Long Island Compromise

I made a deal with the Devil. My soul, in exchange for seven days on earth after I died. The eleventh hour after my death happened to fall on our third wedding anniversary. The moment I walked through the door, he had just come home from another woman's place. He had an anniversary gift waiting for me. A set of sapphires. But the card tucked beside them bore another woman's name. I spotted a pale lavender hair tie in his hand. Once, I would have fought him over a hair tie like that, all the way from the front hall to the study. This time, I said nothing. It was him who froze instead, staring at me like I was a stranger. "You didn't used to be like this. I almost miss the way you used to fall apart over everything." He was right. The old me would have thrown a fit over something as small as him forgetting to cut my steak. But ever since the miscarriage, my heart had been dying by slow degrees. When I found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. I wanted him to be the first to know. But I couldn't reach him, no matter how many times I called. I lost the baby. I hemorrhaged. That very afternoon, while I lay on the operating table, a photo of him and that woman hit the entertainment headlines. He never even knew I had carried a child. Now there was only one last thing I wanted from him. To drive me up to the northern coast, and bury me with his own hands. But when he realized I had truly vanished from this world, he came undone.

"Henceforth, you will live here. You belong to me now." Ryan declared, his deep voice slicing through my defenses. --- At just twenty-two, Jack Harris was on the brink of despair in the dangerous Stone City. Alone in the world and struggling to survive, he was ready to give up. Then, he crossed paths with Ryan Thompson, the man who held the city in his grasp. By day, Ryan was a charming CEO; by night, he ruled as the feared Mafia boss. Rather than seeing Jack as a victim, Ryan perceived him as the universe's gift to him. He offered Jack a chance at life, unaware that the price would entail facing his deepest fears. Ryan quickly became fixated on Jack, drawn in by the very terror Jack embodied. After enduring a series of pain, terrifying BDSM and displays of dominance, Jack ultimately surrendered, marking the most significant compromise.

After I get abducted to Paradise Island, I've attempted escape twice so far in order to avoid becoming the rich's plaything. The first time I get caught, on that very same night, I receive a video of my fiancee, Lucille Hoffman, getting torn into pieces by a school of piranhas. The second time I get caught, my older sister, Edith Cox, whom I've relied on since I was young, gets mutilated by the kidnappers on a cruise ship. Driven by despair, I agree to bind myself to a system. "As long as you earn enough points, you can revive your lover and your sister." From that day onward, I shed my pride and ego. I allow the electrified collar to dig deep into my neck. I keep getting tormented time and again until I lose consciousness. After undergoing yet another organ transplant that's forced onto me, I stare at the points, which are enough for me to revive Lucille and Edith. That's when a trace of hope emerges from my heart. Just as I'm about to hit the "confirm" button with a trembling finger, I hear a burst of laughter coming from a corner. "That idiot actually thinks he's bound to a system! He's still working hard to gather points just to revive his sister and his fiancee! Little does he know that Paradise Island, their deaths, as well as the system, are all big fat lies!" "I know, right? The rich really have a way of grooming people, huh? Apparently, Ms. Cox and Ms. Hoffman faked their deaths and created a fake system for this guy just because he had slapped Mr. Trenton back then and refused to apologize to him or admit his mistake. That's why they put on this act in order to teach him a lesson and make him yield to them." "Shh! Drop this topic for now! Ms. Cox and Ms. Hoffman are here to check on the training progress…" I feel as though I've plunged into an icy abyss. My ears begin ringing from shock and disbelief. That's when the poison I've taken in advance starts kicking in. Before I know it, blood begins streaming down the corner of my mouth uncontrollably. Just as my vision is going dark, someone kicks the door open.

On the night we came of age, George Costa and I finally took things further in our relationship. Despite the physical discomfort that night, I was happy for a very long time. I genuinely believed that by taking this monumental step together, George and I were locking in our future. We would get engaged, get married, and seal our destinies. After all, the Alfonso and Costa families were the two most powerful mafia families in Solaria. After our union, my father could finally rest easy, knowing he could slowly pass the family empire down to us. However, the very next day, I overheard George talking to one of his friends on the phone. “Wow, that's insane. You actually got the daughter of the Alfonso family to be your first?” Hearing those words made me embarrassed, so I decided to walk away. But then, George said dismissively. “Please, she’s just an Alfonso. Honestly, I wanted Julie first, but I was worried that my lack of experience wouldn't give her a good time. So, I just settled for the next best option and used Annie for practice.” When those words hit me, I didn’t cry or throw a tantrum. The moment I got back, I refused to take my place within the family empire. Instead, I immediately put in a transfer request for our branch in Londres.

Lilliana Russo is the eldest daughter of a powerful mafia family in New York City. Forced to marry the malevolent Don of the city, Vincenzo Salvadori, she attempts to assert her independence by presenting him with three conditions for their marriage: that she be allowed to continue working as a doctor, that they sleep in separate rooms until she is ready to sleep with him, and that they do not have a baby until she wants to. While Vincenzo agrees to the first and third conditions, he refuses to allow her to have her own room, stating that as his wife, they will share the same space. Lilliana is overwhelmed by Vincenzo's domineering presence and fears for her safety as she navigates this arranged marriage with a man she doesn't love. *** Leo and Rose's fiery romance is also written in this book. It's the second book of the 'Alliance' series! *** For a better reading experience, please read it on the web ;)

He looks at me like he already knows the truth I’ve spent a lifetime hiding. Ethan Vance—lawman, predator, believer in a system I learned to outthink before I could drink wine. His eyes don’t burn with hate. They study, measure, almost… understand. They call him incorruptible. Maybe he is. But I’ve seen incorruptible men fall, not to money or power, but to fascination. The kind that crawls under your skin and makes you wonder if the person chasing you might be the only one who truly sees you. He hunts me by the book. I survive by rewriting it. But somewhere between the pursuit and the silence, between his questions and my lies, the line blurred. And now, I can’t decide which is more dangerous, losing to him, or wanting him to catch me. --- He isn’t what I expected. Luca Vitale walks into every room like he owns it, and maybe he does. Calm. Calculated. Dangerous in ways that don’t show up on a rap sheet. He should be just another target, another name I take down and file away. But there’s something about the way he looks at me. Like he already knows I’m not as untouchable as I pretend to be. I tell myself it’s strategy, curiosity, control. It’s not. It’s a problem. Because every time I think I’m closing in, I realise he’s already two steps ahead—and for the first time in my career, I’m not sure if I’m hunting him, or if he’s letting me try.