Caught in between the Mafias
/1/129726/coverbig.jpg?v=d952b45e9b05aae9f5803a8b2c8d4fc6)
The Hockey Prince's Secret Ice Queen
All I wanted was to find a computer genius to process the non-linear dynamic equations for my ecological model. Instead, I found myself cornered by Julian Andrews, the university's hockey prince, trading a public, staged kiss for his academic support. To finalize our "deal," I was dragged to the campus ice rink. The cheerleaders and puck bunnies immediately swarmed him, mocking my plain clothes and treating me like a pathetic joke. Brooke, the head cheerleader, even set up a figure skating competition with a date with Julian as the grand prize. She performed a basic spin, blew him a kiss, and smugly waited for me to fall flat on my face and humiliate myself. His hockey teammates laughed from the sidelines, watching me try to support Julian as he stumbled around the ice like a newborn giraffe. But as I held his warm hand to keep him from falling, I couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong. Why was a top-tier athlete faking such awful balance? And why did his ice-blue eyes stare at me with such knowing anticipation, as if he already knew about the professional figure skating past I had spent years trying to bury? "Just let go and skate." He whispered, slowly releasing my hand. I took a deep breath, glided to the center of the rink, and landed a flawless double Axel. As the entire rink fell into a dead, shocked silence, I realized I had just exposed not only my own hidden past, but also the biggest secret of the campus god.
Chapter 1 No.1
Sage POV:
"Let me kiss you."
The request was a low, hurried murmur—warm, quiet, and laced with the faintest edge of mortification.
Stunned, I snapped my head up toward the sound.
Julian Andrews filled my vision. He easily towered a head over me, his lean, athletic frame silhouetted against the bright morning glare, casting a long shadow across the cobblestones. Briar University's star forward. Team captain. The athletic department's untouchable golden boy.
Campus rumor had it that Julian was notoriously indifferent, never sparing anyone a second glance.
Behind him, a solid wall of navy-and-gold varsity jackets blocked the brick path. His teammates were whistling, shoving each other, and effectively cutting off my only exit.
The sudden commotion immediately bottlenecked the morning foot traffic. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and within seconds, a dozen students reached into their pockets out of sheer muscle memory, black camera lenses catching the light as they aimed squarely at us.
Julian's sharp eyes tracked the movement, his jaw tightening into a hard, irritated line.
Before I could take a single defensive step back, he closed the distance between us. Leaning down into my space, his broad shoulders shifted in a subtle, fluid maneuver—throwing up an impenetrable physical wall that completely shielded my face from the intrusive glare of the cameras.
His sharp, striking face hovered breathtakingly close. His deep baritone brushed against my ear, lost to the autumn wind, meant for me alone:
"Sorry to drop this on you," he whispered, his pale blue eyes disarmingly earnest, holding a quiet heat that sent a tremor straight down my spine. "The guys backed me into a locker-room dare... but I'm not here to use you as a joke. We can fake it. Angle it so it looks real—whatever you're comfortable with. Just help me get them off my back, and I owe you one."
It was only then that my brain finally rebooted.
What on earth? He's actually trying to kiss me?
A sharp flare of pure absurdity hit me, and my gaze dropped to my reflection in the dark glass door of the adjacent building: an oversized, faded gray hoodie that swallowed my frame whole, soft, thin jeans worn at the knees, bare-faced dark circles carved beneath my eyes from forty-eight hours of non-stop coding, my dark hair hastily twisted into a cheap plastic claw clip, and a pair of oversized, thick black-rimmed glasses sitting heavy on the bridge of my nose, completely hiding my face.
I looked like a refugee from an all-night disaster. How had Briar's golden prince ended up in front of me?
When I looked back up, my breath trapped in my throat anyway. He was too close, his clean scent of winter mint and cedar wrapping around my senses. Having those pale blue eyes staring straight down at me made my chest tighten in a way I really didn't want to acknowledge.
"Clock's ticking, Cap!" Landon howled from the sidelines, hands cupped around his mouth as the rest of the players lost their minds laughing. "Plant one on her, or enjoy the five-AM bag skate!"
A raucous chorus of barks and chest-thumping went up from the team.
A few yards away, two girls heading toward the dining hall froze in their tracks, pointing their phones.
"Wait, who the hell is that?" one of them laughed loudly, zooming her camera in on my face. "She looks like she just crawled out of a dumpster. There's no way Julian's actually kissing her. Post it on Sidechat right now—this is going straight to number one."
The cruel words hit like a splash of ice water, snapping me out of my daze and instantly killing the stupid flutter in my chest.
I hated the attention.
Four years ago, after my family and my former training partner framed me and destroyed my competitive skating career, I swore I would never be public entertainment again. I buried my name, switched majors, and hid behind oversized fleece and thick glasses just to live an invisible life. If I ended up on the campus forums with Julian Andrews, the internet vultures would dox me before noon—and drag up the toxic scandal I had bled to walk away from.
