VENDETTA: TAMING THE UNTAMED "I like the way you touch me, the way you move me, Vendetta." His eyes smoldered with desire as I trailed a feather along his groin, drawing a gentle gasp from his lips. With a sultry smirk, I cooed, "Do you believe God is a woman?" "You make me a believer." ~~~ Forged in fire, she was a weapon honed for revenge. Orphaned by tragedy and bullied to the brink, Vendetta became the city's deadliest fighter for hire. Bound by a ruthless contract to protect the Mafia heir, Gabe Morello, she is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. He is the feared Capo Dei Capi, a man consumed by shadows and violence, whose love language is one of guns, bloodshed, and shattered souls. Vendetta chooses to tame the devil that once wronged her with sensuality. But can their forbidden love survive the inferno of their shared history, or will it be consumed by the flames of vengeance? "I am your Aphrodite. Only I can tame you, Gabe Morello." "I know," he whispered. "Just kiss me."
VENDETTA: TAMING THE UNTAMED
PROLOGUE
I was seated in a pool of my parents' blood, their lifeless bodies sprawled beside me, gunshot wounds marring their heads. My mother's brain matter leaked onto the cold floor, her vacant eyes staring into nothingness. Blood dripped from between my thighs, my swollen lips quivered, and my hands trembled as I clutched the telephone, its surface slick with blood. I waited for the beep tone, the sound that would connect me to someone-anyone.
I had just been raped. My parents had been murdered.
"112, what's your emergency?" The operator asked, her voice clear and calm, as if it could cut through the chaos.
Staring blankly into the distance, I answered in a voice that felt foreign, detached, "My parents have just been murdered."
I didn't have it in me to cry or scream. It was over. Crying wouldn't fix anything.
"Sorry, miss, can you speak louder? You said your parents have been...what?"
"Murdered," I repeated, my voice a shaky monotone. "I'm bleeding too. I was raped."
The sound of her fingers tapping the keyboard filled my ears, each click echoing in my head. "Miss, I'm so sorry. How old are you? Where are you calling from? We'll send help right away. Can you tell me your name?"
Her questions came too fast, too many. "It's not an emergency. I'm just calling to report them dead."
The operator hesitated, sensing my urgency to end the call. "Miss, please stay on the line. Help is coming. I just need your location, your name, your age. Are you injured? How badly were you raped?"
I glanced down at my blood-soaked thighs, the memory of their touch still burning on my skin. "Brutally, I guess. Three men took turns." My voice was flat, as if discussing a mundane topic, like the weather.
"If help comes, what happens to me? I don't remember their faces, so don't ask."
"I promise not to ask," she assured me, her tone softening. "But I need your name, age, and location. In other to page dispatch assistance."
"My age? I don't know... guess?"
"You sound like a teenager, maybe twelve?" she ventured, her voice gentle, trying to reach me.
I laughed, a hollow sound. "Wrong! I'm fifteen. You're terrible at guessing. Do I sound that young?"
A heavy silence followed from her end, pressing down on me.
"I'm afraid you're in shock. Please, just tell me where you are. You need medical attention."
Her words drifted over me, distant and meaningless. "What do you mean?"
Then it clicked. "Oh, my name? Vendetta," I lied, the word tasting like ash on my tongue.
There was a pause, and I could almost hear her doubt. The line went dead.
My real name wasn't Vendetta, no, it was Kael, but at that moment, I adopted a new one: Vendetta. The operator's abrupt hang-up still stung.
She likely thought I was fabricating the whole ordeal, but I wasn't. Determined to reach her again, I dialed repeatedly, only to be connected to different operators each time.
Time dragged on, each second stretching into an eternity. The blood on my legs dried, the metallic scent fading. I tasted it, and it was just blood-bitter, coppery flavor, and cold.
When help finally arrived, I didn't think I needed it.
"I'm sane, I'm sane. There's nothing wrong with me!" I screamed, fighting against their hands as they restrained me. They said I was traumatized, but I wasn't. I was the most sane person on earth.
Months passed. I took their tests, answered their questions, and they finally declared me sane. They sent me to foster care, and gave me a scholarship to some prestigious school for the elite kids. But it didn't end there. One day, I had enough.
It all spiraled out of control on a Monday morning.
~~~
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.
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
"You're pathetic!" Brenden sneered, each word cutting deep into Corinna's heart. Years of emotional wounds had drained every ounce of love she once held. "I've wasted enough time on you. If there's a next life, I hope we never meet again." Her words severed the bond between them like a blade. From that moment on, Brenden was haunted by her absence—unable to sleep, longing for the warmth he took for granted.
Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."
Chandler Su who had cheated by her boyfriend then got drunk at a bar. To take revenge, she grabbed a man randomly and took him to the room. After a crazy night, Chandler found the strange man was a super handsome guy the next morning. Shy and shocked Chandler run away after leaving 150 RMB and scorning the man of his poor bed skills. However, she never thought the story would become so dramatic as the next day, she found out that the new coming president of her company was exactly the man she slept the last night! Worse than that, this new boss seemed very narrow-minded as he asked Chandler to come to his office on the first day.
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!