Fingers Interlocked

I secured a big deal for the company and was promoted to manager. However, I overheard my boss' secretary gossiping in the pantry, saying that I was brainless and only got where I was by using my body. I was so angry that I wanted to report it to the police. Surprisingly, her husband stopped me and forced his wife to bow and apologize to me, begging for forgiveness. Things got worse on the next day. Someone shared my inappropriate photos in the company group chat along with records of me supposedly checking into a hotel with a man. My colleagues looked at me with contempt, as if they all knew what was happening but refused to speak up. Even my boss fired me, saying I had moral issues. My husband immediately divorced me when he found out, took our daughter away, and left me with nothing. Neighbors pointed fingers and whispered about me. I was so overwhelmed that I lost my senses and was killed by a car crash. When I opened my eyes, I returned to the day I was promoted.

I've followed an Instagram account. While unremarkable, it showcases some pretty sweet and romantic content. The account details the daily life of the owner and her Alpha. When it's raining cats and dogs outside, they share a hot beverage in a cafe. After they leave the place, he tilts the umbrella slightly toward her. Also, when they look up at the moon while sitting side by side, the sight of their fingers grazing each other strums my heartstrings. The Alpha in the photos has never revealed his face, yet he gives off a familiar feeling to me. On the night before my and Xavier Lupine's mating ceremony takes place, the account has a new update. "This marks the end of our eight-year entanglement. From now onward, he's her fated Alpha. I'm just her best friend. "This account will go silent from here on. I wish my 'best friend' and the Alpha, who's rightfully mine, eternal happiness." The latest photo shows Xavier and me. But the thing is, I've never shown anyone that photo before.

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."

Diane and Luca are a loving, and inseparable, couple with dreams of starting a future and a family after college graduation. But everything shatters when Luca ends their four-year relationship to chase his ambitions of becoming a wealthy businessman, unknown to him, Diane was carrying his child. Heartbroken and alone, Diane decides to keep the pregnancy a secret from him. Five years later, they coincidentally meet at an elite charity gala where Diane is the CEO and powerhouse behind the charity. Her life is thriving without him and she is determined to keep it that way. Luca is captivated by Diane's transformation and later discovers the child she's keeping from him. He is desperate to earn a second chance and will stop at nothing to win back her heart and their child's love. But Luca isn't the only man drawn to Diane. Marko Giorgio, a wealthier and dangerously envious businessman, is willing to do whatever it takes to make Diane his woman. Can Luca overcome Marko's schemes and Diane's mistrust, or will his second chance slip through his fingers forever?

“Do I look odd to you?”My throat tightens up…My eyes trace the black ink swirls of his sleeve tattoo, and the breeze carries his scent to me. I feel overwhelmed with the urge to touch the markings on his skin, to run my fingers through his dark hair.Desire, sharp as a blade, slices through me and I’m shocked at myself, unsure of where it came from.Vanessa thought she was lucky to find her fated mate. But on the day of their ceremony, he chooses her best friend to be his Luna instead. He scorns their bond and humiliates her, quickly turning her into the pariah of the pack and ruining her future. Then lures her with an explanation, before nearly killing her. She’s saved by Shawn–Alpha of a rival pack–but she’s mistrustful and has to learn to open her heart again. Can she be happy with someone who isn’t her mate? And what happens when her old pack decides they want her back? The Broken Fate of a Fated Mate is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Made men are trained to conceal their emotions if they have one, while those who have no empathy or emotions left in them after years of training are blessed. But what could be the downfall of a Made man? Perhaps, could it be the feeling of humanity? *********** Vincenzo Salvatore De Luca, the eldest son of the Bratva, a Made man, feared by all, except his arranged bride, Ava Morales. Ava, the daughter of a businessman, whose father borrowed money from the Bratva and was unable to pay it back. In exchange for the debt he owed, he gave his daughter out for marriage to the Bratva. Among all three sons of the Bratva, Vincenzo accepted to marry Ava, not because of love, but because she intrigued him and he wanted to see how much he could break her. But what happens when he begins to feel some stir in his chest at the sight of his wife? What happens then, when he sees his wife flirting with other men and his vision is clouded red and filled with the need to chop off the fingers of the man flirting with his wife?

“Get off me,” I demanded, leaning forward and sinking my teeth into his shoulders, drawing out blood in the process. He growled and yanked me away from the wall, spun and shoved me back into it. Tears stung my eyes when my head connected with the wall but I immediately blinked it back. He might be my captor but I wasn't going to give him that privilege of watching me cry. His fingers dug into my skin as he impaled me on his cock, “You’re mine now Natalia…I call the shots here not you.” ~~~~~~~~ To Natalia, the plan was simple. Get in. Show him a little bit of her titties. Make sure he drinks the spiked whiskey. And then walk out with whatever penny or luxury he owned. But little did she know that the most ruthless Mafia lord in Voyeur was going to be after her. And when he did, he wasn't only interested in reclaiming what she took from him. He wanted to possess her entirely.

"You belong to me!" he said in his deep, husky voice, sending shivers down my spine. "And you are mine to love, princess!" His tone was full of possessiveness. "Let me go-" I started to protest, but he silenced me by pressing his index finger to my lips. "Shh, be quiet!" he whispered softly against my lips. I looked into his eyes, which were filled with desire and longing. "It's just you and me tonight, and I want to make it special for us," his strong voice sent chills down my spine. My heart raced as I felt his fingers at the edge of my dress, ready to tear it away. *"I'm about to do the most sinful things with you now, Jaan!"* His voice echoed in my ears. "I've waited long enough!" His voice grew deeper with desire. "No, please-"before I finish my sentence, he interrupted me as air rushed around my body. He ripped my dress in two pieces.

May has it all—beauty, poise, and the right to inherit a multi-million-dollar mansion and the prestigious Greenfield Hospital. But with the hospital on the brink of bankruptcy and the government threatening to seize the property, her only chance to save her father’s legacy lies in one condition: marry Collin Grey, the wealthy CEO and son of her father’s best friend. Their engagement is meant to be a lifeline—until Collin accuses her of cheating and shatters her world with shocking proof: she’s pregnant. The problem? May is still a virgin. With her engagement broken and her inheritance slipping through her fingers, May sets out to uncover the truth. Her investigation reveals a twisted web of betrayal and dangerous schemes—a swapped lab test, a jealous stepsister, a scheming secretary, and a connection to three of the country’s most powerful (and ruthless) billionaire CEOs. Now carrying a child whose paternity could shake empires, May must choose between reclaiming her father's crumbling legacy, protecting her child, or uncovering deeper conspiracies that could destroy their world. Hers and her child's.

Liam Smith, an orphan, has had a dream for years; to become a star of the ever famous Lotus Pond Entertainment company. However, when he meets the famous and attractive CEO of the company, notorious playboy, Kain Jones, things take an unexpected turn. Kain is unfriendly, rude and even rejects Liam’s wishes of joining the company! Kain is not at all what Liam had expected his childhood star to be like at all! Disappointed, but not put off, Liam refuses to give up on his dreams of becoming a star and vows to do anything to get that chance, including doing whatever Kain demands of him, but just how far is Liam willing to go? "Your fervent, misguided sense of entitlement is stunning," Kain snarls at me. His nose twitches in indignation before a slow, cruel smirk crawls over his lips. He mouths the word 'anything', repeating what I had just said before leaning in and taking my chin into his fingers, brushing my lips with his thumb as he says in a low growl, "why don't you show me...”