Novel & Cerita Bitter Fruits

SYNOPSIS Beneath the shimmering lights of a city steeped in sin, Dante Rossi is a detective living in the shadows. He has successfully infiltrated the Valeriano family—the most feared mafia syndicate in existence—with a single mission: to gather the evidence needed to tear them down from the inside. As the personal bodyguard to Isabella Valeriano, the Don’s only daughter, Dante expects his greatest challenge to be the arrogance of a pampered heiress. However, behind the palace-like walls of the mansion, Isabella is no fragile doll. She is a woman of lethal intelligence, weaving her own web of betrayal. Isabella has known Dante’s true identity since day one, but rather than eliminating him, she transforms him into the primary pawn in her plan to overthrow her own father and avenge a childhood tragedy buried in blood. In this dangerous game of cat and mouse, the line between duty and desire begins to blur. Dante finds himself trapped between his oath to the law and a dark attraction to the woman he is meant to imprison. Meanwhile, Isabella begins to question if she can truly love someone destined to destroy her family’s legacy. When the night of the grand gala arrives, their secrets explode amidst the thunder of gunfire. Facing the barrel of a gun, Isabella and Dante must confront a bitter reality: in the world of the mafia, love is the deadliest weakness, and the only way to survive is to betray one another before the world destroys them both.

Three years ago, Elara Vance had a passionate whirlwind romance with Julian Sterling, a man she didn't know was the heir to a global empire. When she discovered his true identity and heard his cold views on family and "accidents," she realized she couldn't tell him she was pregnant. She vanished without a trace, moving to a small town to raise her son, Leo, alone. Now, Elara’s son needs an expensive surgery, and her only choice is to return to the city and take a high-paying job as an executive assistant. On her first day, she walks into the office and comes face-to-face with her new boss: Julian Sterling. Julian is bitter and demanding, convinced Elara left him for money. He vows to make her life difficult as "revenge" for leaving him, but the old chemistry between them is still explosive. The secret shatters when Julian shows up at Elara’s apartment unannounced and sees Leo—a boy who is the spitting image of himself. Furious at the deception, Julian sues for custody, leading to a "fake engagement" or a forced marriage to keep the child’s legitimacy intact for the Sterling shareholders. Through the forced proximity of living together, Julian discovers the true reason Elara fled, and Elara realizes that Julian has changed. They must protect Leo from Julian's corporate rivals while learning to trust each other again.

Selene, the Moon Goddess, has made a vow to one day bring the human race and werewolves together again after centuries of persecution. Selene loves her children, gifting them soul mates, so why does she put the destiny of their race in the hands of 2 teenagers? Predestined for one another, a high school alpha meets his mate for the second time. The problem is his Luna is human and doesn't believe in the supernatural. She’s a track star who knows she can only go off to college if she gets an athletic scholarship. After her father's untimely death, her mom and her are forced to move in with the odd, old, and lives like a hermit, aunt Ginny, that believes in all things paranormal. Max, the newest Alpha of then Red Moon Pack, has no patience left. He’s lost his father and Alpha well before it was his time, but takes on his Alpha duties, turns 18 years old, and has eagerly awaited his human mate. Selene starts sending messages to Tara in her dreams telling her who she really is and the importance of her mate; but will destiny be fulfilled especially since these 2 can't seem to get along? They aren't friends. They both have lost their fathers and are bitter about it. And Tara doesn't have time for something that she swears isn't even real.

The year my dad went broke, I was sent to live with billionaire heir Jace Blackwell. We grew up together. When he had a fever, he clung to me, face buried in my arms. When he got yelled at, he sprawled across my lap and sulked. And when another boy wrote me a love letter, Jace pinned me down and kissed me—shaking, jealous, possessive. Everyone thought we were the perfect couple. Then, on the day we were filling out our early college applications, a sharply dressed man burst into the classroom and shoved me to the floor. He grabbed eighteen-year-old Jace, his eyes bloodshot. "Jace! Look at me! I'm you ten years from now! Don't go to the same college as Nadia. She's not the one you love. It's Faye!" Faye Whitmore. The broke new girl. Eighteen-year-old Jace stared at that identical face, stunned. Then his expression went dark. "What the hell are you talking about? The only person I love is Nadia! I don't care who you are. Touch her again, and I'll kill you!" He rushed over and pulled me into his arms. He was shaking. I gave a bitter smile. No one knew. I was from ten years in the future, too. And twenty-eight-year-old Jace wasn't lying. By then, I wasn't the girl he loved anymore.

Before the pack's Winter Solstice festival, I was given a Moonwater Mirror, forged from the waters of the Moon Goddess Spring. But the face staring back at me wasn't my own. It was my face, but younger. The girl I was eight years ago. Her eyes were bright with a joy I hadn't felt in years. When she realized I was from her future, she practically vibrated with excitement. "Our fated mate, Alpha Owen, he confessed today! He's going to plant moonflowers around the lake cabin. He'll stay with me for every full moon. He promised to make me his one and only Luna forever!" Her voice was full of hope for the future. Her joy was a bitter reminder of what I'd lost. I listened quietly, only managing a faint smile. My reaction must have given me away. Her excited chatter died. Her gaze drifted over my shoulder, taking in the cold, empty penthouse behind me. "Wait... where's Owen?" Her smile faltered. "We're happy, right? After eight years?" I didn't say a word. I just slowly, deliberately, turned the Moonwater Mirror toward the terrace. There, my Alpha mate, Owen, had another she-wolf pinned to the railing. Their mouths were fused, their breaths mingling in the cold night air.

