Novels by Danielle

Gabriel's POV "The operation was successful," Miguel announced with a sigh of relief, and my heart leaped for joy. "Does that mean they're on their way?" I questioned, my heart beating erratically with a strange mix of joy and dread. Miguel nodded affirmatively. "Yes, they are. The culprits are on their way to the station too. Why do you seem so... uneasy?" "It's nothing," I lied, my voice barely above a whisper. "I guess I'm just so happy that we came out on top." That was a big lie. The truth was I wasn't ready to see them. Not Joyce. Not Adrian. Not even Rafael. The thought of facing them, of seeing Joyce’s eyes—eyes that once held so much love but now only reflected betrayal—made my stomach churn. I wanted to be as far away as possible. Meeting me might ruin her newfound happiness and I didn't want that to happen. I wanted her to be happy while erasing every memory of me in her head. I had caused her so much pain. I had been a shadow cast over her past; I refused to b

Adrian's POV"We are?" Torres questioned, his face etched with shock as he stared at my computer screen with keen eyes. "How's that even possible?""Story for another day," I said dismissively, looking out the window. "It seems the men I demanded for are on their way. We should head there too.""Wait a minute," Torres raised a finger to stop me. "I think someone is coming heading our way."As if on cue, a shadow emerged from the dimly lit alleyway. Madrileño stepped into view, his dark clothing blending with the night, his tanned skin faintly illuminated by the passing streetlights. His expression was unreadable, but his purposeful stride spoke volumes."Why are you here?" I questioned with much curiosity in my voice and a frown on my face. "I thought we agreed on you leading the men.""I am leading them," Madrileno replied confidently. "I just came to let you know of something so that you can be prepared.""What's that?" I asked, refusing to beat around the bush. "Spill it out, so yo

Adrian's POV"Then we go after him," I said. "Let's head to the airport now!"Torres nodded, already speaking into the radio.He cocked his gun. "Time to end this."With that, We all rushed back and jumped into the van, peeling off into the night.I picked up the radio and connected to Miguel."Keep us posted. We're heading to the airport now," I stated."If we don't catch up with him now, we won't be able to find Joyce and Rafael," Torres sighed, revealing the bitter truth, his voice laced with discomfort and urgency as he looked out the window. "It might take years to find them if we lose this opportunity.""Positive thoughts and words only, Torres," I scolded, calling him by his name for the first time. I was annoyed with Daniel's close escape. I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that he had betrayed me after so many years of service to Santoria Industries.The fact that he knew everything about Rafael and Joyce meant he had been working with the enemy for years. Who knows? H

Lionel's POV"Ugh... You don't have to be so timid with me. I know what women like you are capable of," I scoffed, hoping for a reaction.Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She jus sat here like a statue. I cast her a side glance.She was sitting next to me with a stiff posture and a face void of any emotions. After my men caught her trying to escape, it was as if an icy shell had formed around her. She hardly spoke and rarely reacted to anything I said or was happening around her. Her questioning had ceased, and I couldn't predict her next move.It was disturbing. I exhaled through my nose, unsatisfied. Was she planning something? Had she truly accepted her fate? The fire in her eyes had become dull and unreadable. Her facial expression was indifferent like she had accepted her fate. I hated it. I wanted her to rebel against me. It was much more pleasurable that way. Her facial expression was indifferent like she had accepted her fate.Save for the small hum of the engine and the regu

Adrian's POV"You both made mistakes. You're both in the wrong," I rebuked. "You should work on yourselves instead of taking your anger out on each other. Don’t know how you plan to fix this mess, but remember—we’re all in this together. Whether you like it or not, we have a common goal."The room fell to a heavy silence. Gabe let his breath out in a slow hiss as he leaned against the warm sheets of the bed. Madrileño ran a hand over his face, still breathing sharp and unevenly. Part of me did think their little fight was somewhat amusing, but I needed to be the voice of reason here. I had to be the mature one."I'm sorry," Gabriel mumbled. Everyone turned to him in shock. Gabriel was not one to apologize. "I'm sorry I killed your child. I shouldn't blame you for my mistakes. I should have never gotten married to that bitch, and I'm going to keep on regretting it for the rest of my life."Madrileño’s jaw tightened, hands flexed at his sides. His lips parted as if he wanted to argue

Adrian's POVHaving this innate ability to sense danger, or detect a person's aura, is part of being a shrewd businessman, which not everybody could understand save the people concerned. It was an instinct sired from long years of high-stakes negotiations and betrayals, something that most people just wouldn't understand unless they lived in this world.Gabriel had it. So did I.And right now, every alarm inside me was going off as I watched him stare Madrileño down, his body rigid with restrained fury.The cell's air was thick with unsaid words and stress. Gabriel could already tell something was off with Madrileno. I could sense their mutual hostility suffocating the air between us.Madrileño was standing stiff, his jaw clenched tightly and Gabriel was seated on the edge of his bed with fingers tightly clenched into fists. Well, whatever their issues were could be sorted out after everything had been settled."So what exactly is it you found?" I asked, my expectant gaze fixed on Iva

