The Declaration of War In the aftermath of the abduction, Dante convened an emergency meeting with his inner circle. The atmosphere was charged with tension, the gravity of the situation palpable. Dante's right-hand man, Luca, voiced the concerns of many: "Boss, DeLuca's move is a blatant provocation. If we retaliate without a plan, we risk an all-out war." Dante's response was resolute, his voice steely with conviction. "This is no longer just business. DeLuca has made it personal by taking Sofia. We will respond with the full might of our family. Prepare our forces; we strike at dawn."
Sofia Romano stood before the gilded mirror in her bedroom, her reflection a ghost of the woman she used to be. The delicate lace of her wedding gown clung to her body, a masterpiece of design meant to symbolize purity and obedience. But she felt neither. Instead, her stomach twisted in rebellion. Today, she was to become the wife of Adrian DeLuca, the ruthless heir to the DeLuca crime family-a man she had never loved, never even chosen.
The golden cage she had been born into had never felt more suffocating.
From the grand windows of her family's estate, she could see the sprawling gardens where guests were already arriving. Powerful men in dark suits, their wives adorned in glittering diamonds, all gathering to witness the union of two mafia dynasties. To them, this wasn't a love story. It was a contract.
A merger.
Her father, Vittorio Romano, had made that painfully clear the night he announced her engagement.
"Sofia, this is not about love," he had said, his voice as cold as the steel of his revolver. "This is about securing our family's future. You will marry Adrian DeLuca, and in return, the DeLucas will ensure our survival."
Survival.
That was the word they used to justify her imprisonment.
She wanted to scream, to fight, to run. But where could she go? The Romano name was both her shield and her shackle. Without it, she was nothing. And with it, she was a pawn, sacrificed at the altar of power.
A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Sorella," her brother Luca called from the other side. Sister. His voice was softer than usual, tinged with something she rarely heard from him-concern.
Sofia hesitated before unlocking the door. Luca stepped inside, dressed in a sleek black suit, his sharp green eyes mirroring her own. Unlike their father, Luca had always tried to shield her from the darkness of their world. But even he had his limits.
"It's time," he said.
"Luca, please," she whispered, gripping his arm. "Tell me there's another way."
Her brother's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. He hated this as much as she did. But he was just as powerless.
"You know there isn't," he murmured.
Sofia's chest tightened. The walls of her prison were closing in
The ceremony was a blur. Vows were exchanged. Rings slid onto fingers. And just like that, she was no longer Sofia Romano-she was Sofia DeLuca.
Her new husband stood beside her, a towering presence in a black tailored suit. Adrian DeLuca was the embodiment of power-sharp, unreadable, dangerous. His piercing gray eyes never left her, though they revealed nothing. No warmth. No tenderness.
Just possession.
At the reception, she was expected to smile, to dance, to play the part of the obedient bride. But her mind was elsewhere.
Escape.
The thought gripped her like a lifeline. If she didn't do something now, she would be trapped forever.
And then, an opportunity presented itself.
As the guests grew drunk on wine and power, Sofia excused herself, her heart pounding as she slipped through the halls of the DeLuca estate. If she could just reach the garden... find a car... disappear...
But the moment she stepped outside, a hand clamped around her wrist.
"Going somewhere, wife?"
She turned sharply, her breath catching as she met Adrian's piercing gaze. He had followed her. Of course he had.
"I needed air," she lied, her voice barely steady.
He didn't let go. Instead, he studied her, his expression unreadable. "Running won't change anything, Sofia."
Her pulse hammered. He knew. He had always known.
"And if I did?" she challenged, her chin lifting. "Would you hunt me down?"
Adrian's grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he released her.
"You're mine now," he said simply. "And no one takes what's mine."
Sofia's heart sank.
She was trapped.
And Adrian DeLuca was the warden of her gilded cage.
The air between them seemed to crackle with electricity, a magnetic pull drawing them closer. In that shared moment, the walls they'd each built began to crumble, revealing the raw, unguarded souls beneath. Can Sofia really resist this smoke of love?
"He wasn't just deceiving two women-he was deceiving two sisters" Is Kenze a true lover or just a gold digger?
......Why had she left without warning? What had driven her to make the decision to disappear from his life, to leave him wondering if he would ever see her again? As he waited for her to speak, David realized that the answers he had been desperately seeking were within her, but they were going to be difficult to hear....... Did Sarah unravel the words within the wall of her heart to David?
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"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.
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.
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.