When tragedy strikes Marley's family, the last thing she is looking for is love-until Elijah, her nephew's teacher, shows her it's worth fighting for. ***** 26-year-old Marley Wright's world is flipped upside down when her beloved brother is admitted into rehab and she becomes the primary caregiver for his two teenagers. Little does she know that her nephew's handsome high school teacher, Elijah, is the man who's going to fill her life with unbelievable passion. But when their exes come back with malicious intentions, Marley and Elijah's lives change beyond their wildest imaginations. And when tragedy strikes, will their love withstand the pressure? Content and/or Trigger Warning: mention of substance abuse. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

"This was suppose to be easy, nobody was suppose to get hurt". Twenty year old Ivory Santana was what most people would call friendly and caring. She'd be the person you'd least expect to have a father running one of the biggest drug trafficking industry's in America. Ivory has went through great measures keeping that part of her life private while attending college at NYU, that is until she's taken. Twenty two year old Jade and his older brother Ohaji are 2 completely different types of people that you wouldn't expect to even associate with each other if they weren't related. With dreams of one day being as legendary as their father once was. The two brothers were given the task of kidnapping their boss, big Al's enemy's daughter until he agrees to compromise. Sounds simple enough right? WRONG. What happens when Ivory teams up with the brothers and this turns into a cat and mouse game between bonds and blood?

She came for a wedding. She left with a name she couldn't forget. Liyana Xaba wasn't supposed to fall for anyone-especially not the brooding architect with sharp eyes, a sharper tongue, and a quiet sadness he hides behind tradition. Hlumelo Dalindeybo has never been one for small talk or slow dances... until her. She's Zulu. He's Xhosa. She inherited a business. He builds homes. And when her request for an architect turns into late-night calls and dangerously close silences, lines begin to blur. In a world where culture speaks louder than feelings, and love is both a risk and a rebellion, can two souls stitched from different cloths truly be threaded in gold?