Vera Stanford is bold, brilliant, and beautiful but her boyfriend only sees her size. Years of emotional abuse culminate in one humiliating night that sends her stumbling into the arms of a dangerous stranger. Michael Robb isn't just any man. He's a mafia king, feared and respected, in town on business when he saves a curvy goddess from the brink of danger and temptation. One steamy night of passion leaves a mark neither of them can forget. But when Vera disappears without a name, Michael is left with only a memory and her earrings. Weeks later, fate delivers her back into his world... as his personal assistant. She's pregnant. He's possessive. And neither of them is ready for the storm about to come.
Vera Stanford stared at herself in the mirror, tracing the mascara-streaked path on her cheek with trembling fingers. Her curly hair framed her round face like a wild halo, her brown eyes glassy and puffy from crying. She had dressed in the wine-red lace bodysuit Edward once said he liked back when he still pretended to love her. Now she felt like a fool standing in their dimly lit apartment, humiliated and discarded like an old shirt he no longer wanted to wear.
From the other room, the sound of moaning bounced off the walls, growing louder by the second. Vera's heart clenched. Edward wasn't even trying to hide it. He had brought the woman home with him thin, busty, legs for days. A stripper, he had said. A real woman. The words had landed like a slap, but it was his smug grin, the way he looked her in the eyes as he walked into their bedroom with another woman, that broke her.
"You just don't do it for me anymore, Vera," he had said earlier that evening, his voice laced with disdain. "I'm a man with needs, and you... you're not exactly centerfold material, are you?"
She had swallowed her pride, tears burning behind her lashes. For years, she had been loyal loving him through his selfishness, his absences, his endless criticisms. She had hoped he'd change. She thought her love would be enough. But now, with the sound of bedsprings creaking and that woman's high-pitched giggle echoing through her home, Vera realized she had never been enough for him.
The humiliation was suffocating.
Her chest tightened as she grabbed her coat and purse, not knowing where she was going, only knowing she had to get out. She couldn't breathe in that apartment a second longer. The city lights blurred behind her tears as she stepped into the night. Cold air kissed her skin, but it was nothing compared to the icy numbness inside her.
The cab ride was a blur. She didn't even remember telling the driver where to go, but somehow, she ended up in front of a high-end nightclub on the city's elite strip. "The Crimson Room", the sign read in glowing red script. It pulsed with life and danger somewhere people went to forget. Somewhere she could drown the memory of Edward in loud music and liquor.
Vera walked in, head high despite the ache in her chest. The bass hit her in the stomach, lights flashing overhead like electric dreams. She made her way to the bar and ordered the strongest thing they had. One drink turned into two, then three. The room spun deliciously. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel the weight of being Vera Stanford's unloved, unappreciated girlfriend. She was just a woman trying to forget.
But the illusion didn't last long.
A man sidled up beside her, his cologne thick and his eyes predatory. He was older, wealthy by the looks of his watch and shoes, but slimy in the way he grinned at her like she was prey. She tried to brush him off, but he didn't take the hint. His hand grazed her thigh.
"I said no," she slurred, trying to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her.
He grabbed her arm tightly. "Come on, sweetheart. You've been eyeing me all night-don't play hard to get now."
Her breath caught, panic setting in, but before she could scream or fight back, a shadow fell over them.
"Let go of her," a low, commanding voice growled.
The man froze.
Vera blinked up through blurred vision and saw him broad-shouldered, dressed in all black, his presence like a storm wrapped in silk. The man who had touched her backed away immediately, muttering an apology before vanishing into the crowd.
Vera stared.
The stranger's eyes met her dark, unreadable, powerful. His jaw was sharp, his hair slightly tousled, and his tailored coat hugged a body built from dominance. But it was his energy that pulled her in, that made her feel like she could collapse into him and be protected.
"You shouldn't be here alone," he said, his voice like smoke and thunder.
Vera wanted to say something but the alcohol hit her in a final wave and everything went black.
Lorenzo DeLuca is a man feared by many and loved by none. As the ruthless heir to the DeLuca crime empire, he built his power on blood, control, and unwavering discipline. But when his dying grandfather issues an ultimatum-marry or lose everything-Lorenzo has no choice but to secure a bride. Elena Romano, his sharp-witted personal assistant, never imagined herself entangled in the dark world of the mafia. But when Lorenzo offers her a contract marriage-a year-long arrangement with no emotions, no intimacy, and a million-dollar payout-she reluctantly agrees. It's supposed to be a business deal. Nothing more. But from the moment Elena steps into his world, the lines between duty and desire blur. Lorenzo finds himself drawn to her in ways he never expected, and Elena discovers that beneath his cold exterior lies a man haunted by shadows. Their passion is undeniable, their chemistry dangerous. And when Lorenzo's enemies discover his growing attachment to her, Elena becomes the ultimate target. When she's kidnapped, Lorenzo unleashes a wrath no one has ever seen. He will burn the city to the ground to get her back-because the one thing he swore he would never have, the one thing he believed was his greatest weakness, is the only thing he can't live without. The contract was supposed to end after a year. But love was never part of the deal. Now, Lorenzo must choose: Let her go, or fight for the only woman who ever made him feel alive.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"