Gilded Cages

"You have the hands of a goddess," he rasped, his blood staining my operating table. Even with three bullets in his chest, his grey eyes held nothing but command. He was Damian Volkov, the Bratva's heir, and I was the off-the-grid surgeon who just saved his life. "And you have a bill to pay," I told him, tying the final suture. His laugh was a dark, dangerous sound. "Oh, Doctor. I don't deal in cash." His hand closed around my wrist, not with force, but with the chilling certainty of ownership. "You belong to me now." He dragged me from the shadows of my clinic to his gilded cage high above the Vegas Strip. He thinks he's claimed a simple doctor. He has no idea I'm Evelyn Reed, daughter of a murdered senator, hiding secrets that could burn his entire world to the ground. He wants my submission. My skills. My body. But in this game of secrets and seduction, the most dangerous weapon isn't the gun in his hand. It's the scalpel in mine.

In the glittering world of Greenwich, Connecticut, where wealth and secrets collide, Kayla Morgan, a sharp-witted waitress, never expected to catch the eye of elusive billionaire Justin Drake. When a clumsy encounter at The Gilded Spoon drenches her in daiquiris, it sparks an undeniable connection that neither can shake. As the Greenwich Charity Auction looms, their paths cross again, igniting whispers of romance and a TMZ headline that thrusts Kayla into a spotlight she never wanted. Torn between doubt and desire, Kayla must navigate a world of opulence and intrigue to discover if love at first sight is real—or if Justin’s intentions are just another gilded illusion. A tale of passion, trust, and defying the odds, this romantic drama will keep you hooked as two hearts fight to find their place in a town where nothing is as it seems.

Elise Bennett, an actress admired by the public for her talent and captivating beauty, hides a dark truth behind her glamorous facade: her life is controlled by Lucas, the ruthless leader of a mafia organization. He has turned her into a tool to entertain wealthy and powerful VIP clients, trapping her in a gilded cage with no escape. Amidst the schemes and deceptions, Daniel, Elise’s sweet first love, reenters her life. What will Elise do to reclaim her happiness and free herself from the dark vortex that has ensnared her, in order to once again reach for true love?

They say the devil wears a three-piece suit. Mine wore a ring stamped with a golden lion, the symbol of the Ricci mafia. It was on a night of fire and ashes that my life changed. My name was Alaya, and I was just a girl among many others, born in the alleys of a neighborhood where poverty poisons you from the cradle. My mother, sick, had only me... and the debts. That night, they came. They knocked on the door. Three men in black. Not a word, just an envelope, and a chilling phrase: — "Your daughter is still a virgin, isn't she? The boss pays dearly for that." I had no choice. His name was Santino Ricci. Cold. Magnetic. Dangerous. The head of one of the most powerful families in Italy. He looked at me like one looks at precious merchandise. Then he said: — "You will be my wife. No matter how you feel." And I signed my condemnation. This marriage was not a union... but a gilded cage. I learned to survive among snakes. I saw death. I saw blood. I heard the screams of girls who, like me, had been sold. But what they had not anticipated... was that the little broken virgin would eventually bite back.

She was always the good girl. Until heartbreak made her reckless. Elena Sinclair thought marriage meant forever. But five years in, her “forever” has become a gilded cage of pain and betrayal. She’s the wife who couldn’t give him a child. The barren disappointment. And for that, her husband offered her a cruel compromise… an open marriage. One that gave him the right to find someone who could carry his heir. The next day, he brought a pregnant woman home. The same woman who was first introduced as his cousin. The humiliation doesn’t end there, his mother lashes out… hurling insults and even fists, while her husband turns a blind eye. Not once has he defended her. Not once has he shown her love. She’s nothing more than a placeholder… a name on a marriage certificate. The cruelest part? She loved him. She loved him long before the vows, long before the lies… so deeply it blinded her to who he really was. Now, to make him jealous, she turns to the one man she should never touch: Jaxx Moretti, her husband’s younger brother. The dangerous one. The black sheep of the Sinclair family. The man who once made her high school years hell… and now has every reason to destroy her husband's legacy. What starts as a twisted game soon ignites into something raw, addictive, and completely forbidden. But Jaxx isn’t just her escape. He’s everything her husband isn’t. Because the deeper she sinks into Jaxx's bed… The harder it becomes to crawl back out. Content Warning: This book contains mature themes intended for adult audiences (18+), including explicit sexual content, toxic relationships, manipulation, and emotional trauma. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

