Don't Lose Yourself

Bound by debt and haunted by a past she can't speak of, Annamaria is offered as a bride to Ares de Luca Sinclair, the ruthless head of the Sicilian mafia. He needs her secret; she craves revenge. Ares believes Annamaria holds the key to stopping a Russian mob invasion, but he doesn't know she blames him for her family's massacre and has vowed to get her revenge on him. As their lives intertwine, the lines between enemy and lover blur. But their fragile bond is threatened by a vengeful half-brother hungry for Ares's power, a scorned woman determined to reclaim her place by his side, and a forbidden love that refuses to be denied. When the truth is finally revealed, Annamaria finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. Kidnapped and tortured, she's forced to confront the secrets she's desperately trying to protect. Ares, consumed by betrayal, unleashes his fury, unaware he's playing right into the hands of his enemies. Will their love survive the lies, the betrayals, and the ever-present threat of the mafia underworld? Or will their dangerous dance end in heartbreak and ruin?

Don Fiorenzo Ricci saved me and brought me home, raising me for seven years. During the day, he was refined and restrained, treating me the way a true father would. At night, he was endlessly inventive, making me his and his alone. I drowned myself in this twisted love, naively believing I was the only one for Fiorenzo. Then he turned around and married another woman, made her the Madre of the mafia family, and forced me to watch them together. I was done being a piece in their twisted games. The first time I ran, he nearly killed the maid who helped me. The second time I ran, he shot the gardener dead on the spot. The third time, and the last, I jumped into the ocean right in front of him. I did it all for freedom, even if it was only the freedom of my soul after death.

Charlotte Quan, a sheltered and captivating young woman, finds herself at the center of an extraordinary turn of events. As the last female heir of her esteemed family, she has always been protected and shielded from the outside world. However, everything changes when she is unexpectedly persuaded to embark on a business trip with the man who has captivated her heart since childhood. Her crush, a charismatic and enigmatic figure, holds the powerful position of a respected Don in the underworld. Though feared by many, he has always treated Charlotte with a mix of familiarity and tenderness, often referring to her as his "princess." Despite her upbringing in a sheltered environment, Charlotte has always been drawn to his intriguing world. As they venture together on the business trip, Charlotte's senses awaken to a world she has never dreamt of. Surrounded by luxury and danger, she begins to see glimpses of the man beyond the Don—a complex individual with layers of mystery.

A medida que se acercaba mi fecha de parto, salió a la luz una discrepancia enorme en las cuentas de armas de la familia Galante. Por esto el mando tomó una decisión rápida: me enviaron a mí, Sophia Vitale, la esposa del Don —esa mujer que todos decían que no tenía nada mejor que hacer—, para inspeccionar de manera personal el arsenal y verificar el inventario. Yo creí que era una revisión de rutina. Por lo que nunca imaginé que la ahijada de mi esposo, Mónica Leona, lo usaría como tapadera para volar todo el arsenal por los aires. La explosión fue ensordecedora. El fuego rasgó el cielo y el concreto se desplomó a mi alrededor, aplastándome, mientras un dolor abrasador me desgarraba el estómago. Sin embargo, contrario a lo esperable, no llamé a mi esposo por su línea privada de máxima prioridad, sino que, en cambio, envié una señal de auxilio a mi padre. En mi vida anterior, en el instante en que había ocurrido la explosión, yo había usado ese mismo canal prioritario para llamar a mi esposo. El bebé había sobrevivido y Mónica había muerto en la explosión. Mi esposo había dicho que no me culpaba, que Mónica era una extraña y que un heredero importaba más. No escatimó en gastos, contrató a especialistas obstétricos de élite para vigilarme día y noche, diciéndome que me mantuviera tranquila y esperara el parto. Luego, el día en que entré en labor, él mismo nos encerró a mí y al bebé dentro de un almacén abandonado, el cual empapó con gasolina y encendió, quemándonos vivos. —Si no hubieras retrasado todo a propósito, ella no habría muerto. ¿De verdad creíste que haciéndote la víctima ibas a engañarme? Ni lo sueñes —dijo—. ¿Tanto te gusta jugar con fuego? Bien. Entonces te dejaré vivir su desesperación en carne propia. Cuando volví a abrir los ojos, estaba de regreso en el arsenal, justo en el instante exacto antes de la explosión.

