The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. That was what they whispered about me. My mother was a dancer who seduced an Emperor to survive. I was the ignored princess who seduced a Prince to steal a throne. I thought I was the heroine of a romance novel. I thought if I smiled enough, schemed enough, and loved him enough, I would get my happily ever after. I was wrong. My sister was the beloved Cinderella. The Crown Prince was her Prince Charming. And I? I was just the wicked stepsister who got in the way. My reward for stealing the male lead was a hellish marriage, a cold bed, and a lonely death. Now, I have returned to the beginning. I'm done chasing fairytales. I'm done trying to be someone I'm not. This time, I won't go to the ball. I won't wear the glass slipper. I will just fade into the background and disappear. Or so I thought. "Careful, Your Highness." On the balcony where I tried to hide from the world, a hand caught me. It wasn't a Prince. It was a Knight I had never noticed before. I wanted to retire from this fairytale, but it seems the story isn't done with me yet

Selena is the 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍. The villain destined to lose her football-star boyfriend to the shy, innocent nerd. Everyone watches in silent awe as he replaces her in the name of love. It was the perfect fairytale ending, just like the movies... But not for long. Because this breakup awakens admirers long held back. Particularly one who's made her his quiet obsession: Noel Casper. The neglected genius assigned to be her tutor. What begins as study sessions develops into a friendship neither of them expected. Behind closed doors, Selena cooks for him, upgrades his wardrobe, and supports his dreams. But to the outside world, he's just a boy being used by the mean girl, especially when they see him carrying her books, tying her shoes, and driving her all around. What they don't know, is that Noel has been watching her for years. And the more Selena takes care of him, the more he becomes 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅. When his research catapults him to international success, the world suddenly notices the boy they once overlooked. Now Selena's ex is begging for a second chance, and the rival who started this all is determined to "rescue" Noel. But Noel doesn't want to be saved. He only wants one person. Selena. And he will do whatever it takes to ensure she never leaves his side. ***UNDERGOING STRUCTURAL EDITS*** ─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─ 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒆 𝒙 𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒖𝒔 𝚃𝚘𝚙 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: #1 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 #1 𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗ess #2 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 #2 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜

BOOK TWO OF SIKANDAR SERIES! He rules a world built on silence, loyalty, and blood. Illegal empires answer to his name, fear clears his path, and violence is simply how order is maintained. He chose this life long before anyone asked him to be human- and he has lived without regret ever since. Until her. She is the one thing his world never accounted for. The one weakness he did not prepare for. Promised to his younger brother. What begins as control slowly unravels into longing. Every restraint costs him something. Every distance hurts more than it should. He doesn't know when wanting her became a quiet, constant ache- only that her absence feels louder than gunfire. Does he still love her, knowing she will never be his? Did she ever love him back, or was he alone in his downfall? And what kind of man chooses darkness before love ever gives him a reason to stay in the light? In a world where loyalty is lethal and secrets are safer than truth, love does not arrive to save anyone- it arrives to test what they are willing to destroy. This is a dark romance of forbidden desire, restrained emotion, and a love that survives where it should never exist.

not your average mafia workplace romance.. Victoria White has spent five years under the work of Vincent Morales. A cold, commanding, and completely untouchable force within the mafia underworld. But when she finally takes a vacation to chase the fairytale ending she thought she wanted, she comes back heartbroken, and face to face with a boss who suddenly won't leave her alone. The Brazilian Don, Vincent Morales doesn't do feelings. He does control, strategy, and silence. But when Victoria walks back into his life looking like an answer to all his problems, he makes a reckless move. A fake relationship to protect his reputation, and keep her close too. She's fire, he's ice, and the lines between fake and real blur with every lie they tell. 50/50 chapters completed 2/2 epilogues completed 1/1 playlists made rewards: #1 fake dating #1 mafia romance #1 unexpected pregnancy #1 ragstoriches #1 daddy issues #4 dark love #4 secretary #5 office #7 boss #10 office romance #14 grumpyxsunshine #22 marriage of convenience

Years alone-until they tossed a human into his cell. No words. No reason. The Reserve - that's what they call the facility where captured wolves are kept. Officially, it exists for "research and diplomatic purposes," but everyone knows the truth. It's a prison. Insurance, in case things go bad again. He walks toward me and I stop crawling, still on my hands and knees. His chains rattle when he comes closer, and just before he reaches me, they pull tight. He can't take another step. He growls and angrily pulls on them. The growl should make me crawl backwards, but it doesn't. Instead, I realize he's as trapped as I am. "You sure you want to take a step closer?" He sounds almost curious now, like he's genuinely interested in what I'll do. "Just a little more, and there will be nothing that will protect you from me." I look up at him from the floor, craning my neck back. He looks merciless, cold. Strong and powerful even in chains. "Water," I repeat, this time looking up at him and holding his gaze while still on my knees. He raises his eyebrows, looking down at me, not blinking once."Ordering me now?" He tilts his head slightly, focusing on me. This is the second book in the series (The Communicator), but it can be read on its own. Please don't expect anything perfect just yet-it's a first draft and still a work in progress :)