My research was already on the verge of falling apart. I didn't have time for this circus.
I locked my grip around my heavy binders, my knuckles straining white.
"Find someone else for your dare, Andrews," I said coldly, taking a step back to put distance between us, my voice tight with adrenaline. "I'm not interested in being part of your game. Move."
I kept my head down, attempting to brush past him.
"You're Sage Kelley, right?"
The sound of my name brought my boots to an immediate halt.
I blinked up at him, caught completely off guard.
"Professor Beaumont's senior research student," Julian straightened up slightly, his cadence measured and even, carrying an intellectual sharpness that seemed impossible beneath a varsity jacket. "I saw your Havenwood Creek senior capstone proposal sitting on his desk over Sunday dinner."
My heart gave a hard, hollow thud. Professor Beaumont was my academic advisor—and the guardian of the final research endowment my late father had left behind.
Julian leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper against the whistle of the wind. "I spent an hour going over your codebase."
My lips parted. "You... read my proposal?"
"Your simulation keeps crashing because your core fluid algorithm strategy is flawed," Julian murmured, his pale blue eyes deadly sharp. "And Uncle Des mentioned that if you don't deliver a working version by this Friday, the department is pulling your grant—which means you don't clear your senior thesis, and you don't graduate in May."
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Friday was the deadline. If the funding was pulled, the project died, my senior capstone failed, and I would be forced to stay another semester without my degree. Worse, my father's final ecological legacy would be reduced to scrap paper.
I had been panicking over that exact deadline for two days straight, and Julian had just laid it out like it was nothing.
Worse, I couldn't even brush him off. I had heard the rumors about Beaumont's nephew—the CS prodigy everyone in the department talked about. I just had never realized it was him.
"I know how to fix your algorithm," Julian stated plainly, laying his cards on the table, his gaze locking onto mine with an unshakeable, quiet certainty. "Help me get through this bet. In return, I'll rewrite your boundary calculations tonight. Deal?"
/0/88405/coverbig.jpg?v=e887df7f8e8ea6a33e56e22251580e53)
Caught in between the Mafias
When Valeria unexpectedly saw him after a three-year absence, all the hurtful experiences came flooding back and accumulated into hate. Leonardo, on the other side, found himself falling head over heels with her. Then came a shocking discovery, the child he rejected was alive and thriving. But his r
/0/66310/coverbig.jpg?v=6ba681b5526ad740236470a8b93e95a4)
Caught in between
When Amara Voss moves to the secluded mountain town of Blackwood, she's seeking a fresh start and a chance to heal. But the quiet town holds dark secrets, and her world is turned upside down when she encounters Lachlan Dane-a mysterious man with piercing eyes and a dangerous edge. Lachlan belongs t
/0/74443/coverbig.jpg?v=dc535198adae47e35113f83cf709e531)
Caught In Between Two Alphas
"Kyra," Roderick started, taking a few steps forward. "Tell me, does the child belong to me?" Norway scoffed mockingly. "You're really delusional. She was with me that night, and now you expect the child to be yours." Roderick spun immediately to face him. "You took advantage of her that night. Th
/0/87800/coverbig.jpg?v=822e99d8d8bef988706e9a951c48285f)
Torn between mafias
"BLOOD, LUST & CARTELS" Love was the least dangerous thing she walked into. Rose Daniel thought the worst betrayal was being cheated on until she discovered her boyfriend in bed with his own mother. Shattered and disgusted, she tries to cut ties with Vicenzo, only to fall into the arms of his myster
/0/50156/coverbig.jpg?v=da7bfb3341ef3e21dbd2d4be4f3dc482)
Caught Between Two Brothers
"Do you like it when I'm deep inside of you?" He whispered into my ear and my whole body shivered. "Yes please.Don't stop,please don't stop."I managed. He put both hands on my neck and started to choke me as he fucked me even faster, his entire length filling me up. Having sex with one..no,two of
/0/38677/coverbig.jpg?v=e1b138aa132f2cac9bee387b28e1375a)
Caught Between the twin ceo
BLURB Sydney was a stripper trying to survive when she has a one night stand with one of the White twins and dumps her drink on the other one while thinking they're the same person. She receives an interview proposal to one of the biggest companies in town. What happens when she finds out she
/0/26133/coverbig.jpg?v=defb4af1e2c725cbd75eba53aba4862c)
Caught between two alphas
What happens when Brooklyn falls in love with his brother's maid?.How would it end for Austin who despises girls, but his heart is captured by his maid.In between an alpha and his twin, Ariana is confused. Should she go for the cold alpha or his nice twin who vows to become alpha at all cost?. Arian
