Fourth Estate

Dysis Salmon’s life has been shaped by the cruelty of her father, a man consumed by debt and selfish ambition. Struggling to survive in the shadows of his abuse, Dysis is forced into a terrifying new reality when her father offers her as payment for his debts to Alexander Levi, a ruthless and powerful mafia leader. Alexander, a cold and calculating figure, is used to controlling everyone and everything around him, but Dysis is different. Her defiance ignites something in him, both a desire for power and an attraction he cannot ignore. Dysis discovers she has lost control of her life after being brought to the Levi estate, a world of luxury and peril. She discovers the harsh reality of being imprisoned in a golden cage: resistance might be her only chance to survive, but escape is impossible. Despite Alexander’s iron grip on her, Dysis finds an unlikely ally in Vee, a loyal maid and bodyguard who shares her own dark past. Together, they form a fragile bond, but Dysis’s escape attempts are swiftly punished by Alexander, whose growing feelings for her complicate his ruthless, mafia-driven world. Meanwhile, Lucian Everett, the family doctor, offers Dysis a glimpse of kindness amidst the chaos, stirring emotions that further unsettle her. As Dysis navigates this twisted power struggle, secrets about her father’s betrayal and Alexander’s tragic past begin to surface. Dysis must choose between fighting for her independence at all costs or submitting to Alexander's domination in a world full of deceit, deception, and relentless control. However, a terrifying foe that threatens to destroy them waits in the shadows. Love and survival are the ultimate goals in the sinister romance *Claimed by the Mafia Billionaire*, which is full of passion, power, and danger.

“Shit, she is escaping," said the one with the blue eyes, who cursed out, and grabbed the rope. Taking the vase from the table beside the window, I throw it over his head. “Get your fucking hands off,” I snapped, and I jumped out the window with the rope as my guide, and he followed. “Great, today is not just my day," I murmured as I landed on the- In a world of crimes, spies, a forbidden romance. I’m Sophie Rust, an 18 years old. College student. If I may brag a little, I would define myself as someone who is clever, stubborn, fun-loving, and adventurous. I’ve always known my parents were more than what they seemed, but never in my wildest dream did I imagine they were secret spy agents working for an underground Secret Service. Their secret world was full of danger and emotional roller coasters—a life I secretly craved. However, everything changed when I met Alexander Kova, a ruthless Russian gangster leader with a vendetta against my family. And love took an unexpected turn. Tragedy struck, at the High-Ranking official estate, leaving me as the sole survivor among the children of other spies Terrified and homeless, the Kovas, our enemies, turned into our protectors, offering me a blanket of safety. But that safety turned to nothing when a clash between the Kovas and a New York gangster family erupted, turning me into something formidable, a being with powers unimaginable. I never knew I could be the person that I have become. In this realm of power, secrets, and vengeance, our unlikely romance faces its ultimate test. As Alexander unleashes mayhem to claim what he believes is rightfully his, will their love survive the relentless storm, or will it crumble in the battle for power?

In the heart of New York City, where power is traded like gold and ambition can break you, Lily James is caught between two worlds. By day, she’s the epitome of grace, a picture-perfect heiress to the sprawling James family airline empire, bound by a legacy that stifles her every move. By night, under the cover of darkness, she sheds her delicate persona, becoming a fierce and untamed spirit—a woman who longs to break free from the chains of her family’s expectations. Her carefully curated life shatters when she is thrust into an arranged marriage with Vandaulf Claude Carlston, the cold, calculating CEO of Carlston Architectural Firm and ruthless heir to the rival Carlston real estate dynasty. To him, their union is nothing more than a business transaction, a means to strengthen their family empires. He dismisses Lily as fragile and unworthy of respect. But Lily isn't the meek woman he believes her to be—beneath her exterior burns an undeniable fire. At a Halloween party, fate intervenes. Lily, shedding her refined persona for the night, crosses paths with Vandaulf in the form of a bold, liberated woman he cannot resist. Neither knows the true identity of the other, and a night of passionate recklessness ensues. The consequences are shattering—Lily is pregnant. When she reveals the truth, Vandaulf’s response is cruel and devastating. He denies any involvement, accusing her of manipulation and deceit. His cold rejection cuts deeper than she could have imagined, leaving her shattered but resolute. In this world of power, deceit, and dangerous alliances, Lily and Vandaulf must decide: will they allow their differences to tear them apart, or risk everything to uncover the truth? The ultimate question remains: will Vandaulf ever acknowledge Lily's pregnancy as his own, or will their fragile truce crumble forever?

