Meredith, a brilliant high school graduate from New Orleans, was ready to start a new life in Italy, eagerly awaiting her university acceptance. Known for her academic success but lacking a social life, she decided to let loose and party with friends to celebrate their graduation. But a night of fun takes a dark turn when she stumbles into the wrong room at a nightclub and witnesses a brutal murder by none other than the club's owner-infamous Mafia boss Fabian Salvatore. Now a key witness to a dangerous secret, Meredith flees to Italy, hoping to outrun the mafia's grasp. But when Fabian resurfaces in her new life, she realizes escaping her past won't be as easy as she thought.
Meredith
Time was running so fast that I could barely wrap my head around it. Only a week ago, I was valedictorian and read out the speech only one student could read every year. The feeling had been bliss, but the moment I stepped down from the podium, I'd fallen into being a regular student with just a little social life. But the past week had changed everything, and tonight would have just the same effect.
The same day I made my speech, I also got the admission letter to study at the college of my dreams in Italy, and I'm leaving tomorrow. So little time for so much fun
Mom had been a little too over the top in her excitement about letting me off for college; even I couldn't deny the fact I needed a fresh start.
"Edith, some alcohol to warm your belly," Jayden offered, handing me a small red cup.
I bumped into the cup a little from all the bouncing around to Selena Gomez over the club speakers.
"Thank you," I murmured, drowning out the last part of my sentence with the cup on my lips.
"Sweet heavens, what is this? This is the sweetest thing you've given me all night," I yelled, and he shrugged.
"Cocktail," I said, licking my lips, drowning out the contents. I had a flight to catch tomorrow morning, and here I was feeling tipsy but couldn't stop myself from drinking. I was going to have a massive hangover and severe jet lag.
I was drinking for fun reasons, while Jay was drinking to feel a little more loose so he could ask the guy at the swimming pool out. He'd been eyeing him all evening.
"Hey, why don't we head to the swimming area? It's less noisy, and my head is starting to bang." I suggested pulling him towards the pool. Once we got there, he fetched me another cup of the same sweet cocktail and joined me on a bench.
"I'm so glad you could come out to have fun for the last time," he said, and I smiled. "Why wouldn't I come?" I said I wouldn't miss my last day for anything in the world, especially when my flight to Italy was the next morning.
"I don't mind travelling with a massive hangover." It's not even about that. It's about Lewis; you two have been split for almost a week. Chances are he'd be here and...
"Christ, Jay, I do not fucking care. If he's here, fine; if he isn't, great," I said and took a swig of my drink.
Lewis was my ex; he's my past. He cheated on me because, according to him, there was no better way to tell me he wasn't interested in doing long distance. Part of the blame was mine to swallow, believing that a former star basketball player who could lift his head up from the past glory he had obtained before his injury would be sensible enough to keep up with me abroad.
"Sassy," Jay cooed, and I was forced to slap the back of his head. My feet wobbled as I moved away from his reach, finding myself crinkly and staggering.
Look, I'm fine; just walk over there and talk to that hot piece of ass; once you're done, let me know how it means," I advised, and he grinned at me.
"Meanwhile," I paused to chug down the rest of the cocktail. "I need to use the bathroom; see you later." I clumsily dropped the glass cup on the table and walked away, trying not to fall with my shaky legs.
By the time I reach the stairs, I'm seeing things twice their actual size. It was not a good sign, but I made a mental note to drink water when I made it back downstairs.
I decided to take the elevator instead, and when I got in, I aimed to punch the first floor but ended up hitting the last one. I groaned and was frustrated. I stomped my feet to slow down the pressure I was receiving from my bladder.
The elevator finally dinged, and I ran off, stumbling into the first door on the left, and to my surprise, it gently creaked open.
Had they left it open while they slept?
When I looked up into the room, a chilling sensation ran through my bones.
A man dressed in a black suit was holding a young lady slumped to the floor with a knife cut on her neck, and in his hands was the knife dripping with blood.
I gulped noisily, and he turned his head to get a better look at the intruder. My eyes fell on the dragon tattoo running from his ear down to his neck. And just before his face turned completely red, I ran off, sprinting down the stairs completely sober.
Both fear and adrenaline were coursing down my veins in an unhealthy competition, but I don't have the time to suppress one or the other.
I was downstairs in no time; I did not even look for Jayden to say goodbye. For all I know, the man may be lurking after me, and we know how these things end. To clear off witnesses, I joined the lady on the floor, dead and cold.
I was breezing past the front door, panting heavily, and to my luck, a cab was just rounding the corner. I flagged him down, flailing my arms like a maniac.
He seemed to notice the urgency and hurried over.
"You need help, miss?" I nodded, opening the door. I don't care if he's headed my way. I just have to get the fuck out of here.
"Where to?" He asked, and I breathed in, trying to collect myself.
"I'd get off at Blue Avenue," I told him, and he nodded.
"That would cost you about two dollars." I don't care about the cost, so I didn't respond.
The one thing I kept my mind focused on was how quickly I'd be packing up for the journey to Italy. I am leaving the murder scene behind me. I prayed silently that he had not seen my face. But even I knew that the chances were slim.
"Tell me what you want, June." His voice was smooth and laced with a promise. "I want nothing more than to please you. More than he ever did." finally sealing his promise with a kiss. June thought she knew the billionaire she married. Lucas Grey, the perfect husband with a hidden darkness. But when secrets buried in his past and her own family's lies unravel, her world shatters. Betrayal cuts deep, passion burns hotter, and revenge becomes a dangerous game she never meant to play. Then there's him; Damian Stark. Mysterious, powerful, and undeniably drawn to her. He offers her an escape, but at what cost? Caught between the man she once loved and the one who tempts her to start anew, June must decide: fight for a love built on broken promises or surrender to the storm that could destroy them all. One choice. One secret, dark regrets and a truth that will change everything. .
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
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. .
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!"
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
"Lucien, let's get a divorce," I said in a peremptory tone that was long overdue, the most decisive farewell to this absurd marriage. We had been married for exactly three years-three years that, for me, were filled with nothing but endless loneliness and torment. For three years, the husband who should have stood by my side through every storm, Lucien Sullivan, had completely disappeared from my life as if he had never existed. He vanished without a trace, leaving me alone to endure this empty, desolate marriage. Today, I finally received his message: "I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport." When I read his words, my heart leapt with joy, and I raced to the airport, thinking that he finally understood my love and was coming back to me. But his cruelty was far worse than I could have ever imagined-he was accompanied by a pregnant woman, and that woman was Carla, my closest and most trusted friend. In that moment, all of my previous excitement, all my hope, and all of our shared laughter and tears turned into the sharpest of daggers, stabbing into my heart and leaving me gasping for air. Now, all I want is to escape from this place that has left me so broken-to lick my wounds in solitude. Even if these wounds will remain with me for the rest of my life, I refuse to have anything to do with him ever again. He should know that it was his own hand that trampled our love underfoot, that his coldness and betrayal created this irreparable situation. But when he heard those words, he desperately clung to this broken, crumbling marriage, unwilling to let it end-almost as though doing so could rewind time and return everything to how it used to be. "Aurora, come back. I regret everything!" Regret? Those simple words stirred no emotion in me-only endless sadness and fury. My heart let out a frantic, desperate scream: It's too late for any of this!