Enemies to lovers · Forbidden romance · Slow burn · Mafia heirs · Dark, seductive, dangerous "He was sent to destroy me. Instead, he learned how to worship what he should've feared." EVELINA VITALE has been trained to rule an empire since she was seven. Born into the Sicilian mafia, she learned to shoot before she learned to trust, to seduce before she learned to love. Beneath the lace and diamonds is a weapon - one her father forged to take his place as the next Don. ALEKSANDR VOLKOV doesn't believe in mercy. Heir to the Russian Bratva, he moves like a soldier and thinks like a ghost - silent, precise, and unshakably loyal to his family's code. But when he's sent to Sicily to negotiate peace, he finds himself caught in the crossfire of a blood feud that should've ended decades ago. Their first meeting is written in violence - a masquerade, a gunshot, a moment of recognition that changes everything. He saves her life without knowing she's his enemy. She lets him live without realising he's her family's greatest threat. Bound by duty, divided by blood, Evelina and Aleksandr are two heirs born to inherit empires built on betrayal. But when love enters a world where loyalty means death - there are no saints in Sicily.

"Maybe in another life, we could try to roll the dice, and get it right. 'Cause when I look in your eyes, I'd die for you, I'd die for you." - 'Wildflower' by billie elish Aurelia Hart has a perfect pastel life-but Nate Cross knows the darkness she hides. He wants the truth... and she can't let him in. Secrets, lies, and forbidden attraction collide in a dangerous game neither can escape. "You're insane," "Completely insane." "Maybe I am. But I'm not dangerous to you." "You expect me to believe that when you're standing in my living room armed like some-some criminal?!" "Get out." "I said get out, Nathaniel!" "Angel-stop." "Please. Just-listen to me." "No! You broke into my house, you've got knives and guns-do you know how this looks?!" "I don't even know you! And now you're standing here acting like-like some madman and expecting me to-" "To trust me," "Aurelia, I need you to trust me. Even if you don't understand why. Even if you think I'm a bastard for it. Just-don't push me away right now." "You're not making any sense," "Why should I trust you when you won't tell me anything?" "Because I've never lied to you."

BOOK 1 OF THE BRUISED HEARTS SERIES "Help, I have done it again, I have been here many times before."- Breathe me by Sia Some loves hurt. Some loves scar. Aurora never imagined trusting anyone again-least of all Theo. He's infuriating. He's impossible. And yet, he sees the parts of her no one else does. Every fight, every stolen moment, every heartbeat threatens to break them both. But when the past won't let go, sometimes the only way to move forward... is to set yourself on fire. "I think you're going to have to ask me again," I murmured, tilting my chin up. "But like, really nicely this time." Theo blinked. "You're serious?" "Deadly." A second passed. Then another. I watched the way his tongue ran along the inside of his cheek, watched his hand flex like he was trying not to grab me too fast, too rough. And then, softer now-different-he said, "Rory." Just my name, but it held more weight than anything else. "Please, baby. Let me kiss you." his storm, her shelter.

"Something 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman"- Dangerous woman by Ariana Grande Elena Radcliffe hides behind perfection, guarding secrets that could destroy her. Kai Murphy is reckless, dangerous... and irresistible. When their worlds collide, hate sparks desire, temptation flares, and boundaries shatter. Every secret threatens to unravel, every glance pulls them closer, and some fires aren't meant to be tamed. In a game of lies, obsession, and forbidden attraction, one thing is certain: nothing-and no one-will ever be the same. "What the hell are you doing?" I snapped, too shocked to be anything but loud. He looked up, completely unapologetic, holding a delicate black bra like it was some kind of prize. "Didn't know you wore stuff like this, Princess," he said with that maddening smirk. My face flushed hot. "Put that down." He held it up higher, twirling it on his finger like a toy. "Cute. Lacy. Didn't think you had it in you." "Put. It. Down." I stepped forward and snatched it out of his hand, tossing it back in the drawer and slamming it shut. Kai leaned back against the inside of the wardrobe, watching me with a maddening glint in his eye. "You're fun when you're flustered." I crossed my arms. "You're dead if you ever mention this again." He grinned. "Cross my heart." Set in England, 2005