/0/20744/coverbig.jpg?v=ffe89ecd9132d48571d009719e7c0708)
Caught Between Two Billionaires
I came to my dream city to fulfill my long dream, while making tangible earnings to cater to my poor family's needs but things crashed for me when I met just this one man- the infamous Charles Donald. He became a thorn in my flesh, seeking revenge on me for stamping on his ego. But what could be m
/0/51212/coverbig.jpg?v=32867c6ff978058923d3eb90beceb654)
Caught Between Them
Amelia Grace meets Logan, the alpha of Portland werewolves and falls in love with him or so she thought. She meets Brock, Logan’s beta and friend and she suddenly cant even breathe, she still cares for Logan but when she looks at Brock all her sense of reasoning flies away
/0/28227/coverbig.jpg?v=55eec7bd8c6ddef6ed23f46ede30247b)
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
*CAUGHT IN👌🏿 THE MIDDLE* I walked along the road with my box of possessions i carried from the office. It was just one small box. I never had much things in that stinking office anyway. Images of the memories I had in that office flashed through my mind. I had been working for Julian and co. fo
/0/78389/coverbig.jpg?v=ae30adc108488f4a4e4062abbbaff510)
Caught in the Billionaire's web
Diana Lucas needed a husband to take revenge on her ex- fiance and her best friend, with the help of her childhood friend she was supposed to meet a tatoo artist for a blind date, who was broke but could be a perfect husband nominee. Breaking news? He was of course. Nevertheless when she got there
/0/24934/coverbig.jpg?v=e7b18dda629e4fa2c0d9e13fd42d085d)
In between the Alpha's
Charlotte has always been the spare The second daughter, the invaluable one and she hasn't really minded because although it hurts it gives her a freedom that her sister can only dream of A freedom that is taken away when she is promised to the notorious Alpha Hunter. She won't do that; not when sh
/1/116784/coverbig.jpg?v=49b33bb2ea38fbccf3589f36cacc4246)
In Between the Lines
Two enemies. One team. No escape. At Rosewood State, basketball is a religion. The fans are loud, the scouts are always watching, and the pressure to make the NBA is heavy. Xavier Reyes is the star point guard who looks like a machine on the court. He has the money, the talent, and the perfect cheer
/0/59570/coverbig.jpg?v=8b4b45c4256a3909fdff42028a17234a)
In The Silence Between
Gabrielle had always felt an inseparable connection to her twin brother, Samuel. They were like two halves completing each other. They shared a bond that was stronger than any other relationship. But one day, Gabby's world was shattered when Samuel was found dead in a burnt building. Heartbroken a
/0/21998/coverbig.jpg?v=421e8945fcf5bee02fe6ed04a8f0d761)
Caught In His Web
"Jace stop."I murmured between his lips. "Muffin,it has always been you."He whispered. "Go away,you never believed in love,why now?!."I struggled to push him away. "You changed my perspective,I love you,infact I'm in love with you."He confessed. I looked at him,his eyes held sincerity. Michelle
/1/103433/coverbig.jpg?v=3aaa874d9c475482dcdc4d13d636a43a)
Aching Hearts: Caught Between Two Loves
Love was never supposed to hurt this much. Lia thought life would be simple-finish school, protect the people she loves, and keep her heart safe. But everything changes when two very different boys step into her world. Jaden is steady, patient, and quietly devoted. The one who understands her sile
/0/20205/coverbig.jpg?v=daded8d1b344c7ed2cc6f1fefa7807a7)
Caught in her own trap
What could go wrong when you have got a computer geek friend like Trevor who can fix everything? Candice was happy that her stepmother's plan to marry her off to an older rich man had failed. The marriage certificate she produced was proof of her marriage to her secret boyfriend. The husband accor
/1/108093/coverbig.jpg?v=55de8fc428dcd7eea80cabd262bb4e06)
Caught Between Two Brothers ( love triangle)
She thought patience would earn her love. She was wrong. After years of waiting for her best friend to finally see her, she meets the one man she should never want-his older brother. Dark, forbidden, and dangerously perceptive, he sees through every excuse she's ever made for being ov
/0/98699/coverbig.jpg?v=164aa2626c93527a5a4214e509f9229a)
Caught In The Twin's Cruel Game
For three years, I was married to a lie. The man I loved, the man whose name I carried, wasn't my husband. He was his identical twin brother. The truth shattered my perfect life on our anniversary. My real husband, Elliot, had swapped places with his volatile twin, Killian, all so he could be with
/0/51420/coverbig.jpg?v=f61ea617595bd2aea0a85dba4844fb44)
In Between The Ruthless Alphas
Being the spare daughter has never been a worry for Charlotte, not when it gave her the freedom she desperately wanted. A freedom that is taken away when she is promised to the notorious Alpha Hunter. She decides that the best thing would be to run, and where does she run? Straight into the arms of
