My heart hammered against my chest as I saw who was standing infront of me. I thought I had enough time to flee, guess not. I looked behind his back intending to run through the door, away from his heated gaze. "Don't you dare." His voice still made me cower in submission, even after all these days. "I won't tell what happened between us to anyone, sir. Please, let me go." "Never. I don't fucking care even if the whole world knows about us." There was that stubborn, harsh edge in his tone that ended any protest before it could rise in my throat. I had to get out of here before he did something I would regret. "I told you to wait until I came back didn't I?" Yes, he did, but that was the only chance I had to run away from his shackles and I wasn't no fool to not take that chance. Even if I was regretting it now. "Nothing can happen-" "Strip." His command made my reasoning with him pause. "Wh-what?" I didn't mean to stutter, but I was also one second away from fainting on the velvety carpet. "You know it won't take me a second to tear that pretty dress off of your body, so don't make me come there." I knew he could tear it off without even getting one hair out of place. As it wouldn't be the first time he would be doing so. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ [18+] Diamonds always stay hidden. It is us who have to find them.

"Hey B..." I start and he hums in reply, just staring at me with adoration and I find the courage in myself to finish my sentence. "Can you do something for me?" "Anything." He promises, without even knowing what I'm going to ask of him. Jesus, this man is literally going to be the death of me. If so, it'll be a good death indeed. "Kiss me." He doesn't need any more prompting than that. Within milliseconds, his lips are pressed against mine in a gentle caress. His hands move to cup my neck while mine tighten on his shirt, trying to anchor myself as he kisses me slowly and languidly. I could definitely die happy now. His lips are like soft velvet and his hands are coarse from riding but they hold me like I'm the most important thing in the world. He tastes like coffee and smells like wood smoke, a heady combination that has me weak in the knees.

"𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩, 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚." Olivia groaned and crossed her arms, standing her ground. "Don't tell me what to do. You're not my dad." Amusement filled Santino's gaze as he stood up, abandoning the papers he desperately needed to read and sign. Yet, all that was forgotten as her bewitching lips protruded. "I might not be your dad but," a midnight lock of hair was pinned behind her ear, "I can be your papi." Shuddering, her body drew closer to him, betraying her mind. "You're sick." Taking the nape of her neck, Santino leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. "Yet you still dream about my touch, don't you, principessa?" ❦ When Santino Adriano discovers that the Bratva has betrayed their neutrality by secretly working with his family's enemies, he's determined to send a brutal message that cannot be ignored. His target? The Bratva kingpin's sister, Olivia Morozov-a sheltered girl who knows little to nothing about the dark underworld her family controls, having been shielded from the darker truths of her family's empire her entire life. Fresh out of boarding school and blissfully oblivious to the power struggle boiling beneath her feet, Olivia is suddenly whisked away from everything she's ever known and thrust into a world where loyalty is weaponised and power is the ultimate prize. As secrets and long-buried lies unravel around her, she realises she's caught in a game where the unrelenting fight for power holds more value than human lives-including her own. Santino is cold, calculating, and relentless - everything Olivia should fear. Yet, she is intrigued by by his deadly nature. The line between fear and attraction is thin, and like a moth to a flame, she seeks him out, unafraid of the burn it may cause. She's never known anyone like him-an older, dangerous man who makes her question everything she thought she knew about desire. Olivia just didn't expect her captor to be so handsome.

SECOND BOOK OF THE VELVET & VOWS SERIES 🩶⛓️ ≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺ Vincenzo Russo The most feared man in the country-the ruthless Don of the Las Vegas Mafia. He attends a wedding with one goal: to provoke the other families and remind them who holds power. What he doesn't expect... is her. Liliana Aurora Moretti. Milan's mafia princess. Raised in luxury, born into danger. After her uncle's death, her family returns to New York-where Liliana finds herself at Vogue Fashion College and rises into the spotlight as a supermodel. ≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺ Preview... I was steadying my hands when the door suddenly shot open. Vincenzo stepped inside and locked the door behind him with a quiet click that sounded final. "This is the women's bathroom," I snapped. He shrugged, walking closer. "I don't give a shit." I tried to push past him, but he stepped in front of me, blocking the path like a wall that had learned how to breathe. "I don't like your fucking attitude," he said, irritation sharpening his voice. "What are you going to do about it?" I challenged, refusing to blink. He didn't answer. He just moved. One step. Then another. Slow, predatory patience in every shift of his weight, until my back hit the wall behind me. He lowered himself slightly, eyes locking onto mine again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You want danger, principessa?" he murmured. "Keep talking to me like that... and I'll make sure you choke on the consequences you're begging for." A cold wave washed through me, sharper than fear, deeper than anger. My breath locked again, pulse hammering in my ears as his smirk returned, thin and satisfied. He didn't touch me. He didn't need to. He already had. #1 lasvegas 01/25/2026

