He was her rock, her best friend, her first love. He became her worst nightmare, her tormentor, her captor She was his everything. His obsession. Their story should have ended with that court case, but he's found a way back to her, and he won't give her another opportunity to escape. Not this time. ------------------------------------------- Shivering, I sobbed out, unable to speak, unable to move. "Shh, shh, now baby-girl, it's alright, you're safe, don't cry" he soothed, moving closer to me. "N-Noah, I w-want to go home," I sobbed, feeling weak from my inability to talk without stuttering. A gasp left my parted lips as his hand forcefully connected with my cheek, "You are home, so I don't want to hear that crap from you, okay?" shaking, I looked down at my feet, his gaze too menacing to hold. "I said, do you understand" he spit through clenched teeth, "y-yes, I'm sorry" I whispered, a new wave of tears making their appearance. "Good girl, now I need you to keep being a good girl, okay?" nodding, my eyes met his dark ones. His form towered over me, making me feel small and irrelevant. "Words, Embry!" He demanded as I stuttered out a quiet yes. I studied him cautiously as he walked towards the far end of the room, shuffling through drawers before stalking back towards me and crouching down. I sucked in a breath as I saw the knife in his hand, his face held a mischievous grin as it glinted in the light. "Now baby-girl, you see, as much as I hate to, you need to be punished, do you know why?" Warning! This story is for mature audience, it contains strong language, abuse, mature themes and sensitive topics. Please enjoy, -Aphrodite.

Lowly. Illegitimate. Disgraceful. Amaryllis bore the weight of whispers and stares, a child born out of debauchery. She was raised behind iron gates and velvet curtains, in a family whose name was spoken only in lowered voices. A mafia dynasty, steeped in blood and loyalty. Yet even within that empire of power, she remained a shadow in the presence of her brothers, seen but never truly known. However her heart, vast and unyielding, loved them unconditionally. But life is both fragile and cruel. When terminal illness claimed her, she carried it alone behind fragile smiles, unwilling to darken the days of those she adored. Only one wish bloomed before the end, "I hope their feelings might change, even if it's temporary." And when that time comes... Please bring flowers to my funeral. ── ─ ┈┈┈┄┄╌╌ ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This story contains sensitive and potentially distressing themes, including psychological trauma and mature content. Note - The terminal illness described in this story is entirely fictional and included solely for storytelling purposes. - Cover: Canva © 2026 [CherylZielle]. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.

Alessandra has never believed in safety. Life never gave her a reason to. Pain carved her childhood, silence became her armor, and trust? That was a luxury she could never afford. So when she runs -- bloody, broken, and barely breathing, she doesn't expect saving. She certainly doesn't expect to be taken in by a family dripping in wealth and power and. . . warmth? A mother who refuses to give up on her. A father who watches like he's waiting for her to let him in. And six brothers. Rough. Protective. Complicated. Brothers, who don't know what to do with a sister who won't speak. She doesn't know how to trust. How to believe that maybe not everyone wants to hurt her. Every instinct tells her to run. To shut down. But they don't let her go. Not when she flinches. Not when she hides. Not even when she breaks. Happiness is for other people, or that's what she believes. But when love comes wrapped in gentle patience and fierce protection, when hands reach for her without demand, when hearts break themselves wide open just to hold her... she starts to wonder. Can a girl stitched together with silence and fear ever belong in a family built on love? Can she stand tall when the ghosts of her past refuse to let go? And when danger claws its way back into her life, threatening everything she's come to know... will she find her voice, or will she shatter all over again? Trigger Warnings: Child abuse. Violence. Addiction. Panic attacks. SA. Self-harm. Death, and more.

Eight-year-old Athena Dimitriou has never known safety. Raised by a mother who loved her but resented her, and a man who hid his violence behind closed doors, she learned early how to stay small, quiet, and invisible. Until the night everything shattered. When her mother is found dead and her stepfather vanishes, DNA results reveal an impossible truth-Athena is the illegitimate daughter of one of America's most powerful Mafia dons. Whisked away to New York, she finds herself in a palace of cold steel and burning loyalty, under the protection of five ruthless brothers who rule a criminal empire. She was born in silence. They raise her in steel. But beneath the violence lies something unexpected-soft hands, warm arms, a family that will kill for her, die for her... and teach her, at last, how to live. Book 1

Saudade- a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or has been loved, then lost; "the love that remains" Marlowe Wanless, just 11-years-old has spent the better part of her life that she can remember in the house of her abusive and drug addicted stepfather. After he has been arrested for possession of illicit substances, Marlowe's custody has been shifted to her 7 terrifying older brothers who are surrounded by rumors regarding their line of work. The Valente's now juggle healing a mentally destroyed child while simultaneously sheltering her from lurking rival business' that will stop at nothing to harm the littlest Valente. Have the rival businesses just brought more danger then her stepfather? Who can be trusted? Or the bigger question, who can't?

