5-9 From Five To Nine

Married three years. Stood up three years. Today was the last time I bothered showing up. Surprise—he bailed again. Still clinging to hope like a total idiot, I called. One last shot. "A-Aurora, I'm busy. Just wait," he muttered. And then her voice cut in. All breathy and smug: "That old woman can't satisfy you, huh? Paolo, be gentle." Click. Right on cue, Marco Medici—loyal, patient, saint-like Marco—sent his 99th proposal. This time, I didn't leave him hanging. [Want to come over for bollito misto?]

"Mommy, Mommy! Look at that mister! Will I be as handsome as him when I grow up?" Liam's question forced me to look at where his finger pointed. "Holy f—" I cut myself off, trying not to curse in front of my son. Why, why, why did I have to run into Alexander Ravenford as soon as I walked out of the airport?! Among the millions of people living in New York, I surely didn't want to meet one—Liam's biological father. Five years ago, my scumbag of a boyfriend cheated on me, and I decided to go on a genuinely therapeutic weekend in the Bahamas. I wasn't looking for a rebound, but somehow I ended up spending a decent amount of time having sex with a man who was basically a stranger—a divinely hot, insanely mouthwatering, and ridiculously irresistible Alexander Ravenford. The morning after brought a disappointing hit in the gut, which assured me that for my Prince Charming, I was only a one-time adventure. But screw that, and screw him! I had plans. I was ready to pursue my dreams and study in London. But then fate decided to throw me another curved ball... I was pregnant, and Alex was the only possible father. I didn't give up. I came back as a successful interior designer and the mother of an amazing boy, Liam. I thought that I would be able to avoid Alexander, but it turned out to be almost impossible. But then it got worse… The arrogant, annoying, and even hotter than before CEO of a multibillion-dollar company became friends with my son—his son! And I have a feeling that the sweet little devil who calls me "Mommy" has a mischievous plan to bring his parents together. Should I give this insane relationship a chance?

My body drifted in the river for five years before a fishing enthusiast reeled it in. Even though the forensic pathologist managed to reconstruct my face from when I was alive through craniofacial reconstruction technology, the hatred my brother had for me remained as strong as ever. "That better be her body! She has been on the run for five years! Even in death, she doesn't deserve pity! In fact, it simply is a disgrace to have a murderer like her as the daughter of the Clarke family!" he hissed. Everyone thought he despised me with every fiber of his being. Yet, as he spoke, his entire body trembled. Who would have guessed that the distress call I made to him five years ago would end up becoming the main factor that hastened my death?

I was reborn on the very day my sister, Leena Fox, and I were choosing our mates. That was also when my mind-reading ability awakened. I heard her thoughts clearly. [I'm taking Collin! Ella can get Ethan, that emotionally abusive lunatic.] She lunged forward and claimed the so-called kind, gentle man I had married in my last life, while I was left with the Alpha heir who held real power but was rumored to be ruthless and cold. I let out a quiet laugh. Did she really think she had won some kind of prize?

On the day of her wedding, Elena Bianchi was left standing alone in a church. For the nineteenth time, Don Giovanni Rossi failed to appear. His excuse was the same as always—Lina was 'dying' again. This time, the humiliation went further. While Elena waited in her wedding dress, a video call arrived. On the screen, the lace veil her mother had left her—the one promise Elena had sworn to keep—was being torn apart by Lina’s dog as Lina laughed and urged it on. Giovanni followed with a careless apology. He promised to buy her a better one. That veil had been the last thing her mother ever gave her. Elena did not cry. She did not argue. Instead, she made a call no one in the Italian underworld dared to make. Seven years later, the Rossi family had fallen. Their power was gone. Their allies had turned away. And Giovanni—once untouchable—stood among the defeated, waiting to receive the Donna of the most powerful Mafia family. He never expected it to be Elena. Now married to Rafael Bellini, Elena was no longer the woman abandoned at the altar. She was Bellini’s Donna—calm, ruthless, and beyond his reach. The veil that had once been fed to a dog had become a crown. And the man who had destroyed her was now her enemy. In a world ruled by bloodlines, loyalty, and vengeance, Elena proved one unbreakable truth: A woman cast aside by a Mafia king did not disappear—she rose, and she returned as his reckoning.

