Verity was a quiet 16 year old girl who had a tough life. She never meant for things to go so bad- so why did they? Abandoned at the ripe age of 3, she was adopted by a narcissistic asshole who abused her for 13 years straight. Her only escape was her best friends, who she saw as her older brothers and his dad- who she called her dad. He fed her and kept her safe, helping her when things got bad at home. She introduced herself as Verity Volkov, which wasn't her last name but the last name she wishes she had. Her father figure, Mikael Volkov, was the leader of the Russian mafia. Verity attended NLA, New Life Academy. One day, when she is at school, the unspeakable happens- her adoptive father commits. With nowhere to legally go, she sits in the sheriffs office, awaiting her DNA test. To her surprise, she has a family- in fact, she had a mom, a dad, and 6 older brothers. Six! What was she to do as she moves to Italy to live with her biological family, who appeared to be the Russians rivals- the Italian mafia. Her father was the don of the goddamn Italian mafia. She stays quiet and emotionless during her time in Italy, trying to cope before she meets Nicolas Ricci- the man her family despises yet the man who took interest in her. The man she falls in love with without realizing. As her story unfolds and secrets reveal, Verity goes through an emotional rollercoaster. And through this all Verity has one question only: Why did her biological family abandon her? What will she do to cope through all of this? ______________________________________

The passionate story of Tessa and Hardin continues as family secrets, deep betrayals, and career opportunities threaten to tear them apart.

|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston