Banter Knife

Celestine “Celine” Navarro has it all—wealth, influence, and a last name tied to a billion-peso coffee empire. But as the heiress of Navarro Coffee, her life feels like a gilded cage of boardrooms, family expectations, and insincere suitors. Longing for freedom, she disguises herself as an ordinary barista in one of her own cafés, determined to live a life where no one knows her name. That’s when she meets Liam Reyes, a talented but debt-stricken architect whose quiet intensity hides a storm of guilt and desperation. To him, Celine is just the clumsy new barista who can barely tame an espresso machine—but her wit and warmth begin to chip away at his walls. For the first time, Celine feels truly seen, not as an heiress but as a woman. But Liam carries a dangerous secret. Crushed under debts and blackmailed by Navarro Coffee’s fiercest rivals, he is forced into sabotage—stealing files and betraying the very company Celine is destined to inherit. What starts as banter over coffee turns into a fragile romance built on lies, one that teeters on collapse the moment truths spill over. When betrayal is uncovered and loyalties tested, Celine and Liam must face an impossible choice: protect the empire and the people they love, or risk everything for a love that was never meant to survive. A story of hidden identities, sabotage, and a love as intoxicating—and as dangerous—as the richest brew.

In a high school world where popularity reigns, Ava Martinez prefers the quiet corners of the library to the chaos of the halls. After her mother's engagement to Mark, she's forced to navigate life with her charming yet unpredictable stepsibling, Ethan Davis. When a science project pairs them together, their playful banter ignites a connection neither expected. As Ethan helps Ava transform into the girl she thinks she wants to be, they both confront jealousy, self-discovery, and the complexities of their feelings. But when a betrayal threatens to unravel everything, Ava must decide what truly matters. In this heartwarming tale of friendship, identity, and the struggle for acceptance, Ava learns that the journey to find oneself is often the most rewarding adventure of all. Will she choose the spotlight or embrace her true self—and the unexpected love waiting right beside her?

Mila Russetti’s life turned upside down the moment she decided to break the rigid rules of her foster family for the first time in her life. At age of four, she had been adopted into the most dangerous Mafia family in the USA_The Hayden family. Behind the steel gates and the locked doors, she was a prisoner, the calm and obedient daughter. By a single act of rebellion, she payed dearly: she was set up, raped, used as a pawn to break down the Haydens. Her foster family kicked her out of their lives and sent her overseas treating her as a traitor. After four years, they showed up again in her life, claiming she owed their dying father a last visit. She returned to the Hayden's mansion with her three years old son, only to discover that they were trying to cage her again and forcing her into a marriage. Will she give up to their abuse, especially after she had discovered the shocking truth of the identity of her rapist? And how will she take her revenge on them when she finds out that she's the heiress to a Tycoon mafia empire? How does her biological mother's shady past affect Mila's present? Is it true that the only thing that brings dangerous and ruthless Mafia Lords, those who are morally gray men to their knees—begging and regretting—are the women they worship? A juicy and twisted love-hate dynamic, Obsession, toxic attraction story is waiting for you. **** When she pressed the knife to her own throat, his mask finally cracked. He hesitated for a second before confessing with guilt, “I know who did it, Mila. I know who raped you that night four years ago. And I assure you, he wasn't one of Hayden's enemies.”

Demetria Hernandez built Butter & Bloom, her cozy little bakery in Los Angeles, out of love and grit. She never imagined it would land her a contract for one of the city’s most prestigious charity galas. Her excitement shatters when she meets Marion Whitfield, the billionaire behind the deal, through his mother. Arrogant, impossibly good-looking, and every bit the spoiled son of old money, with the world at his feet, Marion treats her like hired help instead of a businesswoman. Their first encounter is enough to make Demetria swear she’ll never deal with him again. But contracts bind, sparks fly, and somewhere between insults, banter, and stolen glances, hate begins to blur into something neither of them expected… and both might be too proud to admit. Can she bury the hate long enough to fall for him?

All Tori Wright wished for was a young pup to call hers. After being married to Wade Wright for three years of trials and errors, her time to shine finally came. She's pregnant. And on the day to share such news of a new life growing in her, her husband betrays her, alongside the last person she expected. She gets stabbed with a silver knife and that's the end. Or, was supposed to be the end. The Moon Goddess has mercy on her and she is reborn, right to the point where she has to make her decision, the decision to make or mar her life. She opts for Wade's Step Brother instead. Wayne Wright. Only, Wayne has his own secrets, and it'll take a lot of love and trust to pry them out of him. Tori is about to make Wayne Alpha instead of Wade, and only her, just her, knows how to do it. Or maybe, there is someone else who has been reborn too, and knows about what's about to happen in the future. Either good or bad, The Wrights are about to find out.

"I'm sorry," he looked at me. My smile fell, "Sorry for what..." A silver knife was plunged into my heart before I could understand what was happening. Ava believed she had found solace in Sage. Their marriage seemed affectionate, even loving. But on the night of their wedding anniversary, her world shattered when she was stabbed by her husband. She uncovered a devastating truth, Sage was having an affair with none other than her twin brother. In a shocking twist, she wakes up two years in the past, reborn. Armed with the painful memories of her betrayal and death, she refuses to be a pawn ever again. This time, she won’t be the prey. She will be the predator.

Rejected. Abandoned. Marked by fate. Eighteen-year-old Aria Lane has just found out her mate is none other than the cold, ruthless Alpha, Kael Blackthorne. He immediately rejects her in front of the entire pack. Kael made it so obvious that she wasn't good enough for him, not even close. But fate might have its plans. When a mysterious plague and looming war threaten the Lycan Territories, Aria returns to the pack that ruined her. Kael, wracked with guilt and betrayed by those he trusted, will do anything to reclaim what he once rejected. But Aria is no longer the timid girl he shattered. She's stronger, smarter, and she has secrets that can bring his entire world crashing down. As a fallen goddess manipulates the supernatural world against one another and a curse threatens to annihilate everything, Aria and Kael must navigate a bond forged by the moon and a love tainted by betrayal. But this is not just the normal world, it's one where trust is a knife and love can kill. In a world where love can kill and trust is a blade, will their second chance heal the wounds of the past? Or will destiny demand their last sacrifice?

Arranged-marriage, age-gap, Mafia/cartel romance, forbidden Due to my birth order as a child of the Luciano famiglia capo, I’m used to second place. Second son. Second in standing. Never number one. It’s the way my life has always been. Only in the dark alleys, private clubs, and seedy establishments am I respected. Not just as the consigliere to my brother, the new capo of the Kansas City Famiglia, but also for my unmatched skills with a knife and my particular skills of interrogation. This status is as high as I will achieve. First place will forever be out of reach. Camila Ruiz is the younger daughter of Andrés Ruiz, a top lieutenant in the Roríguez cartel. From the first moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I wanted her. She is too young and fragile, though, to be with a man like me, a killer and criminal. I don’t deserve a woman like Camila. Taking her would ruin her. With the newly established alliance between the Luciano famiglia and Roríguez cartel, I ask for the impossible and promise my life. With the blessing of my capo and the Roríguez drug lord, Camila is to be mine. For once, I will be first in another’s eyes. And Camila will always be first to me. What happens when the fragile alliance is tested? Can I keep my promise to my wife and my oath to the famiglia? Have you been Aleatha’d?

She asked her best friend to take her virginity. He said no—at first. Eighteen-year-old Wren Sinclair has always played the good girl—smart, responsible, careful. But a month to her birthday, she asks her best friend for the one thing no one would expect from her: sex. Just once. Just to get it over with. Except Kai Anderson—gorgeous, cocky, and maddeningly protective—doesn’t play by simple rules. Saying yes might wreck the most important relationship in his life. Saying no? That only makes the fire between them burn hotter. As stolen touches, whispered lessons, and forbidden fantasies begin to blur the lines between friendship and something far more dangerous, Wren finds herself spiraling. Her body wants everything Kai offers. Her heart is starting to want even more. Because falling for your best friend? That was never part of the plan. A sizzling slow burn filled with banter, heartbreak, and back-to-back sexual tension.

"You stare at me like that, and I’ll kiss you till you drop." "Tsk. You don’t dare do it here." "You think so? Then tonight…" "Tsk. I knew it." Ethan and Ryan. Two racers who can’t stop bickering—or competing. What starts as a teasing banter quickly turns into heated kisses… and fights that spill off the track now takes place in the bedroom. Rivals, enemies or maybe something more. Are they ready to admit it?