Mia didn't choose this life. Dropped into a world of dust, horses, and hard edges, she's just trying to keep her head down and survive it. Lane was built for it. Rough, controlled, and impossible to ignore, he lives for the ride-bulls, danger, and the kind of reputation that keeps people at a distance. But distance doesn't last forever. not when Mia starts finding her place among the animals... Not when Lane starts watching her more than he should... And not when the tension between them turns into something neither of them can outrun. In a world where falling hurts and trust comes slow, Mia and Lane are about to learn that some risks aren't just taken in the arena.

After the assassination of his father, marco must now take the reins of the family empire. Confronted with his father's death and the necessity of maintaining power, marco goes to see alfonso, a mafia boss, to seal an alliance through marriage. To his great surprise, he discovers that alfonso's daughter, Laïs, is only an eleven-year-old child, innocently playing with dolls. Despite his indignation at this tragic situation, marco agrees to keep Laïs under guardianship until she comes of age, deciding to place her in a convent to avoid immediate complications. Years pass, and as Laïs grows up, she yearns for her freedom. When Marco returns to marry her, she chooses to flee, seeking to escape her fate. Laïs attempts to build her own life, but she is quickly found by Marco. Over time, a deep connection forms between them, despite Marco's cruelty. However, their love faces many challenges, including rivals and forces seeking to tear them apart. Through trials and struggles, Laïs discovers her own desires and the complexity of love in a world where power and loyalty often conflict. Ultimately, she must confront her past and navigate an uncertain future, learning that love, even in the darkest circumstances, can blossom.

Emma Baker hates her life. She is a poor werewolf Omega who lives in a trailer with her terrible family. Her mother despises her because she is the child she wished she never had, and her father is an aging gambler who is forcing his daughter to work as a waitress to pay off his debt to their Alpha, Jackson. Emma wants to escape from her harsh life but knows living as a rogue wouldn't be any easier for her. The only solution she can see is to end her own life, but then she meets Alpha Reed, and everything changes. He is the Alpha of another pack and her destined mate. There is only a slight problem: a bond between an Omega and an Alpha is unheard of, especially since an Omega can't bear children and produce an heir. The werewolf council would never allow their mating, but all wise people know forbidden love tastes the best. And it seems the council doesn't know everything because Emma is pregnant.

"Wait a minute..." Realization finally hitting her. "I just lost my virginity to a complete stranger!" ****************** A blissful night with a mysterious stranger turns Amelia's life around bittersweet. She gets pregnant and is now left to raise the child herself due to the unwillingness of the mysterious stranger who she later finds out to be Kris Fox, a name she wasn't going to forget anytime soon. Six years later, fate intervenes when Amelia’s path crosses Kris’s once more. Unknowingly to Amelia, Kris is the heir to the Largest Business Empire in the states, Fox Enterprises. He’s now a billionaire with a reputation as cold as steel and has an adopted son by his side who is coincidentally the same age as Amelia's son. As hidden secrets start to unravel and long-buried truths surface at every turn, Amelia is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions. She must confront Kris and reveal the connection they share for the sake of their children. As the past and present collide, will Amelia and Kris find a way to look past their complicated history, or will the secrets of that fateful night tear them apart forever? ****************** “I knew it! Kris’s adopted son and my son have the same birthmark. This can’t be a coincidence!”

A Rage Curse swept through the werewolf world. Only an Alpha strong enough to fight it could keep his throne. I was Alpha Liam’s personal alchemist. For nine years, I brewed "Serenity," the only potion that held back his curse. I dragged his pack, Silverclaw, from a back-alley crew to a pharma empire. I turned him from a rabid dog into a king. Liam promised me the Chief Alchemist title. He promised me millions in profit sharing the day the potion went public. But on his coronation day, he gave it all to Chloe, a she-wolf who’d just joined the pack. All because she was high-born. The perfect face for the pack's new image. And me? I was just a lowly Omega. I confronted him. He crushed me with his Alpha aura. "You're an Omega. Be grateful I even let you stay. Without me, rogues would've torn you to shreds by now!" I walked out before he could throw me out. We’ll see who gets torn to shreds first. But I know one thing. Without my potion, that power he's so proud of... will turn him back into the rabid animal he truly is.