Born from rape and the death of her mother, seven-year-old Amara has never known love - only whispers of hate and words no child should hear. Her tiny heart, already fragile, begins to fail her, as the weight of her family's cruelty grows heavier each day. Will her six brothers and extended family see the damage they've done before it's too late - or will silence be the last lullaby Amara ever hears? #1 - family - 27th December 2025 #1 - neglect - 30th October 2025 #1 - littlesister - 8th November 2025 #1 - heartdisease - 8th November 2025 #1 - olderbrothers - 20th November 2025

Faith Anderson. An innocent girl, who grew with the love of her Dad and her elder brother. Since, her mother died while giving birth to her, she has become the world to her dad and brother. Romano brothers. A cruel, vicious Mafia, disguised as successful businessman to the world. They are , in short the psychopaths. What happens when their gaze fell on the innocent Faith. Will they change for her or will they become her worst nightmare ever? • • • " P-please ... Please l-leave him, please... I beg y-you..." Faith cried, thrashing in Lucian's arms. " You motherfucker, don't do this to her. Leave him. " Chris yelled at the trio. His friend was at the verge of loosing his life. " Shh, baby, why are you taking his side? Huh? " He gripped her hair tightly. " Do you feel anything for him? Huh! Tell me. " Lucian seethed looking at her. " FUCKING ANSWER HIM. " Azron hollered kicking the tied person in his stomach. Panic was bubbling inside Faith and she couldn't able to say anything. " Answer me or your brother will pay the price along with him, kitten. " Zanvil said taking a sharp knife and grazing the tip at Chris's neck, so slightly, that it drew some blood out. Seeing this much of blood infront of her, Faith felt her head spinning. Her struggles becoming weak. " ANSWER ME GOD-DAMN-IT. " Lucian pulled her head up with her hair. " N-No..." She managed to let out a whimper and collapsed on Lucian. She was barely conscious. " Oh, baby, I knew it. It's okay, Lucian don't hurt her. " Zanvil left Chris and walked towards her. Lucian kissed her lips briefly while Zanvil caressed her hair. " But, this guy made us insecure. He has to pay little one. He'll be punished. " Azron scowled, taking a cleaver in his hands. " DON'T DO THIS TO HER. PLEASE. " Chris pleaded the trio for her sister and his friend. He knew his friend is going to die tonight. He also knew he couldn't do anything. But it was too late. ••• © Copyright reserved.

When 17 year old November Jones accidentally burns off her left eyebrow in a freak accident, she brushes it off. Nothing a bit of makeup can't fix, right? But when she finds herself shoved into the backseat of her own car as a couple of very big, very bad, and very dangerous-looking men drive off with it, things can't be so easily fixed...especially since it's not just her missing eyebrow that needs to be covered, it's also the fact that one of the most wanted criminal organizations in the country accidentally kidnapped a teenage girl while trying to escape a drug deal gone wrong. Could things get any worse? Well, with a girl like November in the mix, the answer is yes.

Genesis has grown up with a neglective, abusive father all throughout her sixteen years of life. Despite all the pain and trauma she goes through, she's still standing. Fighting back against her pathetic excuse of a father, not letting him see her weak and scared. The way she copes with all the pain isn't the healthiest but she stopped caring a long time ago. But when her father dies unexpectedly, she feels like all her prayers have been answered. Until she finds out she has brothers, five of them and she's forced to move in with them. Her very cold, secretive distant brothers. They have dark secrets but so does Genesis.

After enduring years of neglect and cruelty from her mother and stepfather, Ariana's life changes drastically when tragedy brings her under the guardianship of five brothers she's never met and they never even knew they had a sister. For her brothers, learning they have a sister is an unwelcome surprise. Suspicious and reluctant, her brothers see Aria as an outsider, a stranger disrupting the fragile balance of their lives. For Aria, their home is both a new beginning and a constant reminder of the family that left her behind. Haunted by the pain of her past, Aria struggles to adjust, her every action guarded and her trust hard to earn. As her brothers try to understand her, they begin to glimpse the scars she hides and the strength she carries. Little by little, resentment turns to empathy, and the walls between them start to crumble. But just as the siblings begin to find common ground, the secrets and trauma of Aria's old life threaten to tear them apart. Together, they must decide whether they can overcome the shadows of the past to forge a family and whether Aria can finally find a place to belong.