In the dark underworld of Cosa Nostra, a hidden mafia princess is suddenly thrust into a deadly feud between two powerful mafia families. Lucia, a young woman who had no idea about her true lineage, is living a peaceful life in a nun's convent until the day her father's enemies come calling. Her world is turned upside down when she discovers she's been groomed her entire life to be the perfect mafia wife, because she's been promised to an enemy since birth. Forced into an arranged marriage with Giovanni Vittori, the ruthless eldest son of the Vittori Capo dei Capi, Lucia finds herself caught in a twisted game of power and vengeance. When the blood feud between their families rages on in the aftermath of a disastrous wedding, the stakes get higher and the danger grows. Lucia must rely on her wits and cunning to survive in a world where everyone is a potential enemy. Giovanni is torn between his duty to his family and his growing obsession with his beautiful bride. But as they fight to overcome their families' bitter past, they find themselves surrounded by enemies on all sides. In a world of vendettas and retribution, can they find love amidst the chaos, or will they be crushed under the weight of vengeance and sacrifice? *** Giovanni is Book 1 of 4. The subsequent sequels will be released under this book. BOOK 1: GIOVANNI - COMPLETED BOOK 2: EMILIA COMPLETED BOOK 3: DOM (TBA) BOOK 4: FRANKIE (TBA)

My name is Eleanor Keating. In my past life, my older sister—Alice Keating—and I were entrusted to the McKellen family in Arborhill by our parents for arranged marriages. I married John McKellen, the eldest son. While he might not be conventionally handsome, his calm demeanor and unwavering reliability stood out. Alice married Xavier McKellen, the younger son. Handsome as he was, he was equally carefree and unpredictable in his actions. Eager for a grandchild, the family patriarch—Henry McKellen—made a promise. The first to bear a child would have their offspring named the next heir of the family. After our wedding, John and I conceived. Our child was naturally declared the next heir, and with that, John and I gained influence and power within the family. Tensions between Alice and Xavier escalated into frequent fights. Eventually, both had affairs, and their marriage ended in a bitter divorce. Believing they had dishonored the family, John banished them from the household. Blinded by jealousy, Alice poisoned me and my child, ending both our lives. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the first day I arrived at the McKellen residence. But this time, Alice makes the first move and sleeps with John. In that moment, I realize she, too, has been given a second chance at life. Unfortunately, she has no clue that John is a twisted man. Not only is he devoid of love, but he also sees women as mere stepping stones in his relentless pursuit of power.

I gave Michael the best two years of my life, but in return he handed me the divorce papers the moment my sister came out of the coma. ┈┈┈┈․° ☣ °․┈┈┈┈ Since the moment my sister was born, it had always been about her, never me.... Everyone, including our parents adored and favored my sister, Seraphina over me. Even Michael, the man I had been in love with since I was a teenager, only had eyes for my sister. He loved her, dreamt of marrying only her and also starting a family with her. But circumstances forced Michael to take me as his wife instead and my sister fell into depression and tried to commit suicide in which I was held responsible for. I was only supposed to be his contract wife, but along the line I felt Michael had started to love me but that illusion shattered the very moment his love for my sister reawakened after she woke up from the two years coma. I agreed to walk away with a broken heart after granting him the divorce. And just when I was about to move on from Michael, he suddenly showed up at my doorstep to make things more difficult for me because he said he couldn't let me go and he's obsessed with me. That was the bitter truth - My sister was the love of his life while I was only his obsession and the object of his desire.

I ran into my boss when I was complaining to my best friend about how he actively made the workplace hostile for me. He fired off a barrage of questions, "Where's the annual report? Where's the script for the speech? I can't believe you have the gall to enjoy a meal when you have a mountain of work to do!" That was it. I slammed the table. "It's due tomorrow! What's the rush? Are you going to hold a funeral for yourself tomorrow?" My boss stormed off in a huff. I asked for the bill, but the waiter came with two. My table came up to 60 dollars, but the other ran up to 3,750. "Your boyfriend said you're paying for both. Cash or credit, miss?" Shawn Goodall put that impossible bill on my tab and called himself my boyfriend? Unbelievable! I called him, utterly incensed. Yet, he had the gall to say, "Get the receipt and claim it from finance." Then, he hung up. The waiter was going to call the cops if I didn't pay up, so I had no choice but to accept this bitter defeat. I was trying to claim the money the next day, but the cops arrested me instead. "Shawn Goodall died at midnight and was found in his house. You're his girlfriend and the last person he met. You're coming with us."

My wife, Charlene Everett, and I used to work in the same hospital. I was known for being a kind doctor as well as a passionate teacher, while she was known for being a smart, fiery, and protective professional. All was well for the both of us until Charlene started caring about a clumsy trainee doctor called Zachary Wordsworth. I underestimated their relationship until the day he made a grave medical error, and she threw me to the wolves to protect him from his own mistakes. Indeed, Zachary cut a patient's womb out of her body mistakenly. The patient committed suicide not long after finding out. To avoid him being disciplined by the hospital, Charlene had the nurse in charge modify the records to have me as the surgery’s lead doctor. The patient’s family thought I was the one at fault and sued me. Everyone cursed me for being an unqualified doctor. Netizens made a huge ruckus online and started pressuring the hospital director to fire me. Helpless and in pain, I confronted Charlene, but she casually said, “Zach can’t handle the responsibility of failing the surgery. You’re more experienced, so you’ll be able to weather this storm.” When I later stumbled upon Charlene tangled up with Zachary, I could only let out a bitter laugh. I thus decided it was time for me to stop being kind.