"Did you hear me, Luca DeLuca? I want a divorce. You betrayed me far too much. Last night was the final straw for me." I snarled, clenching my fists at my sides. I was proud of myself for remaining strong in front of my so-called mate. He always made me feel like a weakling. Still, he did not answer. Did he even hear me? "Luca?" I tapped the table until he finally looked up at me. "For God's sake, Serafina. Are you blind as well as stupid? Can't you see that I am busy?" Luca growled at me, causing me to be silent. He did despise me. The truth finally settled in my gut like a stone in that very second. I was nothing to him. He did not even care about me. Not one bit. For three long years, Serafina stood by her fated mates side, hoping that one day he would love her. But, each day caused more pain and suffering for Serafina, especially when she found her mate entangled with his ex lover. The one who truly had his heart. With his betrayal and rejection towards her, as well as the shame and disappointment her mother threw at her, Serafina finally snaps and demands a divorce, leaving the DeLuca estate and returning to her childhood sanctuary. Unfortunately for Serafina, her mother is not going to give up the idea of gaining power and greed, she forces her daughter to marry an old widowed Alpha despite Serafina’s refusal. Will Luca see sense before he loses his fated mate for ever or is it to little to late for his cursed Luna?

The day I was awarded the highest service medal, I got a call that my grandfather had died. My superiors approved emergency leave, and I rushed straight back to the family estate without stopping. The moment I reached the hillside cemetery behind the house, what I saw snapped something inside me. Our family burial ground had been completely leveled. My parents' graves had been dug open. Their urns had been turned into flower pot bases, with dark-red roses planted right on top of them. My grandfather's coffin had been split apart. His body was left exposed in the dirt, already starting to rot. And my younger brother, Jerry Horton, who was on the autism spectrum, was being ordered around like a laborer by my husband's assistant, Digby Wolfe, hauling construction materials back and forth. I lost it. I grabbed Digby and slammed him into the ground with a hard shoulder throw. "You touched my family's graves and made my brother do manual labor. Are you trying to get buried here with them?" Digby coughed up blood as he struggled to his feet, sneering at me. "This was Mr. Gray's decision. He said your family plot is in a good location, with plenty of space. It's perfect for building a golf course for the future Mrs. Gray. In Joule, Mr. Gray is the law." His tone was icy. "And who do you think you are?" I swallowed my rage and called Marshall Gray. "I hear you run Joule," I said. "Well, I'm about to change that."

Three months after Pete took his foster sister as his mistress, I terminated my marriage, chose to die on paper, and vanished from his life entirely. One quiet morning, I handed my child over to the nannies arranged by the family and walked out of the Rizzuto estate alone. Pete didn’t chase after me that day. He believed I would come back. Once I had calmed down, I would lower my head. The following spring, I was diagnosed with cancer. Standing in the hospital corridor, I suddenly remembered years ago— Pete had taken my hand and said, “You’ll be the finest Donna this Rizzuto family has ever had.” What pulled me back was not Pete. It was a letter from Sicily. Thin paper. Cold, rigid handwriting—the kind favored by old families who had ruled too long to bother with sentiment. “The heir has begun showing signs of emotional instability.” “Recent violent behavior has caused internal concern.” “There is disagreement within the family regarding the current Don’s judgment.” In the mafia world, there is only one reason the elders would bypass a man and reach out to a wife officially presumed dead— When the family itself begins to lose balance. So I returned. To the place I had once fled with everything I had. This time, there were no illusions. I no longer placed any hope in emotion. I was there only to fulfill the obligations of the family. I knew exactly how much time I had left. And I knew exactly what needed to be done. I became a proper Donna.

“You’ve spent seven years running from my scent, Madeline, but you’re still wearing the bruises I gave you like jewelry. Did you really think I’d let you come home without putting you back on your knees?” The North Reach is a kingdom of ice, iron, and ancient blood, where the weak are exiled and the strong are hunted. Seven years ago, Madeline Cruz was the disgrace of the pack—a girl with a sharp tongue and a wooden bat who broke the arm of the Alpha-heir and was cast into the sun-bleached purgatory of Los Angeles. She returns not as the girl they broke, but as a woman forged in fire, hiding scars that run deeper than any claw mark and carrying a family heirloom that marks her for a destiny she never asked for. But the Reach hasn't forgotten her. Harrison Cole, the boy she once leveled in the dirt, is now a man of lethal ambition and predatory grace. He is the future Alpha, a king-in-waiting who views Madeline’s return as a challenge to his crown—and a feast for his wolf. He doesn't just want her gone; he wants her ruined. He wants to hear her scream his name in the dark and watch her defiance shatter under the weight of his command. As the Cruz family’s dark secrets begin to bleed through the polished floors of their estate, Madeline finds herself caught between a father who sold her out and a lifelong enemy who tastes like woodsmoke and danger. In a world where wolfsbane and silver are the only laws, Maddie must decide if she’s back to reclaim her throne... or to burn the entire pack to the ground.

