.
It was pitch black, the curtains were flapping against the large windows, the rain finding it's way into the room through the open windows.
The storm was ruthless, unforgiving and determined to make the night scarier and extremely dangerous.
Luciano sat on his gold plated desk, his hands gripping his glass of whisky. The aggressive wind was blowing some rain into the room, most of it draining him.
He was lost in thought, it had been a long day as usual.
His phone rang and he picked it up without checking to see who was calling
"Luciano" he simply said.
"Good... Good evening sir. I'm sorry to disturb you but... There's..."
"Do not waste my time. What is it you have to say?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before the caller spoke again "there has been a unforseen... Something unusual happened sir..."
"Name"
"Excuse me sir?" The caller queried not understanding Luciano's statement.
"What is your name?"
"Oh... Mattias sir, Johnson Mattias..."
"What is your department? What services do you render to me?"
"Oh... I'm your sister's assistant bodyguard. I work in the security team sir..."
"Enough of the explanation. If you work in the security team then you should know how to handle unforseen circumstances. I do not pay you to call me about every damn thing. You have a boss, speak to him. Never call me directly" Luciano stated firmly.
"Okay... Okay sir..."
Luciano ended the call before the bodyguard could speak.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Luciano blinked, his sign of pure frustration and unrest. He had made it clear that he didn't want anyone disturbing him... He ordered everyone... Who dared disobey his order?
There was another knock on the door, this time it was more persistent... Almost like the intruder knew what was coming but couldn't afford not to risk it.
Luciano pursed his lips and got to his feet, his towering height and shadow visible on the wall. He reached for the gun in his pocket and blinked again. He tried, but what can he do? When a fellow calls for death, all one can do is give it to him.
With each step he took towards the door, his foot made a heavy sound as it made contact with the marble floor.
Just as he was about to unlock the door, there was another knock. Whoever it was must have some guts. What a persistent fellow, Luciano thought.
Immediately, Luciano's grip on his gun tightened and then he pulled the door open. Without waiting to check or see who it was, he pulled the trigger.
"Sh*t" A loud growl was heard and then a man fell to the floor, just at Luciano's feet, blood gushing from his forehead.
Of course, he didn't miss, he never did. Even without seeing who it was, Luciano had calculated his height, how? He did so from the sound of the knocks on the door. His door was as expensive as two penthouses, made by the best only. It had a special feature that only Luciano knew about, the sound.
Luciano looked down and stared at the lifeless body nonchalantly, was it necessary that he had to fall at his feet? Now he had blood on his shoes which meant he'd have to shower again.
"I was having a f*cking peaceful night!" He growled as he pulled his foot from under the man's legs, this threw the body upward, revealing the man's face.
Romero raised his eyebrows "interesting" he muttered as he scanned the familiar face.
Of course he recognized the face, very well infact, his sister's fiancé... Or rather, this was her fiancé, Gideon Martinez.
Luciano shook his head, suddenly angry that he had given him an easy death.
He was to get married in two days, why then did he f*cking come to disturb him? Gideon should be happy he only got shot, what pushed him all the way to my room?
"these fools... Now I need another shower!" Just as he was about to get back to his room, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps...
"Who is the next unfortunate one?" He growled, his voice disturbing the tranquility of the night. He was halfway into his room, his back turned towards whoever it was but he could tell they were more than one.
The footsteps stilled noticeably and there were heavy breaths.
"Capo... We apologise for disturbing you at such an odd hour... We are beyond guilty" Luciano recognized this voice, it was Antonio, his right hand man.
Meanwhile, Antonio was a panting mess as he tried to get himself together, he was beyond terrified of his boss, everyone was. There were strict orders not to disturb him and here he was, doing the exact same thing everyone was warned not to do.
The guards he brought along were also trembling behind him, probably cursing him for bringing this evil faith upon them. If only they knew how scared he was too, none of them came here by choice... No one does.
Antonio spotted Gideon's lifeless body on the floor but that was the least of his problems. Gideon had it coming and he knew it. He had been warned but he ignored it. When everyone saw him marching for the elevator even after being warned, they started sending their condolences to his fiancéé. Gideon's friend, Victor, even went as far as calling his parents and informing them of their son's death. He told them to stop the wedding plans and should instead plan his funeral.
Even Gideon's finacéé, madam Ana, one of the don's sister had removed her engagement ring and ran to her room, obviously fuming.
The don's parents, Mr Luca Luciano and Mrs Sia Castello had instructed the wedding planner to stop preparations.
Everyone knew that immediately Gideon had gotten into that elevator and imputed those forbidden digits, his faith had been sealed.
"Antonio! I give you exactly sixty seconds to explain why you're here. Fifty eight seconds left" Luciano stressed, his eyes fixated on his wristwatch. He was beyond annoyed with the situation and even more annoyed with himself for entertaining this stupid disturbance.
