Awkward Silence

Il la fixa longuement. Trop longuement. Le cœur de Dolores cognait contre sa poitrine. Mais elle ne baissa pas les yeux. Pas devant lui. Pas ici. Pas maintenant. Alexander Manchester. PDG insupportablement charismatique. Froid. Arrogant. Intouchable. Le genre d’homme devant qui tout plie… sauf elle. Son regard était une lame. Tranchante. Invasive. Elle chercha un doute, un frémissement, un signe de faiblesse. Rien. Juste la détermination glacée d’un homme habitué à obtenir ce qu’il veut. — Je dois assister à une réunion pour le partage des parts de l’entreprise familiale, la semaine prochaine. Ma fiancée est coincée à l’étranger. Y aller seul serait mal vu. Mes parents ne doivent rien savoir. Et je déteste perdre la face. Sa voix était calme, basse, presque dénuée d’émotion. Mais chaque mot tombait lourd, chargé d’un enjeu qu’il ne nommait pas. Elle ne répondit pas. Son silence n’était pas du vide — c’était une tempête contenue. Il s’approcha. Lentement. Sa présence semblait s’étendre, engloutir l’espace. Chaque pas était calculé. Chaque geste, mesuré. Du bout des doigts, il frôla le bord de son bureau. Juste assez pour marquer un territoire. — Sois ma femme. Pour 15 jours. Et je triple ton salaire. Tu viens avec moi. Tu souris. Tu joues le rôle. Et dans 15 jours, on oublie tout. Il lâcha ça comme une bombe à retardement. Puis attendit. — C’est une blague ? Sa voix fendit le silence, un brin d’ironie accroché à l’incrédulité. — Est-ce que j’ai l’air de plaisanter ? Son regard l’écrasa. Aucune échappatoire. Aucune équivoque. Elle aurait pu dire non. Elle aurait dû dire non.

In a world where power is currency and women are pawns, Ava Campelli has just been sold to the highest bidder through a wedding veil. Born into a legacy of blood and quiet obedience, Ava knew her fate was sealed long before she could dream of escape. When she’s forced to marry Nico Moretti, the cold, ruthless heir to a criminal empire, her life becomes a performance of silence and survival. From the outside, she’s a vision in white. On the inside, she’s breaking. Nico is everything she feared: calculated, controlling, and obsessed with ownership. What begins with a diamond ring and a kiss in front of hundreds quickly descends into possession, manipulation, and brutal expectations behind closed doors. His touch is demanding, his love conditional, and Ava is expected to be the perfect wife—seen, not heard. But behind the carefully painted smile and submissive posture, something dangerous is beginning to stir in Ava. Each cruel word, every forced touch, is a spark. And one day soon, she may burn the whole kingdom down. A story of power, pain, and the quiet beginnings of rebellion—Bound By Blood and Vows is a haunting tale of a girl who learns that surviving is only the beginning and if she can't win his heart, then she will steal it when she leaves.

The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Kourtney paced in front of him, her heels clicking against the dusty floor of the abandoned villa. The contract lay untouched on the table, just inches from Travis’s restrained hands. Her plan had been reckless, but it was all she had left. “I didn’t want to do this,” she murmured, voice shaking. “But you gave me no choice.” Travis tilted his head. “You think tying me to a chair will change how I feel?” “No. But it changes what you’re allowed to do,” she said, forcing a smirk that didn’t reach her eyes. He didn’t flinch. “What happens after the wedding, Kourtney? When your father finds out? When Kim finds out?” She looked away. “Then it’ll be too late. I’ll have what’s mine.” “Money?” he asked. “Or revenge?” That struck something in her. Kourtney turned to him, face darkening. “You chose her. You loved her. But what about me, Travis? You never even gave me a chance.” “You think forcing me into marriage will give you love?” “No,” she whispered. “But it’ll give me power.” Travis met her eyes. No fear. Just sadness. “This isn’t you,” he said softly. “You don’t know me anymore,” she replied, backing away. “Sign the contract, Travis. Or I swear, I’ll make sure you never walk free again.” Travis looked down at the paper, then back at her. “You’ll lose yourself in this, Kourtney.” She swallowed hard. “Then maybe losing myself is the only way I survive.”

She is mine, now. Whether she wants it or not, she belongs to me. "Please... let her go. She is an orphan, have pity on her..." These words resonate in the room, a fragile plea against the unyielding will of a man. But Ariane is not a mere victim. She is a force of nature, a young woman with burning courage, who refuses to bend before anyone, not even before Auracio Ferrari. Auracio. That name makes every soul in the city shudder. A mafia boss, a man with a glacial gaze and undeniable power, whose mere presence commands silence and fear. Yet, in front of Ariane, he falters. She, with her disarming boldness, her eyes full of fire and defiance, does not tremble. She does not flee. She does not submit. She does not yield. No one has ever dared to resist Auracio Ferrari like she does. No one has ever destabilized him to the point of losing his composure and control. He wants her. Not out of simple desire, but from a burning obsession, a visceral need to possess what he cannot have. Ariane will become his. No matter the price to pay, no matter the pain, no matter the time. She belongs to him, body and soul, to him alone. He is ready to do anything for her. To destroy anyone who dares to lay eyes on her, to crush any threat, to break any attempt at escape. "I will kill anyone who shows interest in her." These words are a cruel warning, a promise of blood and fire. Because Ariane is no longer a mere woman. She has become his empire, his weakness and his strength, his hell and ... The fight for her freedom is just beginning..but one thing is certain: she is his, now.

