"Morning, Mr. Serious," I say now, setting his usual cup on the table. I add two sugar packets because I can't help myself. He never uses them. He never even looks at them. But I like the idea of them sitting there, taunting him with sweetness. His eyes flick up to mine - stormy gray, the kind that make you feel like you're under interrogation for a crime you don't remember committing. "You should stop doing that." His voice is low, accented, like gravel dragged across velvet. Russian maybe? Or Italian. Or both. Either way, it does unholy things to my stomach. "Doing what?" I ask innocently, sliding the sugar closer to his hand. "That." His gaze drops to the packets. "I don't take sugar." I grin, all sunshine and sass. "You don't know that. Maybe one day you'll wake up and realize life's better with a little sweetness." ●・○・●・○・● Rafael Volkov doesn't do small talk. Or smiles. Or sugar in his coffee. As the mafia's underboss, he's built a reputation on silence, sharp suits, and an expression that could curdle milk. So of course, Lila Parker makes it her mission to crack him. The sunny diner waitress insists on slipping him extra sugar packets, calling him "Mr. Serious" behind the counter, and treating him like a normal guy instead of a walking red flag. He tells her to stop. She doesn't. He growls. She grins. And suddenly, his late-night coffee runs feel less like routine and more like... something he shouldn't want. The problem? In his world, affection is dangerous. Smiles get noticed. Weaknesses get used. And if Lila isn't careful, her little act of kindness might just paint a target on her back. Rafael swore he didn't have a sweet tooth. Turns out he was wrong. ●・○・●・○・● Word Count: 37,478

She nodded solemnly. "With my girl charm and my pretty dress. But now I just feel like a hot pile of creamed corn." I dragged a hand over my face. "You need water. And sleep." "I need closure." "Sunshine..." "No," she said, standing straighter and stabbing a finger into my chest. "You don't get to look like that and make me feel feelings and then just go all mysterious and noble and disappear like a sexy hitman Batman." "Sexy hitman Batman?" "I had a lot of wine." "I noticed." ●・○・●・○・● She bakes cookies. He breaks bones. Everyone in the city fears mafia boss Dominic Moretti-everyone except Tessa Bloom, the relentlessly cheerful café owner next door to his front business. She calls him "Mr. Broody," brings him muffins he never asks for, and walks into his office like it's not occupied by a man who could have someone disappeared with a phone call. Dominic doesn't have time for distractions-especially not sweet, sunshine-eyed distractions with flour on their noses. But when Tessa finds herself tangled in the underworld he's spent a lifetime controlling, protecting her becomes more than a duty. It becomes personal. And suddenly, the most dangerous man in the city starts falling for the only woman who isn't afraid of him. ●・○・●・○・● Word count: 23,178 Top Rankings: 10.14.25 - #6 in Mafia

Perfect appearances, perfect grades, perfect manners. Anything less for Adelina Torres and her family kicks her to the streets until she can keep up with the family name. She never had a life of her own. Always studying, always going to business dinners with her parents, always seen as a failure to her family. Despite her bubbly personality, she has always struggled to make friends. What happens when she meets Aaron Hendrix, the leader of the most powerful mafia in the country? A moment to thank you beautiful readers for giving me these rankings among thousands/hundreds of thousands/millions of other stories with similar tags :) #1 in mafia #1 in protective #1 in abused #1 in sunshine #1 in grumpy #2 in innocent #2 in cold #2 in goodgirl #3 in cute #9 in badboy #42 in family #54 in love

"You think you can just look past me, Pearls. You think you are safe in the dark. But I can twist your reality until you forget your own name. I will make you doubt your own mind. I will make you question every breath you take. Until the only truth you have left in this world... is me. I am going to become your entire fucking reality. And I will tear your quiet life apart before I ever let you walk away." - Tristan Virelle _____ To the Elite of Ardencrest, Tristan Virelle is the Shadow Prince. He is a quiet, lethal illusionist who ruins minds without ever raising his voice. To Iris, he is just a broken boy standing in her way. She is a Ghost Tier student who wants to be completely invisible. She has absolutely no idea she just challenged a master manipulator. Tristan is a predator raised on lies. Fascinated by her icy control, he traps Iris in his web. He uses his dark psychological games to make her doubt her own sanity. He expects her to crack. He expects her to run. But Iris does not flinch. She is the absolute zero to his chaos. And she is quietly holding the one secret that could burn his empire to the ground. He built a flawless mental cage to make her his pawn. But the Shadow Prince played the wrong girl. He isn't destroying her reality. She is the only thing holding his together. And he will burn his own empire down just to stay at her feet. _______ "The Shadow Prince | 18+" is the fourth book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series. {Can be read as a standalone}

"You refuse to speak because you think your voice is a curse, Butterfly. A poison that destroys everything it touches. So poison me. Whisper their names, and I will gladly show you how a real monster burns the world to ash just to keep you warm. You think you are trapped in the dark with a psychopath, papillon. You don't realize I am just waiting for your command." - Nikolai de Rivel ____ To Leah, silence is the only armor she has left. Deaf, traumatized, and terrified of physical touch, she just wants to survive Ardencrest University without being seen. When she completely ignores the school's most dangerous French heir on her first day, she thinks she safely avoided a predator. She has no idea she just gave the Reaper Prince a puzzle he is dying to take apart. Behind his polite smiles and lethal elegance, Nikolai de Rivel is an empty-eyed psychopath who demands absolute, psychological control. He doesn't just want to claim her body; he wants to conquer her mind. Leah thinks the campus is naturally parting for her; she doesn't know Nikolai is viciously destroying anyone who steps too close. She thinks she is finally finding peace in the shadows; she doesn't know he is meticulously rewriting her entire reality so she has no choice but to crave his touch. He doesn't want to hide her from the monsters of her past. He wants to drag her into the dark, place her on his lap, and teach her how to rule it. He is the devil. And her rare voice is his trigger. ______ "The Reaper Prince | 18+" is the third book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series. {Can be read as a standalone}

