Always Hold Onto Smallville

"Notorious Bachelor Lucas Hart, 29, proposes to his first love and childhood sweetheart, Natalia Rossi!" My heart broke as I saw the picture of Lucas proposing to Natalia on one knee, the same ring I found in his jacket pocket, in the photo being slid onto her finger. The camera zoomed in on Natalia’s face and a gasp escaped my lips. It was like staring at myself, but a thinner, sicklier version of me. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t called in three years.  "Bianca," My father’s voice answered, "To what do I owe this sudden call?" "Dad," I said, "I accept. I will come back home for the arranged marriage and take back my inheritance." *** Bianca Salvatore, heiress of the Salvatore empire ran away from home, trying to escape the marriage arranged by her father. She met Lucas who she dated for three years, until his first love returned. He never knew about her true identity, and always shamed her for being poor. He heartlessly announced that he would get married to his first love, then make Bianca his side piece. Bianca didn’t want that life for herself, so she agreed to her father’s arranged marriage and took her inheritance. From being known as a poor pauper, to a famous billionaire heiress. Now her ex is on his knees, begging for a second chance. Will Bianca risk her heart again for the man who shattered it, or will she choose the powerful husband who sees her true worth?

WARNING: This an extremely dark romance. **** Shivers raced through my spine at the dark, heated stares from them —the brothers I was about to pledge my body to. “Sweetheart, you need to know what you are getting into by joining the game,” Blue's voice startled me. I gulped as my eyes went to Fred's. His mouth went up in a smirk as his dark eyes roamed through my body. Desires and fear took hold of me as I glanced around their 'play house' I knew what I was signing up for by consenting to be their toy. Yet, I willingly took that step, to freedom, desire, and, worst of all —pain. **** As a journalist, Bella was determined to be the best. She was always taking jobs discarded or termed 'impossible' by others. However, she didn't know what she signed up for when she agreed to interview the Christophos brothers —wealthy men who live in an old house. She thought it would be effortless despite the number of journalists who had failed to get any info on the brothers until she stepped foot into the compound. Unknown to the unsuspecting woman, she was in for a ride of her life with brothers who might not be as human as they seem… The game is about to begin... And it's the survival of the fittest...

Everything was going downhill. Caterina Mari Santelli is having trouble. At first she struggled to remember who the man in her hospital room was. Now, she doesn't exactly know if she loves him or hates him even more (the thought of planning a wedding to a man you hate isn't exactly inviting). She's also in distress knowing that her plans aren't going the way she planned. To add to her list of dilemmas, she's having PTSD and is afraid to even hold a gun, much more shoot one. Lucas De Marchi is just a dazed man walking. Something warm towards Caterina was building inside of him. He knows exactly what that feeling is and knows exactly how dangerous it is. But despite his efforts to stop his feelings, he always finds himself doing dirty business with her or for her. He's confused about Mari, and he's worried about his family and his sanity. To finally put that luscious cherry on top, Matteo Santelli, Caterina's uncle, has heard of her and Lucas' soon-to- be-wedding and is mad for being uninvited. Now the church doors are open. Only problem is, no one knows exactly if it's for a wedding or a funeral.

I loved Spencer. Even though I knew he only saw Fiona when he looked at me. I clung to the wedding dress he picked out himself, holding onto the dream of a future that felt so close. But on our wedding day, she came back. In front of everyone, he has my dress ripped apart—for her. Now, he knelt before my grave, begging for forgiveness. But all I could think was, even here, he was ruining my peace.

At our wedding, Don Marco DeLuca, my fiance, answers a phone call. That's when his expression changes drastically. He then looks at me, his eyes filled with pain and conflict, two of the emotions that I've never seen plaguing him before. "Lina, Fiora will be flying this afternoon. She will leave Novaris permanently. This will be our last time seeing each other. I… I need to send her off." As I rub my thumb against the diamond ring which has just gotten slotted onto my ring finger, I just gaze at Marco quietly. "Are you sure you want to go see her off?" Marco's voice is trembling at this rate. He dares not even look me in the eye. "Lina, I swear that you'll be the only woman for me from now on. We'll get married, and we'll have children together. Life will be perfect for us." After that, he turns on his heel and walks away without looking back. He doesn't see the way I've crumpled onto the floor, where a puddle of blood has formed beneath me. My papa kisses me on the forehead. "My darling principessa, are you sure you want to break up with Marco?" I close my eyes and nod in response. I don't want Marco nor this farce of a marriage contract anymore.

