Some flames burn quietly... until they don't. Aurora Bellini is the picture of innocence. Quiet. Kind. A law student with a soft heart and a tragic past. When a violent attack threatens her safety, she's placed under the protection of the Vitti family - Italy's most feared crime syndicate. More specifically, under the cold, watchful eye of their heir: Angelo Vitti. Angelo doesn't want her there. Too sweet. Too soft. Too breakable. But there's something about her that unsettles him. Her gentle smile, her quiet strength - it seeps past the walls he's spent years building. He tells himself she doesn't belong in his world. He tells himself to stay away. But he watches her anyway. Protects her anyway. And slowly, against his better judgment - he starts to burn for her. With war simmering between the Italian and Russian mafias, every secret is dangerous. Every glance, every touch, every whisper in the dark... it all matters. Because nothing is ever what it seems. And sometimes the softest things burn the most.

Copyright © 2024 by xphoenixo BEAUTIFULLY DESTROYED ELIXIR SERIES | BOOK 1 ××× Everything around her was chaotic. Lights were flickering on and off, casting wild shadows across the room. Sparks flew from broken wires, and the stench of burning plastic filled the air. But through it all, she heard the sound of slow footsteps approaching her. A pair of black boots stepped into her blurry line of vision. She tried to lift her head, but it felt like it weighed a ton. All she could do was lie there, soaked and shaking, staring up at the figure that loomed over her. He crouched down, his cold dark eyes gleaming with a twisted kind of pride. The one who smiled when she screamed. "Finally," he whispered, his voice smooth and calm, like he was congratulating her on passing a test. "My beautiful creation... ready to take on the world." Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to move, to fight, but she was too weak. The power that had burst out of her was gone, leaving her empty and drained. All she could do was glare up at him, her vision fading as exhaustion swallowed her whole. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was his cruel smile, and she knew - this was far from over. He had won this time. But deep inside her, there was still a spark. And one day, that spark would become a fire that would burn him and all the monsters like him to ash. But for now, all she could do was survive. And wait. Because she has nothing to lose but him?