Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

“Wait.” His voice was soft as he stepped closer. “Who are you?” I turned back to him, my smile never wavering while I tried to slow my heart rate racing. “Oh, it's Emilia Cattaneo from Verona.” I lied. He stared at me, his gaze unwavering. “Funny because last week… you said your name was Juliette” My blood froze. He remembered? No way. My mouth opened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” His smile vanished and I could make out the tick in his jaw. “Don’t lie to me in my house.” ****** He was never meant to fall for her. She was never meant to betray him. Isabella De Luca enters the world of the Romano mafia empire with one mission: destroy it from the inside. Armed with secrets and trained for deception, she becomes the perfect candidate for the mafia king’s bride — beautiful, bold, and completely fake. But Matteo Romano is not just a cold-blooded heir. He’s cunning, ruthless, and dangerously magnetic. The deeper Isabella sinks into his world, the harder it becomes to tell where the mission ends and where desire begins. When betrayal collides with bloodlines and a buried truth resurfaces, everything unravels. A deadly empire. A forbidden pregnancy. A woman torn between revenge and love. And a king who must choose between power… and the one person who was never supposed to matter. In this world, loyalty is currency. And trust? The deadliest weapon of all.

I was discarded the moment my husband gained power. Divorced. Humiliated. Left with nothing…while my mother lay dying. Serena Black believed loyalty and sacrifice would be enough to secure her place beside Antonio Romano. Instead, she discovers she was only ever a stepping stone. He replaces her with a pregnant woman claiming to be the legendary Black family heiress and erases Serena from his life without mercy. Divorced, humiliated, and stripped of everything, Serena’s world collapses… until fate throws her beneath the wheels of the most dangerous man alive. Dante Romano is the ruthless Don of the Romano Mafia empire. Cold, commanding, untouchable. He should have walked away from the broken woman bleeding in the street. Instead, he sees a scar that awakens a memory he buried ten years ago… and a desire he was never supposed to feel. To protect her and to uncover the truth, Dante offers Serena a contract marriage. Revenge in exchange for a ring. Power in exchange for her name. But nothing is simple when the man you marry is your ex-husband’s father. As lies unravel and bloodlines are questioned, Serena is forced to choose: remain a pawn in a brutal mafia game… or rise as a queen feared by all. And Dante must decide how far he’s willing to go for the woman who was never meant to be his. Because in this world, love is forbidden. And truth is deadly. When secrets collide and desire defies loyalty, will Serena claim her destiny or will loving the Don cost her everything?

My husband's gym was celebrating its grand opening, so I grabbed my best friend and headed over under the guise of "checking the place out," armed with a $10 trial class we had snagged from a group deal. I never once mentioned that I was the owner's wife. The moment we wrapped up the workout, a female trainer slapped a price sheet into our hands and gave us a look that could cut glass. "Let me guess, you two came here to milk the freebies? Our private training sessions cost hundreds. They're not here for people like you to exploit." I let out a disbelieving laugh. "We bought a perfectly valid trial class. How does that make us freeloaders? Get your manager." She rolled her eyes, acting like she was the rules. "Call whoever you want! The owner is my boyfriend, and he can't stand penny-pinchers who show up trying to mooch off his gym." Then, right in front of us, she called him—voice raised, dramatic, dripping with fake indignation. "Babe, there are two cheapskates in your gym demanding the manager. Come deal with them for me!"

Gabriella Halim woke up in a luxurious room she didn’t recognize. When she looked in the mirror, she nearly fainted. Her face was still beautiful, but… more mature. She was no longer the twenty-year-old girl she remembered—she had become a thirty-year-old woman. Even more shocking, she had been married to Adryan Lewis for five years, a young, ambitious, and notoriously cold politician. Gabby immediately realized one thing: her husband hated her. Cold glares, cutting words, and an impenetrable distance left her bewildered. What had happened in the past ten years? Rather than crying or pleading for love, Gabby chose a different path: enjoying the luxury she now had. A grand house, wardrobes full of designer dresses, and an unlimited bank account. Why bother chasing love when life could be this comfortable? But the world of politics was never simple. Public scrutiny, rival political intrigues, and scandalous gossip forced Gabby to take on a role far greater than that of a mere “trophy wife.” And as Adryan began to notice the dramatic changes in Gabby, the question remained: would his hatred persist, or could it transform into something he never expected?

The night before my mating ceremony with Alpha Garrett Northwood of the Silverpine Pack, he held a grand Luna ceremony for my silver-poisoned stepsister behind my back. He held Serena close under the starlit sky, his smile tender in a way I'd never seen: "You're the only one I truly love, Serena." "Even though Maya and I are already registered as mates with the Alpha Council, she'll never have my heart. You're the only one I recognize as my Luna." The pack members cheered and blessed them as they completed the ceremony with joy. I watched it all without crying or screaming. Instead, I quietly scheduled an abortion appointment. I've loved Garrett Northwood for twelve years, ever since I first shifted as an adult. But his heart still only had room for my stepsister Serena. If that's how it was, I'd let go. Later, I joined the secluded Herbal Research Center of the Alpha Council. I left Garrett nothing but a mate bond dissolution agreement. But for some reason, Garrett—who had always treated me with disdain—suddenly went crazy begging me not to leave.

