Evelyn Vitale has spent five years trying to forget the boy who disappeared without a word. Daimon Moretti wasn't just her secret-he was her escape. In a world where the Vitale and Moretti families are bound by bloodshed and betrayal, they were never supposed to be friends... and they definitely weren't supposed to fall in love. But they did. Until the night he vanished. No goodbye. No explanation. Just silence. Now, five years later, Daimon is back-and he's not the same boy Evelyn remembers. The quiet, loyal boy she once trusted has been replaced by someone colder, more dangerous... and tied deeper into the life she's always tried to survive. As old secrets begin to unravel and the truth behind his disappearance comes to light, Evelyn is forced to question everything she thought she knew-about him, about their families, and about the night that tore them apart. Because in a world built on loyalty and lies, loving Daimon Moretti was never just forbidden- ...it was never going to happen.

Young, smart, and the only girl in a family full of street kings...summer was supposed to be mine. But nothing's ever that simple when your last name carries weight. © All rights reserved

"𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭." 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. "𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭." 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

Revenge. I'm familiar with it. You have to be when you're the firstborn son of a notorious mafia leader. Death and vengeance have been the very foundations of my life. So who in their fucking mind would be stupid enough to cross me? My brother and I have been wrongfully convicted of a crime we didn't commit. We know who is behind this. We bid our time behind bars, planned and prepared for the day we got out. Now we're free and hungry for redemption. I know what must be done. I know whose blood will be spilled. But before I go after him, I'll go after his daughter. I never said I play fair. *Book one in the Marino Brothers Duet. Rated 18+ due to explicit language, sex, and violence.*

❛𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆?❜ he asked, voice low like it wasn't meant for nobody but her. 𝒛𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 didn't speak, just tilted her head a little and stepped in close. she traced one of the tattoos on his arm, finger light like a whisper...when she finally looked up, slow and lazy, doe eyes glinting beneath her lashes--she kissed the corner of his mouth. once, twice--then pulled back. 𝒐𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 smirked. ❛𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒐.❜ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ She doesn't speak-not out loud, not anymore. Zariah Hart's been quiet since the night she lost everything, and moving to The Palisade at Skyview Apartments was supposed to give her a fresh start. No expectations. No questions. Just peace. But peace gets complicated when a man like Omarion Jordan starts showing up in it. He's nothing like she expected. Tatted, quiet, with eyes that read people better than they speak. A mechanic with a past he doesn't explain-and a presence that says more than his mouth does. He doesn't ask about her silence. She doesn't flinch at his reputation. Somehow, that's enough. What starts as simple glances turns into shared space. What feels like comfort turns to something neither of them planned for. But Atlanta doesn't forget what people try to bury. And sometimes, the loudest truth is the one you never say out loud. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃: 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Works #1: Ahmad Hassan Sinclair, 25, was taught to always fight and work hard for what he wanted. In the life he was given nothing was ever handed to him. He grew up in the hoods of Houston, witnessing things no child should ever see in their life. His mom and pop worked hard just tryna make ends meet, to keep food on the table and clothes on their kids back. But it was far from easy .. Seeing his parents struggle the way they did for years, motivated him to work ten times harder. He made it a mission to not end up like his folks, he wanted more in life. He knew there was more to life than what he grew up seeing. But he also knew in order to be somebody in this world as a black man he had to fight and strive for it and also dodge the bullshit that came along with it. He set goals, he had dreams, he had a vision and nothing could stop him from achieving them. Now that he's at the top of his game, making money, living the live he always wanted, seeing the things he never seen and moving up the success path .. he figured life would eventually turn out to be great but sadly he still isn't happy or content with how things are.. there's this one missing piece in his life that will fully complete him. But let's see how determined Ahmad will be to find what that missing piece is or what he will do to get it.