In my previous life, my brother took his sugarbaby to see a meteor shower because she said she wanted to. He drove to the countryside with all his bodyguards to create a perfect stargazing night for her. Unfortunately, business rivals whom my brother had bankrupted saw this opportunity and broke into our estate seeking revenge. My mother fought desperately to protect me, suffering severe injuries that left her fighting for her life. I called my brother repeatedly, begging him to return quickly and help us. He finally had to come back with his security team. The intruders were captured, but then terrible news came from the countryside. His sugarbaby had left a suicide note, her fate unknown. In her letter, she accused me of deliberately drawing my brother away, causing her to be tortured by his enemies before she took her own life. My brother coldly burned her letter and told me not to worry about it. Afterward, my brother was blamed for what happened, and my father promised to put me in charge of the company. However, after the celebration dinner ended, my brother brutally murdered me in my bedroom. His face showed no emotion as he coldly said, "Someone as treacherous as you should have died long ago. "You should have been the one to die, and the family inheritance should have been mine!" I died with my eyes wide open in disbelief, and when I opened them again, I could hear our enemies breaking down the front door of our mansion.

**Title:** The Billionaire's Maid **Synopsis:** Ella Sinclair, a bright but financially struggling lady, a newly graduated historian was offered to work as a maid to the notorious and enigmatic and highly powerful Greek billionaire, Alexander Knight,a business Tycoon, is known for his ruthless business tactics and his cold, solitary existence, having distanced himself from close relationships following a troubled past. his sprawling estate, a modern fortress of solitude, is his only sanctuary, but Mr Knight has a strict qualifications on his maid(must be middle-aged), so Ella has no choice but to disguise Ella, who took the job to support her family back in a small town, is immediately struck by the stark contrasts between her simple life and the opulent world of alexander. despite her resolve to keep things professional and her focus on her duties, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious and brooding alexander. her warmth and light-hearted nature slowly begin to thaw alexander’s icy exterior. as the days pass, alexander finds himself increasingly intrigued by Ella’s resilience and genuine kindness. her presence begins to breathe life into the mansion and, unexpectedly, into his heart. they both come from different worlds, yet they find common ground in their shared sense of loneliness and their hidden desires for companionship as they confront these challenges, the question looms: can love truly bridge the vast social divide and heal old wounds? or will the realities of their worlds force them back into isolation? How long can she keep up with the disguise when her employers ruthless behavior made it impossible for her to stay docile? she's ready to explore everything in "the billionaire's maid," love, resilience, and hope overcome the shadows of wealth and social disparity, weaving a story of romance that promises to heal and transform

Even knowing that wailing at an Eravalen aristocratic funeral was considered disrespectful to the deceased, I let my husband's adopted sister make a scene anyway. In my previous life, my husband, Robert Baker, had a distant relative among the Eravalen aristocracy who passed away. A lawyer informed him that he stood to inherit the estate and invited him to attend the funeral. His adopted sister, Mia Carter, insisted on tagging along to see how the privileged few in another country lived. She wanted to rub shoulders with nobles and make herself look important, even planning to wail dramatically in front of everyone. I rushed to stop her. "Public mourning is taboo among Eravalen nobility. Forget inheriting anything. We'll all be thrown out!" Yet she burst into tears, accusing me of looking down on her and thinking she was not good enough to mingle with aristocrats. She stormed out and was killed by street thugs in a random attack. I thought Robert would fall apart, but he stayed silent through the entire funeral and collected his inheritance without a hitch. Six months later, on our wedding anniversary, he took me to the snowy mountains for a photoshoot. The moment we reached the peak, he shoved me into a sleeping bag and tied it shut. "If you hadn't blown everything out of proportion, Mia never would've run off and gotten herself shot." He buried me alive in the snow. I froze to death, and he used that aristocratic fortune to become the CEO of a publicly traded company. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Mia insisted on wailing at the funeral.