"Stop apologising." So I did. Then I apologised for stopping. I'm the girl who eats lunch alone and tells herself she chose it. The girl who's never been kissed. The girl who hides behind books and oversized sweaters and a smile that says please don't look at me. Malakai Vashko looks at me anyway. Six foot seven. Russian. Knuckles that never heal. Eyes the colour of something cold and far away. He fights men twice his size for money and walks out of rooms without explaining himself to anyone. He told me he didn't need a friend. He told me to stop looking at him like he might be one. I should have listened. But I caught him trying to buy flowers for someone who couldn't receive them anymore, and something in me understood him before my brain caught up. He hides with silence and fists. I hide with silence and books. I didn't fix him. He didn't save me. But the night I grabbed an underground boxer by the hoodie outside a corner shop and told him to stop, something started between us that neither of us knew how to end. He still doesn't smile. But he stayed. ------------------ ⚠️ Mature themes: violence, dark content. No explicit sexual content.

Angelina is a strong-willed and closed off girl although she has grown up in a strong family. Because of the diversity and unfairness, she started to close her self off. Angelina wanted to not only prove to herself and to the mafia world but to her family. Ever since she was born Angelina had being belittled and overlooked because of her 'lungs'. Angelina wanted to be strong and just wanted to prove herself to everyone. That she was worthy. Her whole life her family, cousins and uncles shelter her in bubble wrap. Angelina was the opposite of everyone in the family. She stood out like a black sheep. Her own self insecurities and demons have driven her into the strong-minded woman assassin she is today. But it is all a secret no one knows what her strengths and skills are.. she wears a mask so in everyone's eyes, she is just the small vulnerable youngest mafia princess 'she has always been'. That was until a certain rivalry unravelled Into her life breaking down all of her walls as she destroyed his. It was forbidden, overlooked and hidden but despite all the flaws it was imperfectly perfect. Will the war what is coming, destroy everything? Will love blossom? Will secrets be revealed? Will tainted hearts remain broken?

Amaria's life has always been a balancing act between the normal and the extraordinary. Raised by her three older brothers-each over 18 and deeply entrenched in the dangerous world of the mafia-Amaria has grown up surrounded by luxury, power, and a family bond that runs deeper than blood. Since their parents left when they were young, her brothers have been her everything: protectors, mentors, and sometimes, the only stable force in her chaotic world. Amaria knows what her brothers do for a living. They've always been honest with her about their mafia ties, though they've kept her well away from the darker side of their empire. She doesn't get involved in the business and never wants to. She's more interested in the normal things-school, friends, and figuring out who she is outside the shadow of her family's wealth and power. Still, she can't help but feel the weight of her brothers' protection, their eyes always watching, always guarding her. While her brothers are kind, loyal, and incredibly rich, they have one rule: they protect Amaria with everything they have. And though they've never stifled her independence, they're always there, ready to step in at a moment's notice. But Amaria's world is about to change as she steps closer to adulthood and starts uncovering secrets that may challenge everything she's ever known about family, loyalty, and the mafia that binds them all together.

Aaliyah Johnson is in her final year at Magnolia State University, where she's balancing a scholarship, an art degree, and the pressure of not knowing what comes next. Elias Carter, the university's baseball captain, seems to have everything figured out, except his own heart. When mutual friends and a poetry club bring them together, sparks ignite in the most unexpected ways. She's brilliant and blunt; he's disciplined and mysterious. But between classes, practices, and the expectations of everyone around them, connection becomes the one thing they can't plan for. From strangers to friends to something far deeper, their story grows with every season, rooted beneath a magnolia tree that sees it all. Autumn brings sparks: "I'm curious about you, but I don't even know why yet." Winter, closeness: "You calm me when I didn't realise I needed calming." Spring, love: "I've known for a while... I just didn't want to ruin it." Summer, uncertainty: "Even if everything changes, you've changed me already." Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the images used both on the cover and throughout the story.

Aaliyah never planned on catching the eye of Leo Ramirez. A quiet, brooding basketball player who looks at her like she's trouble & like he'd burn the whole world for her.

Juniper Perlin - or Junie, as everyone calls her - ruled the halls since elementary school. Loud, bold, unbothered. Ezra Harrison? Quiet. Calculated. Never without a book and never without something smart to say. In middle school, they couldn't stand each other - and honestly, that might be putting it lightly. Junie used to make his life hell. Ezra never forgot. But high school changes people. And when senior Ezra ends up tutoring junior Junie in Algebra and Biology, the old tension turns into something new. Something intense. Something neither of them were ready for. From whispered apologies to secret smiles in art class, to truck rides, late-night study sessions, and a kiss that shifted everything - their story unfolds in slow, soft moments.

When Two Opposites Attract