In a world of crime, not everything is as it seems. And sometimes... the softest soul carries the deadliest truth
Rain trickled down the stained glass windows of the Rossi estate, dripping like tears onto the marble floor. The mansion, known for its elegance and cold reputation, held a secret tonight-one that would shatter the illusion of order in the criminal underworld.
Aria Bennett stood beneath the towering double doors of the grand ballroom, her long black coat soaked and clinging to her soft curves. Her heart thudded against her chest, not from fear-but from the fire of answers she'd sought for the last eight years. She wasn't supposed to be here. Not at this party. Not in this world.
But fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Inside, laughter roared. Champagne glasses clinked. Mafia dons mingled in tailored tuxedos, their wives in shimmering gowns. Everything about the night reeked of power, danger, and secrets.
Aria stepped forward, her stiletto heels echoing against the polished floor.
"Name?" the guard at the door asked, adjusting the earpiece in his ear.
She pulled down her hood, revealing deep auburn hair and eyes like shattered glass. "Aria. Aria DeLuca."
There was a pause. The guard blinked, typing into the tablet.
"DeLuca?" He frowned. "As in-"
"Yes," she cut in calmly. "Luciano DeLuca was my father."
Silence. The kind that draws blood.
The man didn't speak again. He only stepped aside and opened the doors.
The room was golden. Dripping in luxury. But as Aria walked inside, heads turned. Conversations halted. Whispers followed her like shadows.
"Is that...?"
"She's supposed to be dead."
"No. She vanished after her father's murder."
"Murder? I thought it was suicide."
She ignored them. All of them. Her eyes scanned for one person.
Dante Rossi.
The king of the Rossi Mafia. The man who, according to every lead she had followed, ordered the hit on her father eight years ago.
And there he was-standing like a god among men. Jet black hair, sharp jawline, and eyes that could slit throats with a glance. He held a glass of wine, surrounded by his lieutenants.
When he saw her, his glass froze mid-air. Their eyes locked.
She smiled softly.
"Miss DeLuca," his voice carried across the room. "I was under the impression that you were... buried."
A few nervous chuckles followed, but no one laughed freely. This wasn't a game. This was war.
Aria stepped forward, never breaking eye contact. "Is that what you wanted, Mr. Rossi?"
He studied her. "What brings you here tonight?"
She walked until she stood directly in front of him. "Justice."
A murmur spread. The temperature of the room dropped.
Before he could speak, someone burst through the doors.
"Boss!" a young man in a suit gasped, clutching a phone. "It's-It's about the shipment. We've been-compromised."
Dante's brows furrowed. "What do you mean compromised?"
"They leaked it. The location. The product. Everything. The Feds intercepted the cargo at the dock."
Panic.
Dante snatched the phone, his voice sharp and cold. "Who leaked it?"
The man swallowed hard. "It came from inside. One of us... tipped them off."
The room erupted. Accusations flew. Loyalty was questioned. Aria stood still, watching it all unfold.
Then came the moment that would burn into the memory of everyone present.
From behind the crowd, an elderly man limped forward. Vincento Rossi-Dante's uncle, and consigliere of the family.
He threw a file on the table. "This... was mailed to me this morning. Anonymous."
Dante opened it-and froze.
Inside were photographs. Emails. Documents. All pointing to the same man.
Rico Moretti-Dante's most trusted right-hand man. The man who had helped him rise to power. His childhood friend.
"You bastard!" Dante roared, slamming Rico against the wall.
Blood. Screams. Guns raised.
"Don't shoot!" Rico shouted. "You don't understand-I did it for you! The Feds were going to expose the secret! I had to sacrifice something else to bury the truth!"
Dante's hand trembled. "What truth?"
Rico's eyes flicked to Aria.
She tilted her head. "Go ahead, Rico. Tell them. Tell him the secret you've all tried so hard to bury."
"Shut up!" he hissed. "You don't know what you're talking about-"
"She's right," came a broken voice from the back.
All heads turned. It was Camilla Rossi-Dante's mother.
Dante looked at her in shock. "Mama?"
Her hands shook as she clutched a rosary. "Luciano DeLuca... was not your enemy, Dante. He was your father's blood brother. He protected this family more than you ever knew."
"What are you saying?" Dante whispered.
"She's saying your father's killer wasn't a rival gang," Aria said softly. "It was your own people. And I'm here to make sure they pay."
The room exploded.
And as the chaos unfolded-guns drawn, truths spilled, and alliances crumbled-Aria turned and walked away, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.
The scandal had been set.
And the war was just beginning.
THE SILVERTHORN PACK Never look a wolf in the eye. Never fall for the cursed. Eden Vale did both. When Eden crashes her car on a deserted mountain road, she wakes in Silverthorn-a town hidden from the maps and soaked in secrets. The people stare too long. The forest moves when there's no wind. And something is watching her from the trees with glowing eyes and a hunger she doesn't understand. Then she meets Kade Thorne. Scarred. Silent. Savage. He saved her once. He swears he won't do it again. But fate-and something darker-has already bound them. As Eden digs into her aunt's disappearance, she uncovers a town ruled by ancient laws, hunted by bloodlines, and stalked by creatures that wear human skin by day-and howl beneath the moon. There's a truth buried beneath Silverthorn's soil. And it's clawing its way to the surface. Welcome to Silverthorn. Don't run. They chase harder.
She only wanted to save her brother's life. He needed a wife to avoid a scandal. A signed contract, a quiet ceremony, and they became strangers living under the same roof. But what happens when the cold CEO starts falling for his fake wife-the one woman who's forbidden herself from ever trusting love again?
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
A twist of fate bound Allison to Derek in marriage-she, a powerful heiress with countless hidden identities; he, the city's most admired man, now lying silent in a coma. For three years, Allison used her unmatched medical skills to heal him, all while quietly falling in love. But when Derek's long-lost love returned from abroad, he handed Allison divorce papers without a second thought. Resolved to stop chasing shadows, Allison signed the papers and turned her back on love-rising to fame as a dazzling force in business, medicine, and more. Only when she stood high above the world did Derek finally see her worth. He knelt before her, eyes brimming with regret. "Will you take me back?" he whispered.
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
He told her to call him Daddy. Not because he earned it, but because he fucking owned her. The moment she signed that contract, she stopped being a woman with dignity and became his filthy little plaything. His holes to use. His mess to ruin. He didn't just fuck her, he rewired her. Stripped her clean of boundaries and filled her with sin. Every punishment made her scream. Every game dragged her deeper into his twisted world. And the way he praised her... Good girl. She should've run the first time he said it. But Daddy doesn't let his toys leave. He breaks them until they beg to stay. ** Mia's life changed the night she let a stranger ruin her. One night. She never expected to see him again. Until she walked into her new job... and her boss turned around. Ace.Her one-night sin in a thousand-dollar suit. Only this time, he wasn't asking her to be his assistant. She was to be his wife.
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.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?