How Did Angelina Jolie Prepare For The Maria Callas Role?

"Please don't do this. I beg of you." I mustered up the courage to speak these words. My voice is pleading, and my eyes are desperate to get to him. "I can't wait any longer. You don't know how bad I want you; even your tears turns me on." His face came closer to me. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and his words sent a chill down my spine. When a dangerous captor sets his sights on a young girl, he knows he needs to have her, even if it means taking her against her will.

Running from hell, and towards the devil. Having caught her betrothed and her stepmother in an unforgivable act, Calista runs away into the arms of a stranger-Roman Cappellucci, the cold, calculating, and dangerous mafia boss of Chicago. Roman has worked his way to the top of the criminal underworld with brutality. He proposes a deal: marry him, and he'll protect her. No feelings. No questions. Just safety in exchange for her obedience. But safety has its price It's supposed to be simple, a marriage of convenience for her protection. And don't they say the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know? Things take a twisted, darker turn when Roman's truest nature begins to unfold. He is not the savior she thinks he is; he is the devil that would set the world ablaze for her sake. The abyss she wants to drown in even though he is ruthless and emotionless. Yet with every passing day, Calista begins to chip away at the ice around Romano's heart. And despite every warning in her head, she finds herself drawn to him—not out of fear, but fascination. Her protector Her obsession Her every, darkest fantasy. Because the devil didn’t just save her. He claimed her.

WARNING: This book contains 18+ content for violence, explicit sexual content, strong language, etc. At 24, Callie had seen her fair share of cruelty in the world and struggled to survive. But it wasn't until her uncle, buried in gambling debt, sold her off to Vincent Baros, the ruthless mafia boss, and ruler of the Ashen City, that Callie fully understood what cruelty and hardship really were. Vin wasn't one to keep toys, but the moment he met Callie he was intrigued. After he took her in as his personal slave, Vin's curiosity turned into something deeper... something stronger. How could a woman keep such an innocent view of the world despite facing its darkness? And how could a cold and broken soul find warmth and love once again? Find out as we dive deeper into Vin and Callie's story in The Mafia's Songbird.

ARIA - At thirty-six, the Grammy-winning songwriter lives in a world of glittering lights and soaring applause, yet behind every love song she writes is a truth she keeps hidden: she’s never found a love strong enough to stay. When two powerful forces enter her life—one a steady and familiar presence, the other a magnetic, unpredictable spark—Aria is thrust into an emotional whirlwind that threatens to shatter the careful world she’s built. Passions ignite, loyalties fracture, and long-buried truths claw their way to the surface. As her career reaches new heights, Aria’s personal life spirals into a dangerous collision of desire, heartbreak, and revelation. Caught between the man who grounds her and the man who sets her soul on fire, Aria must make a choice that could cost her everything—even herself. ARIA TIL DEATH explores the boundaries of love, loss and moving on. Aria never expected her life to split in two—the before and the after. Losing the man she loved destroys her sense of safety, silences her music, and leaves her drowning in memories she can’t bear to revisit. But fate steps in the day she crosses paths with a quiet, grounding stranger whose presence feels like a lifeline. Their connection is instant. Healing, even. And when Aria is offered the chance to start over in a new city, he’s the one who encourages her to take it—promising to stand by her side as she rebuilds her life. Together, they leave the past behind… or so they think. As Aria settles into her new home with the man who’s become her unexpected source of strength, unsettling things begin to happen. Aria Til Death is a gripping journey of heartbreak, rebirth, and the dangerous lengths someone will go to when love turns into obsession.

I was Apollo’s most devoted follower, the lover he handpicked from a sea of worshippers. With me, he’d always shed his divine arrogance. He was so tender, so attentive. I actually thought he loved me to the bone. Until seven days before our Consort Ceremony, when I used my gift of prophecy to peek into our future together. I expected to see a lifetime of blinding love. Instead, I saw him violently tangled in the sheets with my adopted sister, Cassandra. Wrapped around him, Cassandra giggled. "You're so good to me, my Lord. Thanks to you, I'll finally get my sister's Sight and take her place as High Priestess." And Apollo—my god, my lover—smiled down at her with pure adoration. "Whatever makes you happy, little bird. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have played pretend for this long, let alone allow her to become a god's consort." In that split second, my heart turned to ash. My faith shattered into a million pieces. With seven days left until the ceremony, I didn't confront them. Instead, I fell to my knees before the altar of Hades, Lord of the Underworld. "I offer you my gift of prophecy. I will be your most loyal follower in exchange for your sanctuary." "Please. Take me away from here. Take me somewhere Apollo can never find me."

Seraphina Smith lived for the spotlight, a prima ballerina bathed in its every glow. But when a powerful sponsor fixates on her, that light morphs into a cage. Desperate, she flees, tumbling from her world of grace into the brutal, shadowed realm of Hugo Volkov, a ruthless underground boxer. He's an unexpected refuge, a dangerous calm in the storm she barely survived. Yet, as their forbidden connection deepens, Seraphina discovers her escape was just the beginning. The man she ran from is merely a ghost compared to the true threat, and Hugo Volkov isn't just her unlikely protector—he's the very reason her life is about to shatter all over again.