**Mature content | R18** Isabelle Winiata never thought her life would spiral. Then, her flatmates set the bathroom on fire and blamed her for it. Now she's starting over somewhere new, somewhere daunting... living with her best friend's older brother. Alex Kennedy is thirty-two. Disciplined. Controlled. Completely untouchable. Until Isabelle walks through his door. She's impulsive. He's restrained. And one night changes everything. Isabelle thinks she is alone... until Alex comes home and finds her exactly where he shouldn't. That is all it takes to blur every line between them.

Professor Aryan Singh is a ruthless billionaire, a strict control-freak with a heart of ice. Behind his arrogant, dominating facade lies a dark, agonizing secret a trauma that makes him believe he is an utterly unworthy of love or a family. Kavya Sharma is a bright, innocent, and fiercely stubborn scholarship student whose only dream is to make her middle-class father proud. One stormy night at a secluded Trip . One malicious campus rumor. One forced marriage that changes their lives forever. To save her dignity, Aryan fills her hairline with sindoor, trapping them both in a cage of a loveless, secret marriage. He pushes her away, punishing her with his coldness, desperately trying to save her from his own broken reality. But Kavya is not the weak girl he thought she was. She fights his ego, challenges his rules, and slowly, unknowingly, starts melting the frozen walls of his heart. What happens when the cold professor falls madly, possessively in love with his innocent student? And the ultimate test-what happens when Kavya accidentally discovers the devastating secret Aryan has hidden for years? Will she walk away in disgust, or will she become the shield that heals his broken soul ?.. 🔥 Tropes: Age-Gap, Professor-Student, Forced Marriage, Billionaire Romance, "Touch-Her-And-You-Die" Energy, Extreme Possessiveness, Slow-Burn, Deep Emotional Healing. Dive into a story of tearing ego clashes, intense jealousy, and a love so deep it defies destiny itself. Student × Professor . . . . Mature content ❤️

{MxMxMxM} "I'm everything I can't be, and I hate it. But I can't do anything about the situation I'm in, so I'll have to deal with it. " .... Tycho Black was struggling with a few things in his life, with no one to save him but himself. He didn't really care, though, considering it was easy to block out unwanted things. Whether it was thoughts, physical or emotional pain, or anything else-- at the end of the day, none of it mattered to him. He didn't care that he could possibly feel some sick attraction to men, even though he had never felt attraction before. He didn't care about going home and being met with nothing but fear. And he certainly didn't care about Alexei Abbots or the other older and mysterious men Alexei was associated with. Alexei, in particular, though, was just a little weasel that wouldn't leave his mind. He thought he could block him out like every other person, like every other male that made him think in such a bad way. But somehow, for the first time, he couldn't force himself to forget the expression on the boy's face when his fist collided roughly with his jaw. ~ Alexei Abbots was happy. Really, really happy. He was open, free, and accepted by the two best women he had ever met, who completely turned his life around. Not only was he welcomed with open arms by his two mothers, but he was also met with the arms of two men he had a mutual fondness for: Riley Worthright and Xavier Mendoza. He was on top of the world, and his not-so-gentle past wouldn't change that. Neither would Tycho Black, the aggressive bully on campus, who seemed to get off on being a homophobic a-hole.

In this story you'll meet him: Axel Aragon.🔥 He believes that truth exists only where nothing is softened. He observes, withdraws, and refuses to adapt. To him, masks are a choice, and choosing them is a form of dishonesty. You'll also meet her: Violet Vangarden.🔥 She disagrees. She understands appearances, control, and the intelligence of self-preservation. The world rewards the version of her that knows how to be seen. When their families reunite after nine years apart, enforced proximity reignites a conflict built on contempt, silence, and opposing worldviews. Every interaction sharpens the line between them, and yet, beneath the hostility, something far more dangerous emerges. Desire. Unwanted. Illogical. Inescapable. What begins as psychological warfare slowly fractures into obsession, forcing both of them to confront a truth neither is prepared to accept: the person who threatens their control the most may also be the one who sees them most clearly. Cold, restrained, and relentlessly analytical, A Study in Masks explores how hatred and desire can coexist and how the pull between two enemies can dismantle every belief they rely on to survive.

Iris Calder likes rules, silence, and the order of libraries. Books don't lie. People do.Theo Blackwell is polite. Impeccably dressed. Always returns his books on time. He listens. He remembers. He stays. At first, he feels like comfort. Then protection. Then Iris realizes nothing in her life goes wrong anymore. Problems disappear. People drift away. And Theo is always there-calm, reasonable, watching. Because devils don't look like monsters.They look like men you trust. Some devils don't bargain-they wait.