The throbbing in Ralph's head merged into one with the soft lapping of water trickling somewhere above. The cold floor under him had made his limbs hurt, but not his heart. Not his mind. Then—her voice. Ralph… Baby, please come back to me. His eyes flew open. Was she here? Why was she here? Had Silva just said that? He scanned around. Then it hit him; she was not in the room; it had come from inside him. His heart sank. Did she feel safe? Was she praying for him? Memories of her warm palms against his cheek, the evening she told him she was terrified of losing him, resurfaced. She had known. She somehow always knew. With his last little strength, Ralph turned his face and pressed it to the concrete floor, as though reaching toward her. "I'm coming, baby," he murmured. "No matter what they do, I'm coming home." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pain distorted time. Come home, please. He heard Silva's voice in his thoughts again, and he became even more determined. He shifted

The cold sweat of fear broke out on Silvia's body when she heard that voice that had put her heart in turmoil the very first day she met him. She pushed her son closer to her body, covering his eyes from such a scene."What do you think you are doing? I swear you will regret it if you touch even a hair on my head," Silvia threatened, her voice shaky but stable under the circumstances.Laurent laughed very hard, his voice filling the room with its eerie sound like one of those creepy movies. He motioned to Marco to go upstairs and bring Celia downstairs; he was sparing no one in his hunt tonight.Celia was screaming all the way down the stairs until she got to Silvia's side, tears streaming down her beautiful face. She was shaking terribly like a leaf when her eyes met Laurent's face; she almost passed out from shock."Surprise!!! Celia, my love, it has been a while, hasn't it? Since you won't come to the mountain, the mountain has decided to visit you."Silvia looked at Celia's face i

"Mommy, I want some candy, please," Xavier pleaded, shaking his mom to wake her up.Silvia hissed before opening her eyes, her body feeling six times heavier than during the first trimester. "Xavier, what is it? Why aren't you sleeping, hun?" she asked, still sleepy."Mommy, I want to eat candy, please!" Xavier said over and over with a hopeful voice. He reached out with small fingers, inquisitively pushing into the roundness of her abdomen and hoping for an answer from within or for it to bounce back like a trampoline. He murmured, eyes wide with amazement, "Your tummy is so big now, Mommy. Is the baby eating all the candy, Mommy?"Silvia blinked slowly, noticing a slight smile on her lips despite the weariness she felt. "Maybe," she replied, softening her voice like she was telling him a top secret. "I think the baby has a sweet tooth already, just like his big brother. Every time you ask for candy, it kicks like he wants it too.”Xavier’s eyes widened in childlike wonder. “So the b

With tiny hands firmly grabbing onto his nanny Naëlle's arm, Xavier held on to her sleeve. He hadn't let go since they left the country home where he had been hiding the last few years. The boy's wide blue eyes shone with unanswered questions, questions the woman with him was unable to address. Burke sat at the front, hands on his knees. Beneath his controlled behavior, his thoughts went wild. He had often seen Xavier over the past years, striving to keep a thread of familiarity between the youngster and the family he had been parted from. But this—bringing him home, back to a house he had never visited and a family with old memories... “We’re almost there,” Burke murmured, eyes still fixed on the horizon. Behind them, the nanny gave Xavier a soft squeeze. “Remember what I told you, mon chou? Mommy and Daddy missed you so very much.”Xavier didn’t reply. He just nodded and turned to stare out the window.Coming into sight was the estate. 'Welcome Home, Xavier!' balloons were swaying

Silvia sat down, running her fingers over the picture of Xavier, their first son, who was still staying with his nanny because of the tension between her and her husband when Ralph had lost his memory. Ralph didn't want him then, and she also didn't want him around until it was absolutely safe for him to be brought back.Staring at his picture now made her feel a wave of guilt. Was she a terrible mother for doing what she did? She couldn't help but feel like she was the cruelest woman that had ever lived.He would be five in December; his birthday normally fell on The Royal Association's anniversary. Maybe that was the reason Ralph didn't really care when he was ill. When he got better, though, both of them had constantly kept in touch with the nanny. The constant threats to their lives had pushed them to make the tough decision of keeping him away, ultimately for his safety.That was not enough, though. She felt like a stone should be fastened to her neck at this rate. Damn it! How co

Marco sat on the sofa on the balcony looking at up the sky. Eyes dark, jaw tight. Becca had been dodging him for days now, ever since Laurent had that little chat with her. Sure, this place was huge. Plenty of rooms to disappear into. But they were all locked on the same damn floor, so what was the point? She couldn't continue this forever. Every meal was the same rubbish. She'd sit there, avoiding his eyes and purposefully ignoring him, staring at her plate intently. He pondered whether to go meet her now that Laurent wasn't around or he should hold his peace. Laurent was out doing whatever the hell Laurent did all day. Marco could go find her right now. Hash this out. Or he could sit here like an idiot, letting it eat at him.His chest felt tight. God, he was pathetic. Falling for someone who'd never look at him the way he wanted. Someone who was probably laughing at him behind his back. But the matter of the heart can not be dictated, although controlled.Nothing was going accord