Eight years ago, Isla Walsh's summer was consumed by one man-Giovanni Moretti. He was her brother's best friend, the forbidden flame she couldn't resist. They shared a fleeting, intoxicating love, and were destined to burn out too quickly. But when Giovanni vanished without a word, Isla was left alone to pick up the pieces of her heart. She has waited for an answer, forced to reconcile her brother's best friend with the ghost who walked away. Now at 26 and a successful ER surgeon living in New York, Isla has worked hard to rebuild her life, burying the pain of Giovanni's disappearance. But everything unravels when a dangerous underground fight pulls her into the shadows of her brother's secret world with the Spanish Cartel. Isla soon uncovers that her brother is bound by a ticking contract to the Cartel. And in this world, an expired contract means an expired life. Desperate to save her brother's life, Isla finds herself face-to-face with the man holding the pen. The ghost is back, but he isn't the boy from the roof. The man stepping into the ring is the lethal enforcer of the Moretti empire, a cold-blooded weapon who doesn't seem to recognize her at all.

Arabella Heatherway, the youngest daughter of the most successful lawyer Gabriel Heatherway and his beautiful wife Blair Heatherway. And the youngest sister of a billionaire and owner of many hotels Matthew Heatherway. Being a daughter and sister of billionaires she should be a spoilt rotten bitch but she is not anything like that. She is a smart, soft hearted, hard working and kind young lady, who wants nothing but to be a successful architect and earn fame from her work just like her father and brother did. Alexander Knight, not the typical knight in shining armor of women's dream. Sure he is devilish handsome man and might be a knight in shining armor by appearance but his behavior tells another story. He is a arrogant cold hearted bastard and the CEO of the Knight Inc. Inherited the company from his father at the ripe age of 20. Oh and not to mention he is too a heartthrob billionaire. What will happen when our sweet young Arabella will accidentally bump into cold Alexander in a night club. And keep on bumping into each other on several occasions on her sister's wedding? Will they able to create a nice friendly bond? or a relation where both will want to chop each other heads off?

Alexander Wolfe is the genius CEO behind the world's most advanced smart home system. His penthouse is sleek, spotless, and fully automated - and he likes it that way. No mess. No noise. No people. Enter Willow Hart, his annoyingly bright and budget-strapped executive assistant. When a system-wide AI crash leaves his luxury home unable to function without constant oversight, Alexander grudgingly agrees to let Willow stay and manage things "manually." Just for a few days. But Willow doesn't do quiet. She dances while cooking, rearranges furniture "for better vibes," and talks to his robot vacuum like it's a pet. His perfectly ordered world begins to glitch - starting with his heart. He built his empire to keep emotions out. But the one thing his tech can't calculate... is her. ━━▲━━ "Did you assign it a personality again?" he asked. "No. That would be irresponsible." I paused. "I may have named it, though." "Of course you did." "Gregory." "Gregory." "He feels like a Gregory. Stiff. In need of affection." He looked like he wanted to be annoyed. But he just... closed his eyes for a second. "Willow." "Yes?" "I am not adjusting the system to match your imaginary friendship circle of household appliances." I pouted. He rubbed his temples. "Fine. I'll take a look." "Yay!" "And stop calling me Alex." "Never." ━━▲━━ Word Count: 22,228

"Morning, Mr. Serious," I say now, setting his usual cup on the table. I add two sugar packets because I can't help myself. He never uses them. He never even looks at them. But I like the idea of them sitting there, taunting him with sweetness. His eyes flick up to mine - stormy gray, the kind that make you feel like you're under interrogation for a crime you don't remember committing. "You should stop doing that." His voice is low, accented, like gravel dragged across velvet. Russian maybe? Or Italian. Or both. Either way, it does unholy things to my stomach. "Doing what?" I ask innocently, sliding the sugar closer to his hand. "That." His gaze drops to the packets. "I don't take sugar." I grin, all sunshine and sass. "You don't know that. Maybe one day you'll wake up and realize life's better with a little sweetness." ●・○・●・○・● Rafael Volkov doesn't do small talk. Or smiles. Or sugar in his coffee. As the mafia's underboss, he's built a reputation on silence, sharp suits, and an expression that could curdle milk. So of course, Lila Parker makes it her mission to crack him. The sunny diner waitress insists on slipping him extra sugar packets, calling him "Mr. Serious" behind the counter, and treating him like a normal guy instead of a walking red flag. He tells her to stop. She doesn't. He growls. She grins. And suddenly, his late-night coffee runs feel less like routine and more like... something he shouldn't want. The problem? In his world, affection is dangerous. Smiles get noticed. Weaknesses get used. And if Lila isn't careful, her little act of kindness might just paint a target on her back. Rafael swore he didn't have a sweet tooth. Turns out he was wrong. ●・○・●・○・● Word Count: 37,478

She nodded solemnly. "With my girl charm and my pretty dress. But now I just feel like a hot pile of creamed corn." I dragged a hand over my face. "You need water. And sleep." "I need closure." "Sunshine..." "No," she said, standing straighter and stabbing a finger into my chest. "You don't get to look like that and make me feel feelings and then just go all mysterious and noble and disappear like a sexy hitman Batman." "Sexy hitman Batman?" "I had a lot of wine." "I noticed." ●・○・●・○・● She bakes cookies. He breaks bones. Everyone in the city fears mafia boss Dominic Moretti-everyone except Tessa Bloom, the relentlessly cheerful café owner next door to his front business. She calls him "Mr. Broody," brings him muffins he never asks for, and walks into his office like it's not occupied by a man who could have someone disappeared with a phone call. Dominic doesn't have time for distractions-especially not sweet, sunshine-eyed distractions with flour on their noses. But when Tessa finds herself tangled in the underworld he's spent a lifetime controlling, protecting her becomes more than a duty. It becomes personal. And suddenly, the most dangerous man in the city starts falling for the only woman who isn't afraid of him. ●・○・●・○・● Word count: 23,178 Top Rankings: 10.14.25 - #6 in Mafia