Fortress Synonym

They say a wedding dress is a promise of forever. Mine was a shroud for the girl I used to be. I was sold to a monster to pay for my father’s sins. I expected to spend my wedding night praying for a quick death at the hands of Don Moretti. Instead, I got a bloodbath. Before the first glass of champagne could shatter, the doors were kicked open by the city’s most terrifying nightmare: Dante "The Butcher" Vane. He didn't come to save me. He came to collect. By the time the sun rose, my husband was a corpse, my family home was in ashes, and I was draped across the lap of the man who had been stalking me from the shadows for years. "Your father didn't just owe the Don, Bianca," he whispered, his thumb tracing the line of my throat with lethal tenderness. "He owed me. And I’ve decided you’re the only currency I’ll accept." Now, I am a prisoner in his fortress—a gilded cage where the line between fear and desire is blurred by every dark touch. Dante is a tyrant, a red flag wrapped in Italian silk, and a man who claims to be my protector while keeping me in chains. But as the secrets of our shared past begin to bleed out, I realize the "Butcher" has a weakness. He doesn't just want my body; he wants my soul. He thinks he’s breaking me. He doesn't realize that in the silence of my mourning, I’ve stopped being the victim. I’m learning his triggers. I’m studying his scars. And once I make the King of the Underworld fall for the widow he created... I won't just take my freedom. I’ll take his empire.

Madalas sabihin ng marami na ang mga anak ang nagsisilbing angkla ng buhay ng isang ina. Para kay Catriona Lavender Carias, tumimo sa puso ang paniniwalang iyon mula sa sandaling mapag-isipan niya ito—hanggang sa subukin ng panahon ang kanyang tibay at paninindigan. Dumating ang sandaling kinailangan niya ng malaking halaga ng pera para sa operasyon ng kanyang ina. Dahil sa matinding desperasyon, napilitan siyang pasukin ang mundong hindi niya kailanman inakalang kakapitan—ang Dream Fortress, isang lihim na bahay-aliwan kung saan ang mga lalaking may matataas na pangalan sa lipunan ay nagbabayad kapalit ng panandaliang aliw. Ngunit sa isang hindi inaasahang pangyayari, ang serbisyong minsan niyang ibinigay sa isang estrangherong naging nag-iisa niyang kliyente ay nagbunga ng isang alaala na hindi mabubura ng panahon—isang anak. Pagkalipas ng isang taon, muling pinagtagpo ng tadhana ang kanilang mga landas. Si Trever de Gracia, ang dating kliyente at ang tunay na ama ng kanyang anak, ay muling pumasok sa kanyang buhay—ngunit hindi siya nakilala nito. Sa halip, inalok siya ni Trever ng isang kakaibang trabaho: magpanggap bilang kanyang kasintahan, at ang kanyang anak bilang sariling dugo, upang pagselosan ang dating kasintahan nito. Ano ang mararamdaman ni Trever kapag nalaman niyang ang batang inaakala niyang bahagi lamang ng isang palabas ay tunay niyang anak? At paano niya haharapin ang katotohanang ang babaeng inupahan niya noon ay ang inang minahal at isinakripisyo ang lahat para sa kanilang anak?

It was just another morning commute—until he happened. Across the train aisle sat a man who looked like he’d stepped out of a high-end magazine and straight into a power struggle. His voice sliced through the air, sharp and commanding, as he chewed someone out over the phone like he ran the damn universe. Arrogant. Entitled. Dressed like a Wall Street god. Correction: he looked like a god. That’s where the charm ended—or so I thought. When the train screeched to a stop, he stood up in a hurry, stormed off… and left his phone behind. Did I pick it up? Yep. Did I snoop? Absolutely. Photos, contacts, a few mysterious texts—I couldn’t help myself. Did I keep it longer than I should’ve, building stories in my head about the man behind the voice? Yeah… I did that too. When I finally gathered enough nerve to return it, I marched into the glass-and-steel fortress he called an office. He wouldn’t even come out to meet me. So I dropped his phone on the desk outside his office door. And maybe—I left a photo on it first. Not exactly the professional kind. What I didn’t expect? A message. From him. What followed were late-night texts that burned hotter than anything I’d ever known. Words became whispers. Whispers turned into fantasies. I was falling—for someone I hadn’t even really met. He and I? Total opposites. Fire and ice. Chaos and control. But when we finally came face to face, it wasn’t just sparks. It was an inferno. What happened next? Let’s just say… falling for him was the easy part. Surviving what came after? That’s where the real story began.

Marco - The Don of the Cosa Nostra, cold, heartless and shielded, let's no one in. Conceals his pain. He is engaged to Roxy, for business. With no love or chemistry between them, their marriage is set to be nothing more than business. Lucia - An ordinary woman, with nothing special about her, or so she believes. She runs on emotions. Suffering from anxiety attacks and crazy moments. She's the complete opposite of Marco. Like him, she is engaged, only it's forced on her. Lucia - Life was great until a year ago, I had just been told about my mother's death to watch the love of my life and sister shot before my eyes. The loving father I once had, now cold, calculated, sells me. My newest boyfriend's last quest for me leaves me facing Marco - The Don. I won't go down without a fight. Keeping me captive in his great fortress, I can't escape. What I thought was my life, crumbled down when I found out the secrets my family had hidden. Even Marco couldn't comprehend how deep into the Cosa Nostra I have been since the day I was born. Marco - I knew it was a mistake taking her home, and keeping her hostage until I uncovered the truth. That mistake led to me feeling. It led me to want her like I had never wanted anyone else before. She ripped me open and pulled the feelings free I had buried and tried hiding throughout my life. She just walked in, blew up my life and said, deal with it. Like emotion isn't a weakness. PLEASE BE AWARE. Do not read if you are sensitive to the TW topics. This is one of my most open, raw, and descriptive books. It isn't often it fades to black.