||𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐔𝐄𝐓|| They were bound before they ever had a choice. Melanie was raised to obey, to smile when it hurt, to bend without breaking. Nikolai was bred for control, molded into something cold and ruthless. Their marriage was never meant to be about love-only power, legacy, and the silent war waged between their families. But somewhere between the fights and the forced smiles, between the bruises on their souls and the whispered truths in the dark, they found each other. He saw her. She understood him. And when the world tried to keep them in their place, he came for her. And she? She let him. Because love in the shadows wasn't soft. It was jagged, desperate, and willing to burn everything down to be free. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝, "𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞" 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.. _________________________________________

Dakota: I ran the moment I turned twenty-one. Not because I was reckless. Not because I was ungrateful. Because staying would have killed me. My family called it love. I called it survival. They dressed me up, paraded me, whispered filth about me when they thought I couldn't hear. Treated me like something to be traded. Used. Owned. So I left. No plan. No protection. Just hope. The night of the ball was supposed to be a fresh start. Chandeliers like fallen stars, music floating through silk and champagne. For the first time, I felt almost free. Then I felt his eyes. He stood across the ballroom like sin given a body. Black hair, sharp jaw, broad shoulders that filled his suit perfectly. Green eyes that didn't look-they measured. They owned. When he looked at me, I should have been afraid. Instead, I felt chosen. Dangerous felt safer than going back home. ⸻ Ashton: I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in opportunity. I went to that ball to secure alliances, smile at men I despise, remind my family I am no pawn. They want obedience. Quiet. A wife who keeps me exactly where they want me. I don't do obedience. Then I saw her. Brown hair down her back, soft eyes too soft for a room like that. Five-foot-five of light in a world of wolves. She didn't belong. Which meant she belonged to me. She looked at me like I wasn't a monster. Her first mistake. I'm not a good man. Men twice her size fear me. My own family watches me like I'm a loaded weapon. But she didn't flinch. She smiled. God help her, she smiled. I need a wife. Someone untouched by my family's poison. Someone I can marry fast, claim faster, and use as a shield. She needs protection. I took her. Cold. Clean. She thinks I saved her. She doesn't know she's just stepped into a cage far worse than the one she ran from.

"Who the fuck did you tell?" He asks me as he takes a step closer towards me, making me also take a few steps back. "Stop being so fucking loud and I don't know what you're talking about." I whisper yell at him, trying my best not to show him how much he actually intimidates me. My back eventually hit the wall behind me, trapping me in between it and Nolan. As he hovered over me, I looked into his predatory eyes almost getting completely lost in them. "Don't tell me what to fucking do," He snapped at me in a low voice "You told someone and I told you what would happen if you did." ... Nolan, an emotionally reserved individual due to a past tragedy, finds himself entangled with Kenzie in a bid to protect a secret. Will his interactions with her lead him to break down his barriers and fall in love, or will he persist in isolating himself as he has done for years? Kenzie, a curious and outgoing teenager, ends up in a dangerous situation involving Nolan, whom she initially dislikes. Despite her hatred for him, will her encounters with him soften her heart and turn her feelings from hatred into something deeper, perhaps even love? [NOT EDITED] BEING RE-WRITTEN TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️

𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 - all her hopes and dreams of running away from the luxurious lifestyle with her boyfriend are ruined when she finds herself chained down in a sudden arranged marriage with someone she'd never love, but it's already been made clear that not everything goes to plan. 𝐑𝐘𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐒 - He only agreed to this wedding on the condition that it would help his business career and put more money in his wallet. He's never been in a serious committed relationship before, and he wasn't about to start now, that is, until he sees his soon-to-be wife; now he'll go through anything and anyone to get her, even her own boyfriend. started - may 8th, 2023. finished - july 28th, 2023.

He loathe his wife, yet he can't take his eyes off her. He wants her gone, yet he can't seem to stay away. He wants her to suffer, yet he's overly fond of her sweet smile. He wants her to hate him, yet he craves for her love.. ⚠️Warning!⚠️ This story contains : • sexual / mature content • foul language • abuse • violence • sexual assault Highest Rankings : #1 Adult #1 Don #1 Sweet #1 Mafiaromance #1 Marriage #1 Trauma #1 Adorable #1 Grumpysunshine #1 Mobboss #1 Soulmate

Alessia Ferrari is the Don of the Italian Mafia. Whip-smart and dangerous, she is a woman in a man's world, surviving against all odds. Born and raised to become a lethal killer, even the ground she walks on bows at her feet. She has it all, until that is, her father gives her hand away in marriage. Ace Hernandez is the boss of the American Mafia. He's a cold cruel hearted monster. He knows the game all too well and does whatever it takes to win and if that means breaking someone, he could do that with his eyes closed. Fate is vicious when the two are forced to marry. Will two monsters find solace in each other's arms or will they kill each other? ---------------------------- "I don't recall signing up for strip poker." She replied. Her full lips frowned softly but her eyes were filled with amusement. She knew she couldn't beat me, not at this game. "Are you quitting? Are you a quitter?" I mocked getting under her skin. Her lips twitched before she pursed them tightly. The blues of her eyes deepened and she threw me a dangerous smirk. She shuffled and pulled off one of her sandals. Fuck. So we're doing this the long way. She raised it in the air, dangling it off her finger before tossing it aside. She raised a brow at me, she challenged me. I knew I got under her skin. Just as I had anticipated. -------------------------- BE AWARE: Trigger warnings: MATURE CONTENT 18+ (SMUT) SWEARING VIOLENCE/GUN VIOLENCE SELF HARM/SUICIDE (REFERENCES) EXPLICIT LANGUAGE REFERENCES TO RAPE SMOKING/ALCOHOL/DRUGS BLOOD/DEATH/GORE ©️ All rights reserved ™️ The Walnut Tree BOOK ONE OF THE MAFIA SERIES

"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

"I don't want your love, Printsessa. I want your obedience." To end a brutal blood war between two ruthless empires, Elena Romano is forced into a marriage she never chose with Dante Morozov, the Bratva's most feared heir. He is cold, calculating, and untouchable. A man who rules through violence and silence, whose stare cuts sharper than any blade. From the moment they wed, Dante makes one thing clear: Elena is not his wife-she is the price of peace. But peace was never his intention. As enemies close in and betrayal lurks in every shadow, Dante's dangerous obsession shifts from control to possession. His protection is suffocating. His devotion, lethal. And Elena-the woman who swore she'd never love a man drenched in blood begins to notice the cracks beneath his armour... especially when his hands tremble every time her life is threatened. In a world of mafia wars, forced marriage, and deadly secrets, one truth becomes unavoidable: You don't escape the man who owns your heart. Or the man who owns your life. Dark Mafia Romance | Forced Marriage | Possessive Anti-Hero | Enemies to Lovers | Bratva x Mafia If you think you can survive Dante Morozov... think again.

Piper Walsh has always been the fixer. The one who keeps it together, no matter what life throws at her. So when an internship lands her in New York City for her final year at Columbia, she packs her bags and promises her brothers she'll be fine. Then her housing falls through-and she ends up living with five inked-up, too-hot-for-their-own-good bikers. They're reckless. Messy. Completely inappropriate. And somehow, the only people in the city who feel like home. Except for Greyson Lowell. He's the quiet one. The one who doesn't look at her. Doesn't talk to her. Definitely doesn't want her there. He keeps his distance like it's a full-time job-until he doesn't. Until one stolen moment changes everything. Piper knows heartbreak when she sees it. Greyson's drowning in it. And the closer she gets, the more he pushes her away. But Piper didn't come this far to let one broken boy scare her off. Even if he might be the one thing that could break her in return.