“Did you think you could run from me, doll? Or is this just your way of testing me?" After being abandoned by her family, being sold by her godmother was the last thing Iris Paulman expected. Raised in a church in a small town, Iris’s world was one filled with faith and innocence. But when her godmother put her up for sale to clear her pending debt, Irish life takes a drastic turn. What happens when ruthless mafia lord Damon Vyon decides to buy her?

I’m sorry, it was an accident. I swear it was an accident!” Silver stuttered out in fear. Rodriguez stared at the trembling girl before him, heart torn in two. He’d usually revel in a sight like this, but not today. Instead he simply swiped away her tears. The feeling of her silky skin underneath his rough palms, sent a jolt of electricity through his veins. *** Silver was a waitress at the Blue Phoenix Bar. One night she found a flash drive left behind by some customers. She kept it, in hopes that the men would come back for it. Unaware that she has inadvertently stumbled into a sprawling operation between the top echelons of the Russian Mafia. Rodriguez is known to be the most dangerous man in the world, The Russian Mafia Don. When he discovers that a vital flash drive is missing, he goes into a destructive rage and blames the waitress who took it. He soughts after her life but meeting her alone is enough to change his mind. He decides instead to kidnap her and take away her freedom, making her a slave in his empire. But as it turns out, his slave holds a strong attraction to both his heart and body.

ELARA Elara My father stole millions from the devil and ran, leaving me behind to pay the price. Nero Moretti is the ruthless King of New York’s underworld. He is cruel, cold, and utterly unforgiving. To him, I am just a debt to be collected. A pawn in his brutal game. I swore I’d never break. I swore I’d never give in to the monster who holds my leash. But the longer I stay in his gilded cage, the more I see the man beneath the monster. And the more I fear the dark, twisted heat awakening between us. In a world ruled by blood and secrets, can I survive him? Or will I lose myself to the man who owns me, body and soul? NERO She was supposed to be nothing more than leverage. Use her. Break her. Discard her. That was the plan for Petrov’s daughter. I expected fear. I expected tears. But Elara is different. And there is a fire in her eyes that refuses to die. A fire that tempts me to step closer. Keeping her close stirs a hunger I thought I buried long ago. An obsession I can’t afford. She was just collateral. A means to an end. But now, she’s the one thing I can’t bend to my will. And the only thing I will burn the world to keep.

“I’ll keep you safe, Anya. Even if I have to lock you away.” * * Her brother kept her away from the Bratva’s bloody world. But the night he was killed, Anya Vasiliev was thrown into it. Straight into the arms of his best friend, Roman Sokolov. Now the new Pakhan, Roman swears she’s safest with him. But his protection feels like a prison… and his obsession, like chains tightening around her throat. He says he’ll burn Moscow to the ground for her. But will she ever escape the man who swore she’ll belong to him? No matter the cost?

Isabella Romano is drowning in her dead father's $250,000 debt to the Valentino crime family. When the city's most feared Don comes to collect, he doesn't want money, all he wanted was a wife. One year. Play the perfect mafia queen. In exchange, her debt vanishes and her sister's future is secured. Dante Valentino built his empire on fear and control. He needs a contract wife to maintain independence from rival families, nothing more. But the defiant woman who refuses to break awakens a dangerous obsession he can't control. As their arrangement ignites into real passion, enemies close in and a deadly conspiracy surfaces: Isabella's father was murdered for discovering a traitor in Dante's organization. Now the couple must decide—honor the contract's end or fight for a love that could destroy them both. Some debts are paid in blood. Some obsessions are worth dying

"Go on Athena," Luciano whispered, sliding a hand around my waist. "Shoot me. This was what you wanted all along wasn't it?" Tears ran down my cheeks. My hands trembled with the gun. He was right. This was what I had wanted. "Athena," He leaned forward, burying his face in my neck, his hands around me tightening. "Shoot already. End this. For both our sakes..." **** When Athena was given the mission to infiltrate Moretti Industries as an undercover agent for the FBI and find information on the Lord of the Mafia, she sees it as the golden opportunity to get her revenge on the man whom she thinks killed her father- Luciano Moretti. Her plan is simple. Entice Luciano until he spills all his secrets to her and then kill him. However, along the line, Athena realizes that she would have to fight, not only against Luciano and his enemies but against her feelings as well. What happens when Athena begins to yearn for her enemy? Will she complete her mission, avenge her father's death or Instead, allow her heart to decide? FB handle - HB Temilorun IG handle - hb_temilo