Cages aren't made of iron or steel; they're made up of the lies and half-truths we build our realities upon. Sixteen-year-old Caterina Donati's life appears ridiculously perfect on the outside. She's rich, beautiful, and top of her class and continues to maintain this facade until an old classmate's return to Ashton Wellesley Academy turns her world upside down. With ink, piercings, and attitude to match, Zachary Mazur is no longer the boy everyone used to bully in seventh grade. They become rivals from day one. Chaos ensues as egos clash and sparks fly. Cate soon discovers there's much more to Zac than meets the eye, and the two of them embark on a quest for truth and justice. The dark and wrenching journey brings Cate and Zac closer than ever even while it unravels everything the young lovers know about themselves and the smiling sharks around them. "Gilded Cage" is the first book in my "Gilded" series. Be sure to check out the sequel, "Gilded Hearts," after reading this one.

|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston

If I will describe her, she is the perfect personification of sinful and forbidden beauty that I am willing to break the prohibition and worship her.

This is not the official sequel.

~>"I like to believe my thorns were once flowers."<~ ~*+*~ Arabella Karve has learned to keep everyone away. To lock them out, and make them believe that she is the heartless daughter of the worst man alive. No one has ever taught her what it is like to be loved. This is until she meets Eros Vandare. A deadly assassin from Italy is hired to protect the heir to the throne of the mafia. He is a monster, and everyone knows it. He is incapable of love. Until he meets Arabella Karve, the girl he was hired to protect, and he realizes what it means to be alive. What it means to love. ~*+*~ "You don't have to come up here every night if you don't want to." I mumble, my eyes fluttering shut. I never want to force him to come lay with me if he doesn't want to, if it makes him uncomfortable. His arms tighten around me. "I know I don't have to." His chest rumbles against me, the feeling vibrating within every bone in my body, "and I probably shouldn't." Disappointment floods my senses and I take a shallow breath, "probably not." "But I am." "Why?" I whisper softly. I tilt my head to look up at him, my eyes meeting his. He gently brushes a a piece of hair out of my face. "Because I'm fucking selfish and I need you, regardless of what I should or shouldn't do." ~*+*~ **in the process of being edited<3**

Daniella Harris, a gifted prodigy who graduated high school at just sixteen, rose to prominence as a successful surgeon. On the night of her graduation, she joined what was supposed to be a celebratory farewell party with friends she trusted. But the night took a dark turn-she was drugged and awoke to find herself robbed of her innocence by a stranger. The events that followed tested the very core of her mental resilience, reshaped her decisions, and forged the determination that would ultimately define her. Despite the trauma, Daniella chose to take ownership of her life. She persevered-and she triumphed. Matteo Giordano, now the feared and respected in the Italian Mafia, had his own fateful encounter years ago. At seventeen, he was grabbed a drink meant for someone else and lost his free will. He woke the next morning with a beautiful girl beside him-her face etched with pain, regret, and a haunting purity. Though she fled without a word, the impression she left endured. Matteo noticed what others might have missed: the telltale stain that marked her first time. Though he searched for her, she had vanished -leaving only a memory that tormented him. Now, years later, their paths cross once more-not by intention, but perhaps... by fate.

His eyes turn to me. The hazel is practically mocking, and even though I don't react, there's no way he doesn't notice the way my face warms when he stares at me a beat too long. Jo would kill me. It's enough to get it from Amy, but me too? God. _____________________________________ This short story takes place in Concord, Massachusetts, 1860's, centered on Lillian March, the fifth and second oldest daughter of the March family, who catches a young boy's eye whilst he becomes best friends with her sisters.

[FEATURED BY WATTPAD] When Annie moves into the March household, she's met with cold glances and clipped words. But as walls begin to fall, so does her idea of what family really means. Just when she's finally found her place, the boy next door turns her world upside down-and suddenly, she's learning that love, like family, can come from the most unexpected places. (Little Women, 2019) ••••• ••••• ••••• This story has been featured by official Wattpad accounts in the following: @HistoricalFiction - "Historical Fanfiction, Historical Fantasy, & Alternate Universes" (02/21/21)

"I was born to hate you." Iyan ang mga unang salitang sinabi ni Zoe sa "boyfriend" niyang si Jet kasama ng isang mala-demonyitang ngiti. Desperada na si Zoe na mapanatili sa paaralan ng Westerhaven matapos siyang magkaroon ng scandal-kuno nang kumalat sa social media ang sexy niyang picture. Ngunit hindi niya alam na ang pagsabi niya sa presidente nila ng "I will do everything" ay itatapon siya nito sa mga braso ng isang lalaking kahit hindi niya pa kilala ay hate na hate na ng buong pagkatao niya. Sapat na sa kaalaman ni Zoe na galing itong Pryston para mainis siya. At ang malala pa dito, kinakailangan niyang magpanggap na girlfriend nitong perverted na lalaking ito. Oh no! Now, how did Zoe get in a situation like this? And how will Zoe and Jet pretend to be in love when they hate each other down to their last cell? Torn between the half-hearted kisses and hugs for show, the two can't help to wish it's over. But the question is "Will it ever be? And how?" WARNING: Contains a truckload of mild swearing. Highest Rank : #1 Fiction | #1 Teen Fiction © Katerina Emmanuelle 2016

For months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...