BOOK ON HOLD-- writers block 😔 𝗜𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗦 is the perfect little ballerina - soft-spoken, obedient, and untouched by the world that sold her. To everyone else, she's just a quiet girl with lowered eyes and pointed toes. But 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 knows better. He sees the way her hands tremble. The way her smile doesn't reach her eyes. The way she obeys like she's afraid not to. And it pulls him in. She was promised to him-a contract sealed in blood, not love-and now she belongs to a man as cold as he is calculated and controlling. Rafael doesn't crave her affection. He isn't looking to be wanted. What he wants is to unravel her. To possess every piece of the girl the world calls delicate. But Ivory isn't fragile. She's fractured. And the closer he gets, the more she falls apart for him. In a world of shadows, power, and pain, their connection becomes something twisted. Addictive. Dangerous. Because when you give yourself to a monster... you don't get to choose what parts of you he keeps. And when control slips... Desire takes its place. And Rafael never loses. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ・❥・ "Careful, Ivory. I play rougher when someone thinks they can outmatch me." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ・❥・ { 18+ | Dark Mafia Romance } 𝖢𝖮𝖯𝖸𝖶𝖱𝖨𝖳𝖤 𝟤𝟢𝟤5 @𝗐𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗆

"The rules for a Mafia wife were endless and strict. Once she entered into this life she would never be free. Women in the Mafia were first daughters, then wives, and then mothers; always under the control of a man, always expected to live up to their expectations." A woman who yields to no man, who cannot be obedient, is not made to be a Mafia wife. Liliana Fiorenza, the headstrong granddaughter of a Sicilian Mafia Don, was not made to be a Mafia wife. Yet, she is forced to return to America and marry the infamous and secretive D'Onofrio heir. Marcello D'Onofrio, the heir to the D'Onofrio legacy, has gained himself a reputation for being far more ruthless than his father ever was. He now sits at the head of one of the most powerful American Mafia families in New York, consumed entirely by his work. Until, that is, he is forced to take on a wife - one who fights him at every turn. TW: Contains violence, assault, depression, and covers the topic of suicide. COMPLETED / BEING EDITED

❝𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕-𝒎𝒊𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒂.❜❜ She is a brilliant gynaecologist but mute since childhood trauma stole her voice. She doesn't get attached neither to people nor promises. For her, life was about control-of her career, her choices, her emotions. She didn't want to be fixed. She just wanted to be left alone. While he is the youngest of the Kapoor clan. A surgeon by profession, a charmer by nature. Never serious. Never still. He wanted admiration, attention and a girl who could worship the ground he walked on. A narcissist in denial, and proud of it. ❝𝐒𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬❜❜ "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆... 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆." "𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒎𝒆, 𝑴𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒓... 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆." "𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆? 𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒌𝒂... 𝑰 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆." ╰┈➤𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 🏅 #87 in forcedproximity out of 5.07k stories.(4.08.25) #15 in hefallsfirst out of 1k stories. (6.08.25) #35 in adultthemes out of 12.9k stories.(23.08.25) #10 in emotionalhealing out of 1.02k stories.( 7.09.25) #19 in pasttrauma out of 3.04k stories.(24.09.25) #18 in slowburnromance put of 5.54k stories. (9.11.25)

"You're not here to fall in love." "Trust me, sir... I don't even know what that means." She was sold like a possession-traded away by the very people who were supposed to protect her. At just seventeen, she finds herself in a cold, unfamiliar mansion owned by a powerful man known for his silence, strict rules, and a heartbreak he never talks about. His only condition? Take care of his one-year-old daughter. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't enter his study. Never touch him. For her, following orders is nothing new. Obedience has kept her alive this long. But the baby's soft cries break something inside her, and her tender touch begins to warm a house that forgot what love felt like. He tells himself she's just a caretaker. Just a temporary solution. But night after night, she shatters rule after rule... And soon, his heart becomes the final one to break. 🎯 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 Genre: Romance / Drama / Slow Burn / Hurt-Comfort Age rating: 16+ (emotional abuse themes, mature emotional content)

Two people born into the same style of life find each other at their worst. Selena and Luca try to deny their feelings for each other but the pressure of their parents marriage arrangement pulls them together and ties them to each other for life. Selena being as stubborn and strong minded as she is continues to fight off the marriage but can't deny the feelings that she is starting to feel for this man she only just met. Not being able to shake the way his gaze makes chills shoot down her spine or the way his touch makes her breath hitch she begins to give in but not without a good fight. Luca sees this beautiful girl with a kind warm heart that makes him want to be better but as he gets to know her and her background a little more he finds out one of her biggest secrets and tries to use it to his advantage. Not wanting to fall for her he tries to distance himself but can't help the curiosity bubbling up inside him. He eventually lets his guard down but this costs both of them a grave loss. Leaving them both with only one question...WHY ME?

*NOT FULLY EDITED* Adelyn Laurent; the only child to the rulers of the French Mafia. Treated nothing less than a princess her whole life, she dreamt of travelling the world, escaping her father's strict gaze and starting her very own French Patisserie. That is until an arranged marriage forces her to settle and give up on her chances of freedom. Luca De Santis; the heir to the Italian Mafia. Getting everything he wanted since birth, defying him is not option, and Adelyn is no exception. Star-struck with his wife's beauty even before wed, Luca is the first person to see through her princess act, and is willing to give her the world, if only she'll accept. ---- "Don't try and fight me Adelyn" he chuckles, "you want me on your side, not your enemies' side" "Oh is that so?" I say dryly He leans closer to me, "Tesoro I can give you the moon and the stars" I turn around and meet his eyes, my voice barely a whisper; "But I don't want that" // Reached #1 in French Reached #1 in Italian Reached #1 in MentalHealth Reached #1 in PrincessTreatment Reached #1 in Alliance Reached #1 in Promise Reached #2 in Rich Reached #2 in Slowburn