➪ 𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝖨𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖾𝗑 𝖻𝖿． 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝖺 𝟨'𝟦 𝖨𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈 𝖣𝖾𝗅𝗀𝖺𝖽𝗈．𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉？ 𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗌？ { 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 } 𝖥𝗎𝗁𝗁𝗓𝗓 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦． 𝖠𝖫𝖫 𝖱𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳𝖲 𝖱𝖤𝖲𝖤𝖱𝖵𝖤𝖣． #𝐌𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐀 #𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍 #𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 #𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ✰✰✰✰✰

"No-please-don't do this!" Seraphina sobbed, her voice cracking as she clung to her eldest brother's wrist. "I-I'll be good. I'll do whatever you say, just don't-" A sharp crack echoed through the room as his palm struck her cheek, sending her crashing to the marble floor. Pain exploded across her skin, but it was nothing compared to the terror clawing at her chest. From above, his voice was cold. Unmoved. "You will marry him." She shook her head wildly, crawling backward until her spine hit the wall. "He's a monster," she whispered, her breath shuddering. "He's not human. Please, don't make me do this. I'll die." Her second brother crouched in front of her, grabbing her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. His lips curled, eyes void of warmth. "Then die." Her breath hitched. "But you will die as his wife." The door behind them creaked open. Heavy footsteps. Her father stepped inside, his expression unreadable. "Lock her in this room," he ordered. "She will not step out until her wedding day." Sera thrashed as hands seized her, dragging her toward the massive iron doors. "No! Please-Father, please!" But he didn't even look at her. The last thing she saw before the door slammed shut was her brothers standing side by side, indifferent as she was thrown into a fate worse than death. Then darkness. And the only thing left was the suffocating truth. She was a sacrifice. A bride to the Sinister, a devil himself. #A STANDALONE BOOK

"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

The cold man fell in love with the kind girl because he knew that she deserved the world and that he wanted to be the one who gave it to her. ♡ Alette Faye was a sweet girl. She was exceptionally kind and had an air of simplicity. Between her part-time job at the bakery, her classes, her time spent tending to her flowers and walking in the fields, she didn't get the opportunity to experience much. Her past created fears in her that she seemingly couldn't overcome, and then she met him. For when she meets him, she should have run away in fear, but she stayed. She stayed and she opened her big heart for a man who found his heart, just for her. ♡ This story is a little cliché, a lot unedited, and super simple.

They're on opposite sides of a long-standing war. And now, thanks to one catastrophically unfortunate mission at the elite assassin academy they both attend... they're partners. She thinks he's an arrogant control freak with a god complex. He thinks she's an emotionally stunted gremlin with anger issues. They're both correct. She's an assassin. she looks like your average teenage girl, if your average teenage girl was emotionally dead inside, allergic to affection, and had a PhD in homicide. He's a mafia heir. He is cold, calculating, and terrifyingly untouchable. He doesn't flinch. Doesn't feel. And absolutely does not lose. Welcome to the academy. You're already bleeding. Sneak peak:' "You're dangerous, Love" he murmured. "And you're tempted." A beat. A breath. And then, just barely audible "Yes." I smiled, sharp and mean and satisfied. "Then come be reckless with me, darling."