Heart of the Empire

"I don't love you... I never have... And, I never will..." I stated firmly. Vicenzo smiled ruefully, licked his lips, and stared straight into my eyes. Then he uttered the coldest words I've ever heard: "What you feel for me is irrelevant... I've never asked for your love. And you always seem to forget that what we have here..." he paused, gesturing his fingers between the two of us. "Is just a peace treaty, nothing more, nothing less!! And yes, we will come out of this alive. And when we do, I will find out who betrayed me! And I'll make them wish for death." ******************************************************************* The Clayton and Griffo families are the two top crime organizations in Philadelphia. In order to coexist peacefully, a peace treaty was signed years ago between the two organizations. But everything goes to shambles when Tomas Griffo, head of the Griffo family was assassinated. Tension rose sporadically, and Harold Clayton, the boss of the rivals, became the primary suspect. To prove his innocence in the matter and to ensure peace, Harold offered a daughter of his, Anastasia to Vicenzo, the new head of the Griffo clan, as a wife in an arranged marriage scheme. However, things take a strange turn when Harold himself is killed. What happens when Harold's sons decide to change the terms of the arranged marriage without Vicenzo's knowledge? Will peace and love reign among the organizations, or will an all-out war break out? Read on to find out.

Alex Mitchell seems to live an ordinary life until one day he receives a mysterious letter revealing a shocking secret - he is the long-lost heir to a powerful criminal empire. As Alex delves deeper to uncover the truth about his past, he finds himself caught in a deadly game of deception and betrayal. Born to humble beginnings, Alex grew up close friends with Victoria Thompson, the privileged daughter of a wealthy businessman. Unknown to Alex, Victoria's family actually controls a vast criminal organization that dominates the city's underworld. When Alex comes of age, a shadowy figure named Mr. Johnson approaches and unveils Alex's true lineage - his late father was the former head of the criminal syndicate before disappearing years ago. Thrust into a world of danger and intrigue, Alex must now navigate the complex web of alliances and enemies that comprise the criminal underworld. But not everyone is pleased with his emergence. Victoria's father, Thomas Thompson, sees Alex as a threat to unseat his family's control. Through manipulation and lies, Thomas engineers a scheme to discredit Alex and take away what is rightfully his. Alex's world comes crashing down when he discovers that Victoria, the woman he loves, has betrayed hi With Mr. Johnson's guidance, Alex transforms himself into a formidable opponent. But his greatest challenge comes in the form of Leonard Vega, Thomas' chief enforcer who has aspirations of his own. Through twists and double crosses, Leonard emerges as Alex's most dangerous foe yet. As Alex climbs the ranks of the criminal underworld, he must outwit Leonard at every turn in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

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."

It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"

To fund her father's medical bills, Helena stepped in for her half‑sister and wed the city's notorious deaf heir. On their wedding night, as she bared herself, he dismissed her hope with, "This is strictly business." Living beneath the weight of his unpredictable moods, she learned to fear every moment. When everyone bet on her ruin, he became her fiercest protector. But as their contract expired and she gathered her things, tears shimmered in his eyes. "Please… don't leave me."

"End her, and burn her body." Those words rolled off cruelly from the tongue of my destined one-MY MATE. He stole my innocence, rejected me, stabbed me, and ordered me to be killed on our wedding night. I lost my wolf, left in a cruel realm to bear the pain alone... But my life took a twist that night-a twist that dragged me into the worst hell possible. One moment, I was the heir to my pack, and the next-I was a slave to the ruthless Lycan King, who was on the brink of losing his mind... Cold. Deadly. Unforgiving. His presence was hell itself. His name a whisper of terror. _He swore I was his, craved by his beast; to satisfy even if it breaks me_ Now, trapped in his dominant world, I must survive the dark clutches of the King who had me wrapped around his finger. However, within these dark reality, lies a primal fate....

Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.

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.