She broke the one rule her husband gave her. She got pregnant. But instead of love, she got betrayal. He pleaded with her sister to take her place as his wife. And her family said yes. Framed by her brother in law and cast out in disgrace, she was left with nothing. Brooke had expected that her life would be like the movies where her stepmother tries to ruin her life, but for Brooke it wasn’t the case. Her stepmother showered her with love while her father and sisters loathed her. Her brother and her half-sister, who was the daughter of both her father and her stepmother, were usually in the middle. It was a constant battle of who was with or against Brooke. This time even the ones that supported he were stuck after her father instructed everyone to stay away from her. Brooke vanished. FIVE YEARS LATER… She returns not as a broken woman they discarded, but as someone stronger, sharper and fearless. A mother to twins. Backed by a powerful boss who’s secretly in love with her. A world famous soccer star wants her heart. Her ex wants a second chance. But Brooke wants only one thing, she wants justice. And this time, anyone who tries to silence her or ruin her will learn the hard way: she doesn’t forgive… she strikes back.

I was born into a world where loyalty is currency and vengeance is law. In this life, love is a weakness... and I learned that too late. My name is Aria Valente—daughter of a mafia kingpin, a pawn in a bloody game I never agreed to play. I was raised to be poised, silent, and obedient. But everything changed the day I was forced to marry Lorenzo De Rossi—the heir of our enemy, a man as cold as the steel he carries. His touch burns. His silence cuts deeper than any blade. And yet, behind those dark, calculating eyes lies a storm that calls to the chaos in me. We were never meant to fall in love. Torn between family legacies and buried secrets, I uncovered truths that shattered the world I thought I knew. Lies. Betrayal. A history soaked in blood. Lorenzo isn’t just my husband—he’s the very weapon forged to destroy me. But I am not the delicate flower they raised me to be. In this world of blood and bullets, only one truth remains: I will not bow. I will rise. Now, we are no longer pawns. We are fire and fury. And this is no longer a love story. It’s a war.

After Brielle Monroe believes she fell in love she discovers she actually fell into the hands of David Knightwood—a man she comes to fear for his ruthlessness —she’s stripped of her freedom and thrust into a gilded cage where obedience is survival. Just when Brielle begins to find slivers of safety and even twisted affection in David’s care, a devastating miscarriage shatters her spirit. Years pass in silence and shadow, until Brielle files for divorce, desperate to reclaim her life—but David refuses to let go without a fight. As secrets unravel and a final betrayal surfaces, Brielle learns her escape was never freedom at all—because the most dangerous prison isn’t built of walls, but of love laced with possession.

She has the perfect life. The perfect marriage. The perfect lie. On the night of her wedding anniversary, Ariana Cole receives no flowers, no kiss, no warmth. Just a cold dinner and a silence that finally breaks her. Then came Luca, the man who once made her feel like fire and vanished without a goodbye. When fate throws him back into her life, so does everything she thought she buried: her desire, betrayal, and the aching truth that her perfect marriage is a beautiful lie. Torn between a husband who’s suddenly desperate to win her back, and an ex who never truly left her, Ariana slips into a dangerous double life. Then come the anonymous messages, the buried secrets, the undeniable chemistry and the truth that her past was stolen… not forgotten. As passion reignites and manipulation turns deadly, Ariana must confront a devastating revelation: someone close to her stole her chance at happiness. And they’re not done yet. With her reputation shattered, a scandal threatening to destroy her career, and the man she truly loves falsely accused, Ariana has one choice: surrender to control or fight her way to freedom, truth, and love. This time, she’s not breaking. This time, she chooses herself …and love follows.

In the middle of Tokyo’s relentless rush, two strangers cross paths—by accident, in the most ridiculous way, and at the most unexpected moment—yet it feels as if the universe had quietly arranged it all. What follows are hesitant steps, faltering words, and small messages that slowly create a warm, quiet space between them. Tokyo Love Letter: Hibiki is a story where silence speaks, where ordinary days suddenly begin to matter, and where someone appears out of nowhere… only to become a place to return to, and a space to simply be oneself. This isn’t a story about falling in love quickly, but about feeling it grow—quietly, unexpectedly—through coincidences, through distance, and through the little things we never meant to hold on to.

He was supposed to heal quietly… not fall for his savior. After barely surviving a bullet to the chest and the betrayal of the only person he thought loved him, Jeremiah wanted nothing more than to disappear and mend in silence and forget. But then Everett Blackthorne shows up. Sharp-eyed, too intense… and too interested. Unsettling Jeremiah in all the wrong ways and making him feel things he doesn’t understand and is too afraid to admit. When dark secrets start surfacing, their connection becomes dangerous, not just for their hearts, but for their lives. Jeremiah has already survived hell once. But this time, it’s not just his past chasing him. It’s something older. Something darker. And it won’t stop until it drags him back.