"You call me your safe heaven, Sunflower. You think I hold your hand because I'm a good friend. I hold it because the second you step out of my sight, the static in my head gets so loud I have to butcher someone just to make it stop. You are the only quiet thing in my mind. If you ever try to leave me in the dark, I will drown this entire fucking city in so much blood you'll have no choice but to slip right back into my arms." - Landon Ashford To Hazel Bloom, Landon Ashford is a saint. He is her safe haven, her best friend, and Ardencrest's flawless Golden Prince. She has absolutely no idea she is holding the leash to a psychopath. Behind his polite smiles, Landon is a feral predator biologically tethered to her presence. Hazel thinks her bullies simply leave campus; she doesn't know Landon is slaughtering them in the alleyways. She thinks he's just fiercely protective; she doesn't know he hacks her vitals to listen to her heartbeat just to survive the night. Landon has orchestrated a flawless, blood-soaked illusion so her gentle heart never has to touch the dark. But when the mask inevitably slips, Hazel will realize her sanctuary is a cage. He isn't hiding her from the monsters. He is the monster. And he is on his knees for her. "The Golden Prince | 18+" is the second book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series.{Can be read as a standlone}

"You think you're a ghost in these halls, Aurora, but I have memorized the frequency of your breath. Go ahead-run. But I am the horizon; no matter how far you go, you are still within my sight. I will dismantle every version of a life you've built without me until the only thing left for you to lean on is my shadow. You aren't just a part of my world; you are the pulse I use to measure it." - Evander Laurent __________ In the hallowed, gothic halls of Ardencrest University, being a 'Ghost' is a survival strategy. Scholarship student Aurora Lane knows the rules: stay invisible, protect her brother, and avoid the gaze of the Elite. But she made one fatal mistake. She was noticed by the Crown Prince. Evander Laurent doesn't just lead; he possesses. He is a mastermind who views people as chess pieces, and he has decided that Aurora is his most prized prize. He doesn't want her heart-he wants to be the very air she breathes. He is systematically isolating her, tearing down her world until he is the only thing she has left to hold onto. In a game of psychological warfare and dark obsession, Aurora must decide: will she break under his control, or will she learn to rule the shadows he created? He's not just watching her. He's rewriting her reality. ____ "The Crown Prince |18+" is the first book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series

Gedeon Sokoloff wanted revenge and would have done anything to bring down his enemies. Before, he wanted to kill every single Italian as the Russian Bratva. It was his only purpose since they killed his mother. That was before Dove Genovese. She was nothing more than a stepping stone as the Italian's princess, only a pawn in his twisted game. Now, he knows there's no life without his other half. And he'll do anything to get her back. Dove Genovese wanted freedom and found it through her other half, Gedeon. She was finally happy and found a family to call her own. Just as quickly, it was ripped away from her. Her wings are stripped away until she yearned for nothing more than death. Will Gedeon be able to save and bring back the girl he fell in love with? Or were their story doomed from the start?

Dove Genovese, daughter of the second in command of the Italian mafia boss, has one sole purpose in life. That's to never dishonor her mafioso father. Marry, bring peace, and money: those are his demands. Meeting those demands comes at a high price, though. She's betrothed to an abusive man from another notorious Italian family. He's the last person she wants to spend her life with, but there's no way out. Her life is in the gilded, golden cage with strict rules and even harsher punishments. Gedeon Sokoloff wants revenge. The vindictive Russian mob boss has made it his mission to avenge his mother's brutal murder. There's nothing he wouldn't do to assert his power. When one of Genovese's henchmen breaches his territory and slaughters one of his men, Gedeon brokers a deal: war or Dove's hand in marriage. Dove should hate and fear Gedeon, because of his feared reputation. Yet, the infuriating man that enjoys teasing her and making her feel things she never felt before offers her one way to earn her freedom. Win him in a game of chess. Will Dove get the freedom she had been longing? Or will she stay as Gedeon's caged little bird in his games? _____ WARNING: Story contains rape, self-harm, suicidal ideation, physical/sexual abuse, violence, mature themes, sexual content, strong language. Ranks: #1 in Violence #1 in Adult-Romance #10 in Mafia #95 in Romance out of 1.7 million

__❤︎ The Maid and the Mafia King ❤︎__ Losing her father at the age of 20, Bella started to search for jobs. Not to mention, she already was doing 2 jobs. But they were not enough to pay her father's debt. With the help of her friend's cousin, she got the job of working as a maid in a big mansion,owned by a multi billionaire. She heard the owner of the mansion was young and the mansion too screamed rich and power. But what she didn't know was the owner of the mansion was feared by people, the most perilous Mafia king of Italy and around the world. She didn't know one more thing. That the ruthless Mob king was going to claim her 𝑯𝑰𝑺 no matter what. _________ "Sshhh.. no one cares," Lucifer's hot breath hitting my neck as his lips slowly tracing down to my collarbone. "No please- w-we shouldn't ahh.." I gasped as he took the skin of my sweet spot between his teeth. "Don't open your mouth. I won't be responsible for what I would do to you if you open your sweet mouth again, " he didn't give me time to response before he claimed my lips possessively. ________ •[ WARNING ] Contains MATURE CONTENT, VOLGAR LANGUAGE, ABUSE. (18+) _________ Started: 12/08/20 Completed: 24/11/20 •°•°•°• [Cover by me]