Donna Farmer

My husband, Daniel Thompson, looked down on me. I was just a farmer's daughter in his eyes, and he never loved the son I gave birth to. It wasn’t until our baby turned 100 days old that he held him for the first time. Then, one day, his first love, Claire Matthews, came back to the city. That night at dinner, Daniel, who was always cold and distant, finally smiled. He even reached across the table and placed a piece of meat on Noah’s plate. Noah beamed all evening, clutching onto that tiny gesture like it was a treasure. Just before bed, he whispered to me, "Mom, do you think he likes me now… even just a little?" I wrapped him in my arms, tears blurring my vision as I gently shook my head. "No, sweetheart. It’s because the woman he truly loves is back. It’s time for us to go."

After coming home from buying fresh produce at the farmer's market, I began prepping the ingredients and making lunch. As soon as I was done with my tasks, my husband, Jeremy Tate, came home. "A pipe in Chloe's home has burst. Hurry up and help her out. It's difficult enough for a single mother like her to handle such problems." I took off my apron and went to Chloe's place to unclog her pipes. Then, I mopped up the stagnant water before proceeding to comfort her frightened child. Once I finally dragged my exhausted body home, I saw Jeremy handing over my daughter's sweater to Chloe. "Don't stress yourself out, Chloe. It's not like Eliza can still wear this anyway. This sweater is perfect for Lily." As I stared at the sweater, I suddenly spoke up. "Let's get a divorce, Jeremy." He looked at me in disbelief. "You want a divorce over an old sweater?" "Yeah. Precisely."

Dr. Elena Russo’s life shatters when her father is assassinated and she discovers he was a mafia Don. As the last Russo heir, she must claim her father’s throne or watch three hundred people die. But the Five Families won’t accept an inexperienced woman, and they’re already attacking. Damien Cross, a ruthless rival underboss, offers a deal: marry him in a contract alliance and merge their territories, or lose everything. With enemies closing in and forty-eight hours to decide, Elena signs her life away to a dangerous stranger. Their marriage is warfare. Every negotiation tests loyalty, every touch sparks unwanted desire. As Elena transforms from doctor to Donna, learning to kill alongside Damien, the hatred between them ignites into something far more dangerous. In the mafia, love is the deadliest weapon, and trust might get them both killed. Tags: Mafia, CEO, Dominant, Contract Marriage, Betrayal, Hate to Love

She watched as he settled on the black couch while she stood a few meters away from him, with her luggage right beside her.  Her gaze lowered to the floor as her eyes met with his stiffened, icy face which wore a demeaning look that sent shrills all over her body.  Her heart palpitated with fear as she became overwhelmed by the thoughts of being strangled tonight by her newly wedded husband who was sitting right in front of her.   She had heard him rumored to be ruthless, arrogant and hostile just like his father.   After the collapse of his marriage with a billionaire's daughter whom he had tried to murder, he became feared by many, and every lady would see it as a death sentence to be married to him.  But here she was, the daughter of a peasant farmer, married to the ruthless Billionaire's son. How did she get here?  Her name is Alex, and this is her story with ADRIAN STEEL, SON OF THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

Llevaba tres años casada con Alexander. Todo el mundo le temía por su crueldad, pero conmigo siempre había sido muy tierno. Sin embargo, todo cambió hace seis meses, cuando Elena recibió un balazo por él durante una balacera. Alexander siempre decía que ella fue herida por salvarle la vida, así que yo tenía que ser comprensiva. En la gala más prestigiosa de la familia, mi esposo, el Don, Alexander, llegó del brazo de su asistente, Elena. Llevaba prendido al pecho el broche de rubí que simbolizaba la posición de la Donna de la familia. —Elena recibió un balazo por mí. Le gustó el broche, así que se lo presté por un tiempo. De todas formas, tú eres la única Donna aquí. Trata de tener algo de clase. No discutí con él. Me quité el anillo de bodas y saqué los papeles de divorcio. —Si tanto le gusta, que se lo quede. Incluyendo este lugar junto a ti. También renuncio a eso. Alexander firmó sin dudarlo, con una sonrisa arrogante. —¿Qué clase de jueguito manipulador estás inventando ahora? No eres más que una huérfana. Sin la protección de nuestra familia, no vas a durar ni tres días en Sicilia. Te doy una semana para que te arrepientas de esta estupidez. Luego no vengas llorando de rodillas. Saqué un celular satelital encriptado que no había usado en tres años. Alexander no sabía que, en realidad, yo era la hija menor de la familia mafiosa más antigua de Europa. Pero mi familia y la de Alexander siempre habían sido enemigas. Para casarme con él, me cambié el nombre e incluso corté toda relación con mi papá y mis hermanos. La llamada entró. Respiré hondo y susurré: —Papá, me arrepiento de lo que hice. Manda a alguien por mí en dos semanas.

