Gilded

Trapped in a gilded cage, a defiant artist becomes entangled with a ruthless mafia Don. Valentina, a talented artist and stripper struggling to survive in the city's underbelly, witnesses a brutal act that plunges her into a world of danger. Captured by Dante Russo, the enigmatic head of the Russo famiglia, she finds herself a prisoner in his opulent mansion. Haunted by a violent past, Dante is a man shrouded in secrets, ruling with an iron fist and a hidden vulnerability. As tensions rise between rival factions vying for control of the city, an unlikely bond sparks between Valentina and Dante. She uses her art to capture the brutality and fleeting moments of tenderness within his world. But their connection is a dangerous dance. Can they navigate a web of deceit and betrayal, or will the city's dark secrets consume them both?

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.

Four years ago, Greer Williams fled a life she never wanted, leaving behind a gilded cage and a man whose love felt more like a prison. She shed her identity, becoming a successful model in a world where no one knew her past, her real name, or the man she desperately wanted to escape: Gideon Valois. But fate, it seems, has a cruel sense of humor. On a cold April day, the world Greer built around herself crumbles. She finds herself face-to-face with Gideon, the man she thought she'd left behind forever. The heat of their past ignites a fire that threatens to consume them both. Can she run again, or will the flames of their forbidden desire burn away her carefully constructed walls?

For twenty years, Kyle and I were each other’s salvation. On the day he confessed his feelings, he promised to give me a warm and loving home. However, everything changed when the Gill family found him and brought him back, naming him the Crown Prince of High Society. Overnight, I went from being his proud fiancée to nothing more than his hidden canary in a gilded cage. With another woman in his arms, his voice was cold and distant, “The eldest young master of the Gill family can’t marry an orphan.” At that moment, my heart shattered completely. I left the capital that very night. Later, I heard I had become the Gill family’s unspoken taboo. That once-proud Young Master Gill ended up confined to a mental institution, clinging to a doll and whispering my name day after day.

Everyone in Eimport knew Ethan as a ruthless tycoon. Yet this same man humbly loved me. When his enemies kidnapped me for revenge, he charged bare-handed into an inferno so fierce even firefighters hesitated. I was unconscious but unscathed, while Ethan's right arm bore grotesque burns that would never fully heal. Unbothered, he even declared to the world that these scars were proof of our love. I was touched and browsed positions for couples online while he worked late. But everything shattered when I stumbled onto a video. The man's face was blurred, but the scar snaking up his wrist was unmistakable. The woman trapped in his gilded cage bore a striking resemblance to me. My heart hammered, torn between terror and devastation. That very night, I decided to leave and not ever see him again.

Nora Elizabeth Wells thought the worst pain was discovering her boyfriend of seven years was a cheater. She was wrong. The real nightmare begins when a night of desperate clubbing ends with her waking up in bed with her stepsister’s fiancé, a man bound to a wheelchair. The scandal is immediate. Furious and disgraced, Nora’s father forces her into a marriage with the very man in the middle of the chaos. But her new husband, Julian Devereaux, isn't the man she thinks he is. Beneath his quiet, helpless exterior is a shocking secret: not only can he walk, but he's the country’s most powerful and elusive billionaire. And nothing about their meeting was an accident. Trapped in a gilded cage with a man who holds all the power, Nora is pulled into a dangerous game of secrets, passion, and betrayal.

Isabella, a young woman who yearns for a life of luxury, gets her wish when she catches the eye of a powerful hotel tycoon, Adrian Dickens. But his extravagant lifestyle comes with a price: Dickens charm gives way to a dangerous possessiveness, trapping Isabella in a gilded cage. Just as she feels most alone, a chance encounter with a kind-hearted governor's son offers a glimpse of a different future—one built on genuine love, not control. But Adrian is a man who never loses, and when Isabella's secret relationship is discovered, her life becomes a thrilling and terrifying battle for freedom. As a vicious betrayal from someone she loves comes to light, Isabella finds herself at the center of a deadly game, forced to fight against powerful forces who will stop at nothing to tear her and her new love apart.

I had been married to James Tennant for seven years. In that time, he had already kept twenty-nine mistresses, like pretty little canaries in gilded cages. Now, I saw the thirtieth one in our bedroom, young and draped in nothing but a bath towel, lounging across our bed. I turned to him and asked coldly, “Can’t get enough out there, huh? Did you really have to bring her home?” The girl deliberately tugged her towel lower, her pale skin showing as she sneered, “Mr. Tennant says you’re like a dead corpse in bed! He wanted me to teach you how to please a man.” That night, I was forced to watch their little performance right in front of me. The next morning, James was furious at my indifference, resenting me for not reacting. However, he seemed to forget that our marriage was nothing but a contract, and in just one week, that contract would expire.

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?

The betrayal that made him a monster. The lie that could destroy him. Once, Henry was gentle, ruled only by his love for Emalia. Then, he found her with his brother. The kind Alpha heir died that day; the merciless Alpha Henry rose in his place – breathtakingly fierce, chillingly dominant. Eight years of icy hatred later, Emalia reappears, marked for death. Despite his loathing, Henry cannot let her die. He drags her into the gilded cage of Sky Pack, determined to shield her only so he can show her the hollow ruin she left behind. But proximity is poison. The fire between them rages, hotter than hate, deeper than memory. And as they circle each other in a dangerous dance, the shadows stir with the chilling truth: her betrayal wasn't what it seemed. Unearthing it could be the final blow that breaks them both.