Livia Cross is finally about to live the life of her dreams after landing a job but her fragile dream crashes to the ground when she finds out that her mother gambled away everything, even the roof over their heads. To keep her mother and two sisters off the streets, she must sell not just her body but her very soul and the Mafia King, Nikolai Volkov is buying. Thrust into a life of danger with no preparations, Livia must navigate the treacherous world of the Mafia that Nikolai rules, and survive. In this world, friend is foe, the shadows wield blades eager for her blood and the only person she can turn to is the soulless man who holds her life in his hands. Neither of them account for their irresistible attraction. She should be no more than a tool in Nikolai’s grand scheme but there is nobody else capable of shattering his flawless control, to his utter frustrations. Secrets are vile snakes best left unbothered but what happens when Livia uncovers the rotten core of this underworld dynasty? What if the man that bought her has the deadliest secrets of all? Exactly which secret will she pay for her with her life and when the time comes, will she tear Nikolai Volkov down to save her soul?

When I became pregnant, my gravely ill mother mentioned that her final wish was to witness my wedding. My boyfriend, William Jones, finally agrees to marry me after I have been asking for 99 days. Yet, on the wedding day, he never shows up, even though I was waiting in my gown at the hotel the whole day. The truth only emerges when someone found his marriage certificate that he had posted a month earlier on social media. He married his childhood sweetheart, Caroline Ashton, during that time. When my mother learns this, the shock triggers a fatal attack. She passes away despite the doctors' efforts. William sends me a message. "I'm sorry, honey. Caroline twisted her ankle, so I had to take care of her. We'll have our wedding next month, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you this time." … A month later, William prepares a lavish, grand wedding just for me. Dressed in a custom-tailored suit, he waits at the hotel. Yet, all he receives is the report from my abortion procedure. There is only one sentence on the back—"William, this is goodbye forever."

Five years ago, I was jailed because I took the fall for my husband's crime, just to save his image and company. Yet when I returned, expecting a grand welcome from my husband , I walked into his wedding to another woman who’s also a highly celebrated Actress. I thought that was what humiliation and betrayal felt like until I was thrashed out of the wedding hall shamelessly like I meant nothing. The whole world backlashed me. Afterall I was a criminal who shouldn’t have a place with the highly profiled billionaire like my husband. The world wanted divorce and Derick gave me without a second thought. But that didn’t hurt more than him Taking my daughter away from me believing I wouldn’t fight back. Because while I was serving his supposed jail terms, Derrick ran my father’s company to bankruptcy. My only legacy. Having lost everything, I thought my life was over until the universe brought me a man whom world thought was dead. And somehow he only resurrected for one reason: To ruin Derick and he will stop at nothing.

My boyfriend and I had been together for eight years. We were already discussing marriage when Robbie suddenly asked me to wait a little longer. He said he needed to hold a grand wedding with his first love before he could marry me. Because, as he explained, for his first love—who struggled with anxiety—marriage was her greatest wish in life. He couldn't bear to see her spiral into self-harm under the weight of her illness, so with tears in his eyes, he promised to give her a home. Stunned, I asked what would happen to me. Instead of answering, he snapped impatiently, "Can't you show some empathy? It's just a year or two more. Are you really that desperate to get married? "And another thing… lend me your ring. Let Lucy wear it for now. You won't be needing it anytime soon." I stared at the man before me, someone both familiar and suddenly a stranger, and felt only a cold, hollow ache in my chest. But at last, I saw his true face behind the mask. Later, I chose to attend their wedding. I brought with me a very special blessing.

I told Charlie my biggest secret—I was the long-lost daughter of the powerful Moore family in Dreslane. He swore he'd help me reunite with them. But the night before I met them, the Moore family made a grand declaration—they'd already found their missing daughter. A ceremony was set. I rushed there, heart pounding, only to see Charlie standing beside his childhood friend, Raine. She was being introduced as the Moore heiress. And somehow, she had the exact same birthmark as me. Before I could do anything, Charlie locked me in a restroom. "It's just a name," he said. "You still have me. So why does this matter? Raine's parents died saving me—she never had a real family. For my sake, can't you just let her have this?" Then, to erase any doubt, to make sure Raine could live as me without fear—Charlie took a knife and carved the birthmark off my body. The shock. The pain. I lost my three-month-old unborn baby that night. And as I lay there, blood soaking through my clothes, I finally gave up.