“Five million dollars may have bought my chains, but it didn’t buy my loyalty — and it definitely didn’t buy my heart. I never dreamed my life would come down to a transaction of hundred million dollars. But my father’s betrayal puts me at the mercy of Adrian Costa, the ruthless Sicilian, head of Cosa Nostra whose name makes the mafia world quake with fear. Including me. He bought me in an auction and then made me his wife. Saying no to him is not an option. He is dark and dangerous. I have done underhanded work against him using my hacker identity, CIPHER. I have to escape his gilded cage before he finds out my alt identity. Each of our battles ignites a deadly game of power and lust. As secrets unravel and Adrian’s enemies close in, I find myself faced with the ultimate dilemma: Will I fight for my freedom, or will the king I hate become the one man I cannot live without? ***** “You think you can outrun me, Elena? You're wearing my ring on your finger.” I don’t flinch, meeting his gaze with defiance. “So what? I don’t belong to you.” He leans in, his lips brushing against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “You don’t, yet. But I can make you. Do you want that?" I swallow hard, my pulse racing. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Adrian chuckles darkly, his hand lingering on my waist. “Trust me, I’m not the one who needs to be flattered.” ***** # Dark Mafia Romance #18+ #Hacker Female Lead and Italian Mafia Lord # Touch her you die #Marriage contract # He falls first #Fast Paced #Strong FL and ML #A Not so cute Pet (Oh he is cute. Don't go by his looks) #HEA

Emily never imagined that the man meant to protect her would be the one to sell her off like property. Betrayed by her own blood and thrown into a world ruled by power, secrets, and obsession, she finds herself at the mercy of James Bolton—a dangerously charming billionaire with eyes as cold as the empire he built. But James doesn’t just want Emily’s body. He wants her fire. Her fury. Her soul. Offered a twisted deal—marry him and take revenge on those who ruined her—Emily must choose between survival and surrender. With every touch, every stolen kiss, and every cruel command, she’s pulled deeper into his web of manipulation, dark desire, and a past neither of them can escape. In a world where love feels like war and pain dances with passion, can Emily break free… or will she become the next shattered doll in the devil’s collection? Some cages are made of silk… and some devils wear tailored suits.

Aria Jones has always been a pawn—trapped under her ruthless father’s control and forced into an arranged marriage with a man she barely knows. But on the day of her wedding, everything shatters. A daring escape with the infamous Nikolai Petrov—dangerous, untouchable, and heir to a rival empire—thrusts her into a deadly underworld where love is a weakness and trust can get you killed. Now hunted by her vengeful fiancéand a jealous rival; and caught in a ruthless war between cartels, Aria must do more than just survive—she must transform. With enemies circling and a past that refuses to let go, she has two choices: return to the gilded cage she knows or embrace the dark power that Nikolai sees within her. But as their passion ignites, so does a war that could destroy them both. In a world where betrayal is inevitable, will Aria and Nikolai be each other’s salvation—or their downfall?

Catalina De Luca’s world turns into trouble when a single bullet, unleashed in a moment of heartache by her shattered father, almost claims the life of young Luca Moretti—the 10-year-old son of Matteo Moretti, a formidable billionaire with deep connections to a dangerous underworld. Matteo is driven by a fierce, unwavering belief: “An eye for an eye. And a tooth for a tooth"As danger looms over his son’s life, a fierce determination ignites within him, driving him toward a singular path of retribution. That night, Catalina’s father, consumed by grief over his wife’s passing, unleashed his anguish into the darkness, each shot echoing his heartache. But in a fleeting moment of happiness, a stray bullet found its mark, hitting young Luca and shattering the bliss. Now, Matteo’s fury is limitless. He captures Catalina’s father, dragging her into his lavish estate, a gilded cage where she must tend to Luca until he is strong enough for the crucial surgery that could save his life. But time stretches painfully as Luca’s condition halts the operation, and Catalina is pulled into Matteo’s mysterious realm, where peril lurks beneath every gleaming facade, and the notion of safety is nothing but a mirage. As she delves into the depths of Matteo’s existence, Catalina finds herself captivated by his intricacies—a man who embodies both fierce determination and gentle vulnerability, shattered yet resolute. Catalina uncovers the truth behind Matteo's past, uncovering a heart yearning for redemption and love. As stakes rise, she faces a heart-wrenching choice: navigate the dangerous journey or heal Matteo's broken spirit, seeking salvation for both. In a realm dominated by retribution, is love possible as the only solution to set aside the dangerous world?

Every 25 years, a human from one of the five elite dynasties must marry into one of the five vampire houses to keep the peace of the Accord, a treaty between the ten families. Now it’s Margot’s turn to marry except she’s taking her dead sister’s place to marry the King of all vampires. Preserving the peace and producing a Crimsonborn is her duty, but she was groomed for society, not submission. Her immortal husband to be is not only the vampire king, Nathaniel Blackwell, but a calculating man who doesn’t want or need a wife. Or so he claims. Both bound their duty, their attraction is challenged by the pressures of the court, the mysterious death of Margot’s sister, and the gilded cage of their marriage. In their word, peace is dependent on blood and contracts, love might be the very thing that tears it all apart.