"Hm... Your parents ordered us to call you... They said it was important" Antonio said hastily.
Luciano scoffed in displeasure but kept his cool "I want this body gone before I get back here" he said as he walked towards the elevator.
~~~
The rain intensified, the wind was Wilder and the thunder didn't wand to be left out.
The Castello mansion stood tall in front of Ariana, the biggest mansion she had ever set her eyes on. It was huge, too big a space for a mansion. Just two acres more and it would have been estate.
Ariana was a fuming mess under the rain, her whole body was soaking wet and all she could do was stand there. The night was pitch black, even the moon seemed to have forsaken her this night. The only source of direction was the highly lit mansion that stood in front of her.
Her hands had been handcuffed by those dumb guards and she was being pushed around like a house rat.
She hated her present condition of helplessness, she would have preferred these men to have killed her instead... Why did they have to bring her to the one place she loathed the most? Why did they have to bring her to the property of the Castello's? The most dangerous and self centered familia... The familia that birthed the don... The ruthless... It was a sun for her to even think of such people.
The other criminals who had been brought here with her stared at her in surprise. They wondered what crime a mere lass would have committed that would warrant her being handcuffed like the rest of them. They were shocked to say the least.
What did this young lass do that will get her pushed around in the poring rain and even get a few slaps and scratches? They were criminals who stole and rebelled for a living... If anything, they were used to bring acquired as slaves and being tossed around. It was their fate... They had been born into titleless families, no reputation or royal blood running through them.
They have been to different families of made men as slaves and today, they were unwanted by their respective families because they were now useless. They were so useless that they had been kicked out and freed , left to do with their lives as they please. But deep down, they knew they would make nothing of the freedom they got, uneducated and unwanted... How would they survive in the cold ruthless underworld of Italy... The mafia... How would they feed daily? Even if they were slaves, they still got to eat something after being worked around like horses.
So what did they do? They intentionally stole from the Castello's so they could be taken as prisoners... Every slave on the cold streets, weather useful or not, acquired or not wished to be taken by the Castello's. Every familia respected the Castello's with their life and breath.
Even as freed slaves, if they get a little source of living, they'd still be killed by the gangs on the street. It is not safe in this cold streets of the underworld. Even if they were under other families, they could still be killed on the streets when sent on dangerous errands.
But no one dare touched any slave with the Castello initial in their uniforms. The Castello slaves were respected... Respected in the sense that they were not killed aimlessly. This doesn't mean that the Castello's slaves aren't worked like horses... It's just that they weren't killed by anyone else but the Castello's themselves.
~~~~
A scandal! In acient Britain, that's a word on one wants to be associated with, it can ruin a lot of lives in a single second. If the society deems it a scandal, then it is a scandal. The book will tell... This is an historical regency romance that depicts the societal norms of acient Britain with some twists. A scandal is controversial enough but a royal scandal... THAT is something you do not want to miss. So sit tight, fasten your seat belts and let the wind of my imagination and keyboard lead you to acient Britain...
Married to a man you can't recognize? It was a contract marriage, they've been married for two years. She didn't even look at his face on their wedding day. She can't recognize him if she sees him, they only met once and that was on their wedding day. He lives in Italy and she lives in New York. Till it all changed, they have to live together and give birth to an heir. He is fire, she is fireworks.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
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."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
"Please trust me, I didn't do anything." "I don't believe you. I am rejecting you as my Queen and giving you the punishment of death." Alina was living outside her pack for five years. Her parents didn't try to contact her and always ignored her. Her best friend convinced her to go back to their pack and she agreed. But she had never imagined what was waiting there for her. She never thought she would meet her mate and had to face betrayal from everywhere. She had to pay for the crime which she never committed. Aaron Robertson is the king of Lycans. He is a very dominant and powerful King who not only rules Lycans but also rules other ranks of werewolves. Everyone is afraid of Lycans and he is the king of them. But who knew that he would get a mate who was just a simple Omega with no powers and strengths? He called her weak all the time but little did he know that his weak Omega would give him the biggest betrayal of his life for which he had to give her the sentence of death.
She thought he was the villain. He was only trying to save his soul. Rena lives in a world of sunshine, sweets, and simple dreams. Until one reckless decision drops her into a dark realm of secrets, curses and werewolves. Kidnapped, heartbroken. She doesn't know who to trust anymore especially not Logan, the arrogant, cruel Alpha who's keeping her as a hostage. Until she discovers his dark secret. He's been hearing her thoughts all along. Now the walls between them are crumbling. And when feelings grow where hatred once lived, a curse demands that blood becomes a love that demands sacrifice. But how can she give her heart to the one who might need it to die?