Three years ago, my husband’s brother took a bullet for him. So Gwen brought his brother's widow, Eliza, into our home. I was the Donna in name only. I had to step aside for Eliza in everything. Once, Eliza faked slitting her wrists. She said I drove her to it. Gwen grabbed my throat. Murder flashed in his eyes. "Get out. The Falcone family has no place for a venomous bitch like you." He gave her the family's art foundation to "make it up to her." It was supposed to be mine. This time, I said nothing. He was signing a stack of business contracts. I just slipped the divorce papers in with them. A few days later, he noticed I wasn't home. He searched all over Chicago. He couldn't find me. That's when he saw the divorce decree. He finally understood. I was gone. For good. That day, the untouchable king of the Chicago Outfit… shattered.

"Shit!" I hissed as Jide eased into me and teased my core. My fingers made a burning path up his toned back, as I gripped him hard, urging him to go faster. And as we made sweet love into the night, I could not help but wonder how I had fallen. Fallen so deeply in love with him. **** Raised singlehandedly by her ruthless grandmother, after her father died and her mother eloped with a lover, Ivory Stone grew to be a strong and independent CEO who took over her family's legacy and company. She's had everyone and everything answer to her; and would definitely not take 'no' for an answer. And in came Jide. The farmer with the heart of gold who had little to nothing to his name. He was charming, pure, and he defied her in every possible way, testing her limit and questioning everything's she'd been taught. The minute she locked eyes with Jide, she least expected he was what she needed to turn her world upside down. She fell and she fell deeply.

On the fifth year after marrying Giovanni Santoro, the Don of the Santoro family, he decides to make a public appearance with his mistress, Valentina Conti. He no longer denies the truth behind the romantic scandals. Videos of them that have been taken in secret, as well as salacious gossip featuring the two, are spread like wildfire in New Albion. It's an act of declaring ownership over Giovanni that he himself has silently permitted. There are even busybodies who don't know their place and decide to prod me for answers with smiles on their faces. "Does this mean someone else is going to replace you as the Donna of the family?" That night, the underworld of New Albion secretly goes through a thorough purge. I file for a divorce with Giovanni immediately before marrying his biggest enemy, Franco Messina. After that, the Santoro family goes into bankruptcy. Their power and authority easily crumble into dust. Giovanni kneels before me. With tears running down his face, he begs me for forgiveness. I just smile while waving the divorce agreement in my hand. "Sorry, but we're already divorced."

My fiance, Luca Rossi, cuts off my finger with a cigar cutter to seize Ossuary Signet, my famiglia heirloom. Afterward, he parades it like a trophy and slips the ring onto the finger of Sofia Constanzo, the heiress of the Constanzo famiglia. He mocks me openly. "An orphan like you has no right to wear the ring meant for the future Donna of the Rossi famiglia." Sofia lifts her hand to flaunt the ring, feigning concern as she says, "Alessia, don't be angry. At worst, I will have Luca compensate you with a golden finger later." Everyone present watches me as a joke, yet I laugh out loud. I wipe away my tears and start to applaud. "Congratulations, Luca. You traded one of my fingers for the Rossi famiglia's one and only lifeline." I look at his stunned expression and smile cruelly. "Do you think it's just a ring? No. It is the sole key to unlock the billions in assets under my name. The moment it leaves my hand, the Rossi famiglia begins its countdown to bankruptcy and liquidation."

The Rossi family has a rule. If you want to be the next Donna, you have to prove yourself. Make three hundred million dollars, clean money, in a single year. All on your own, no family help. I spent ten years trying to do it for Vincent. I built ten companies from the ground up. But every single time, just as I was about to cross that finish line, something would go wrong. Everything would just… collapse. This year, I finally did it. I ran to his study, audit in hand, my heart hammering against my ribs. I thought I’d finally won. Instead, I learned my entire life was a lie. He handed my entire empire to Ava—my father's bastard. All because she supposedly saved his life once, and he wanted to make her the real Donna. I gave up. On him. On my family's dream of rising with his. Then I picked up the phone and called the Outfit in Chicago. "Your marriage proposal," I said. "I accept."