"You ain't even that cute." Jojo playfully rolled her eyes allowing Dice to pull her arm to wherever he seemed to be leading her. "Where are you taking me!" She grew annoyed with the anticipation. "On a trip, just chill." -- For as long as she can remember, Jojo Rosewood has lived a picture-perfect life in a suburban area located in Chicago-designer clothes, private schools, and a glamorous lifestyle all thanks to her high-powered mother. Evidently her perfect world seems to be a lie when it comes crashing down as her mother's secrets come to the light, forcing her to face reality. Now having all of her family's assets cleared she's every bit of confused on what to do. With nowhere else to turn, Jojo is forced to leave behind everything she knows and move across a plethora of states to live with her father, a man she barely knows due to distance, and his new family. Learning to balance the shift in culture and the chaos of her first year in college all in one, Jojo struggles to adjust to her circumstances and blend into a world where her privilege no longer holds any weight. Things grow even more complicated when she meets Dice, her half-brother's best friend-a well mannered , street-smart young adult who seems to embody everything Jojos maternal side of the family warned her about. Dice is equally frustrating and intriguing, with a no-nonsense attitude that calls Jojo out on her unrealistic expectations. As their chemistry builds, Jojo finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about family, loyalty, and love while Dice struggles letting Jojo take a trip to his world. Started; December 18th, 2024 Published; January 4th, 2025 Finished; March 2nd, 2025

Love was just a four-letter word Misused to entrust the heart of followers But it never meant a damn thing to me Until you came so unexpectedly

"𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘?" 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐘𝐀𝐇, 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐂 𝐖𝐀𝐒 a disaster, chaos within tragedy, wallowing in his feelings every day. Never expressing what he felt, yet was so angry at everyone for not noticing. Angry at himself for not expressing anything. Angry about the circumstances he was forced into. Then he meets her. Aaliyah, the girl whose eyes sparkled with adoration when he came around. The girl whose actions were never malicious, radiating kindness everywhere she went. When he loses her, he stays quiet, packaging himself into a persona that's easier for people to digest. Until Isaac sees Aaliyah again. Until he has a chance to make things right. Until Isaac gets the person who never once made him feel small or misunderstood. The person whom he thinks he could be with for 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

"𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘, 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄? 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄." Dejah Champagne has always believed sweetness solves everything until the Santiago name walks through the doors of her bakery. Tony Santiago isn't just any customer. He's a mechanic with oil on his hands, a kingpin with weight on his shoulders, and the last man she should ever let close. Their families' blood runs thick with betrayal, and everyone in their world knows the two names don't mix. But Tony keeps coming back. For cupcakes, for chai... for her. His quiet persistence chips away at Dejah's resolve until one yes changes everything. What begins as a dangerous flirtation soon unravels into something deeper, something Dejah never thought she could feel. Yet love is never simple when loyalty is a battlefield. When Dejah's family discovers the truth and Tony's fear of commitment collides with the weight of his empire, they'll both have to decide: is their bond strong enough to survive the sins of their families, or will history tear them apart for good? Sweet meets street, sugar meets steel, and nothing will ever taste the same.

𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 noun : a state of extreme joy. she was in 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 ever since she met him.

He holds her heels. She lets her guard down. And in the space between city lights and silence, two people who weren't looking for love start to feel something they can't explain. No drama. No rush. Just raw connection and a spark that won't quit.

𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪'𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦， 𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝖱𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽．

Kason "Khotic" Brewster never planned on living long. At seventeen, he buried both of his parents in the same week. His mother died instantly in a car crash. His father held on just long enough to make Kason promise one thing before he passed. Take care of your brother and sister. So that's exactly what he did. Twelve years later Khotic is the man the streets call when things get ugly. Feared. Respected. Untouchable. Everything he does is for the two people depending on him to make it out of the life he's stuck in. He's content with that. Until Beauty Cardwell crashes into his world. Bee is nothing like the women Khotic usually deals with. She's a twenty-five-year-old brain surgeon, a child prodigy who finished school before most people finished learning who they were. She's blunt, literal, and socially awkward in ways people don't always understand. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Bee doesn't believe in pretending to be something she's not. She says exactly what she means. And for some reason... Khotic likes that. What starts as a chance meeting turns into something neither of them expected. Bee sees the man behind Khotic's reputation. The older brother trying to keep his promise. The boy who never got the chance to grieve. And Khotic sees something in Bee that the world keeps missing. But loving a man like Khotic means stepping into a life Bee was never meant to be part of. Enemies. Loyalty. Violence. The kind of danger that doesn't care how smart you are. And Khotic knows one thing for sure. Good girls like Beauty Cardwell aren't supposed to fall for men like him.

𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚅𝙰𝙶𝙴, 𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