I had always been naturally celibate. Yet somehow, I still ended up chemically castrating myself. It was all because, in my previous life, my wife's precious idealized lover, a libidinous playboy, went viral as a pickup artist and dumped every side effect of his indulgent lifestyle onto me. He spent nights partying in hotel rooms with groups of women while I collapsed from kidney failure and was rushed to the ER. He lounged in clubs with women in both arms, downing bottle after bottle, while I went into an allergic shock and nearly died. I confronted my wife about it, but she shoved me away impatiently. "Shane already told me nothing happened with those women! You're just jealous and faking illness to slander him!" However, the playboy's actions only escalated. Chasing bigger thrills, he even started getting involved with men in drag. Thanks to him, I caught an STD, which pushed my wife to demand a divorce. I went to the hospital for treatment, but the doctors could not find the cause. Instead, they tossed me straight into an addiction rehab program. Later, for the sake of boosting his live stream numbers, the playboy went wild in Southwind Asira's nightlife scene. After he spent an entire night drowning in pleasure, I, drained past my limit, collapsed and died on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day he began his online hunt.

On Christmas night, I've roasted a whole turkey and paired it with the finest red wine. Then, I quietly wait for my boyfriend, Don Carlo Carlione from the Carlione family, to come home to me. When Carlo steps through the front door, he doesn't even spare me a glance. Instead, he throws his blood-stained coat onto the couch and starts undoing his cufflinks. "Something important is going on at the family HQ tonight, so I can't celebrate Christmas with you tonight." He sounds very casual, as though he's talking about the weather. I don't respond to him at all. Instead, I just slice my turkey quietly. Later on at 1:00 am, Carlo's ex-girlfriend, Lucia Caruso, uploads a social media post right on time. In the photo, she can be seen resting her head against Carlo's shoulder. The background shows a night sky filled with fireworks overcasting a grand bridge. The caption reads, "He told me he can always keep me company as long as I say the word." I don't hurl my phone in a fit of anger, nor do I call Carlo to demand for answers hysterically. Instead, I just leave a like on the post. 30 seconds later, Carlo calls me. For once, his voice is tinged with a hint of alarm. "This is just a misunderstanding! I'll definitely celebrate next Christmas with you!" I just shake my head with a soft sigh. "It's a shame that there's no next Christmas for us ever again."

“Your father’s debt is now yours to pay,” he said. The words were quiet, but they hit like a hammer. “Whether you like it or not, it’s either you serve me or you die.” Santa Griffin has always lived life on his own terms, bold, flirtatious, and unapologetically reckless. But when his father is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Santa is dragged into the shadowy world of the Otho family, the most powerful clan of vampires in the city. There, he learns the truth: his father’s debt has fallen onto him, and Lord Perth Otho demands repayment in the most terrifying way possible. Forced into servitude, Santa becomes Perth’s personal slave. But what begins as a cruel punishment twists into something far more dangerous. Perth toys with him mercilessly, savoring his defiance, but beneath the ruthless control lies an attraction neither can deny. As tensions rise, Santa is caught in a deadly web. Perth is bound by duty to marry the pureblood ed vampire, Xedra, a union that could secure power for the vampire elite. But when vampire hunters launch a brutal attack, Santa risks everything to save the very man he swore to hate, setting into motion a chain of events that will change everything. But when the hunters strike and their leader is revealed to be Santa’s long-lost mother, vengeance and blood ties collide. Caught between the woman who gave him life and the vampire who now owns his heart, Santa must decide where he truly belongs, because in a world ruled by darkness, love itself could be his undoing.

In a world struggling to survive the pandemic, Dean Walsh was happy with his new life, his job, his girlfriend. Until his boss, billionaire Salomon Ellis, discovers his darkest secret. From then on, he will hold Dean hostage to his whims in exchange for his silence.

On our wedding day, Lily, the apple of Patrick Luther's eye, tried to kill herself. I grabbed onto his sleeve. "Please don't go." He pried my fingers off, one by one. "Don't make a scene. Lily needs me right now." I watched him walk away, laughing until my eyes turned red. If you don't love me, then I'm done with you. “Patrick, this time I'm the one leaving you."