For six years, Patrice Loving lived inside a marriage that started like a fairytale and turned into a private kind of hell. Mentally, physically, and emotionally abused by the man who swore he loved her, Patrice learned how to survive by going quiet, hiding her pain, and planning her escape in silence. Pregnant and living with MS, she finally runs in the middle of the night with nothing but the money she stashed and the strength Carmari Davis never realized she still had. Then she lands in the life of Hazel "Menace" Knight a ruthless street nigga who never pretends to be anything other than what he is. Menace doesn't sell Patrice pretty lies or polished promises. What he gives her is harder, rougher, and realer: protection, honesty, and a love that shows up every day for her and the baby she carries. But with Carmari still hunting for the woman he thought he broke, Menace is ready to become every bit of the menace they say he is to make sure Patrice and Halo stay his.

𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇- He told her one thing "you ain't see shit if you wanna keep that pretty face connected to your body." She was never supposed to cross paths with Giomani "Gio" Blackwood, suit-wearing, gun-toting underboss of New York's most feared family. But one wrong night put her in his world, and Gio don't believe in coincidences. Now she's tied to the man the streets call a monster. And the craziest part? The more she learns about him, the harder it gets to hate him. Cold. Calculated. Fine as hell. Gio runs everything - and when his father steps down, he's coming for the throne. But love and loyalty don't mix in the mafia. And in Gio's world, you either with him... or you against him. Ain't no in-between. 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 & 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃!

Widening the door I seen him holding another bag, with flowers in his hand and a blunt behind his ear "really? More peace offerings?" "Ain't none wrong in that" I thanked him for it as I was raised with manners I placed the flowers on the counter alongside the bag not bothered to look inside and see what he got. "That's how you gon do me?" He asked pointing at the flowers on the counter. "I mean flowers really not cutting anything right now" I shrugged. "It better cause I came here to apologise" he walked over and stood in front of me with his tall ass self. "Mhm" I hummed ready to hear what he has to say. "Real shit though. I know I ain't really been on my shit cause I got other shit I'm dealing with so Ion really wanna put that onto you cause you'n deserve none of that. So I told you Ion wanna rush it so I don't become the man that don't treat you good" at this point he put his hand in mine and used his thumb to rub the back of my hand in circular motions. "So I wanna apologise for allat cause I ain't really tell you what's going on but Ion really wanna wait for that date no more". There was just some in his eyes that was getting me especially with his head being slightly tilted not even thinking of trying to break eye contact with me. "So what does that mean?"

"This lil (thug) light of mine"😁 26 yo Nayana Bentley didn't have time to settle down..well anymore, she had a few relationships and her most recent one ended because the man couldn't keep up with her busy schedule. She took it as a sign,she was a very successful wedding planner while also a CFO for her sisters wedding dress shop and they've been in business together for almost 10 years starting out very young thanks to the inspiration of their party planner mother and dress making grandmas on both sides of the family 21 year old De'Angelo Freeman was somebody that everybody in his state knew,Thug was a given name thanks to his street rep and not only was he street smart but book smart a well, women usually couldn't wait to get in bed with him then go brag about it which he brushed off. His family frequently begged him to stop his antics and finally settled down,his parents and siblings especially were tired of him bringing home different women most of which were disrespectful The begging only got worse when Angelo became a groomsmen in his cousins wedding,all day they kept on saying 'see how nice this is' or 'this could be you one day' but he wasn't paying no mind to them what he was paying attention to was the gorgeous wedding planner who he thought he'd get no problem 🤗

"are we supposed to shine in this light? or is failure inevitable?..." Journi just wanted to keep her head down and in the books and get her family out the hood but her brother just can't seem to stop bringing trouble to her doorstep. So when her brother Raheem takes from the wrong one and goes into hiding, Journi is snatched by the one they call Joker as payback she then must navigate her way through college and the life she tried to escape. Once in his tower she can see he would ruin her in the worst way. She knows escaping is futile but she tries anyway. Yakhir aka Joker owns the streets of Atlanta there's nothing that slips past him so when a low level dopeboy takes something and thinks he can run off he has another thing coming. Joker snatches the one person he cares about, his baby sister to draw him out. Once he has Journi he instantly knows he's not giving her back. She's his to keep. After laying eyes on the sweet, smart and clever beauty he knows he'd paint his city red behind her. Will the inevitable keep them apart? Or will Journi and Yakhir fight for their love after the ruin? Cover Credit: @KYTHEWRITERR

𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢m𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩ing 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥

Janeisha "Neisha" Bambi has always survived by keeping a low profile. She don't get caught up in the kind of business that comes with bodies, secrets, and street names that echo. But all it takes is one night-one favor for her best friend-to slide her straight into the orbit of Seven "Saint" Carter. Saint is discipline wrapped in menace. A man the streets don't just respect,they fear. The type Neisha promised herself she'd never look at twice. He doesn't chase, beg, or explain. Yet somehow, he does all of this for her. And when that calm, unreadable gaze settles on Neisha, her careful world starts to crack. Now Saint's patience is running out, Neisha's defenses are falling apart and the pull between them is starting to feel less like a choice and more like fate. He's trying to shield her from the life he lives. She's trying to decide if loving him is salvation or self-destruction.

'𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎.

Why do we stay in situations even after it's clear they no longer serve us? In relationships where love was never really love, and the person we're holding onto means us no good? Time after time, the signs are there to prove they aren't our person. Yet we still stay. Why? Is it comfort, denial, fear? And if a sign came that could change your situation, how big would it have to be for you to take it? For Nahmir, that sign came on another Friday night from a girl he met at a club he wasn't even supposed to be at, doing things he had no business doing. Now, he's stuck at a crossroads: stay in the mess he's used to or change his ways and take a chance on Tahje. And even if he chose the later...is she even going for that? She has no problem taking his money, letting him woo her with gifts and sweet talk-but on the real, she knew she wasn't about to get caught up in drama over a man she just met. Especially, an apparently taken one at that. Only time would tell. - 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 2025

Dave East & Ariana Fletcher 💓