Novel & Cerita Hiding Behind A Mask

I'm a mafia princess with crippling social anxiety. My fiancé, Rocco Falcone, is our family's consigliere. He’s the exact opposite of me—extroverted, effortlessly charming, a master at reading and bending people. He's supposed to be my protector. My only link to the outside world. Tonight was the charity gala for my late mother. I was hiding in the darkest corner, a mask covering my face. Rocco was supposed to give the speech. My speech. He never showed. [Emergency. Sorry. Skip the speech, I know you hate the attention. Driver will take you home after the auction. Don't wait up.] Then I saw Livia’s new post. It was a picture of Rocco, draping his suit jacket over her shoulders. He was looking down at her, his eyes full of a tenderness he never showed me. The caption was a gut punch: [No prom date, so my big bro saved the day! Couldn't have done it without him! ] The cold hit me. Bone deep. He ditched a memorial for my dead mother... to take his stepsister to a university dance? The guests began whispering and sneering that I, the famously awkward, socially crippled princess, couldn’t even force a word out. I stared at the whiskey I’d ordered for him. The ice in my glass was melting. Just like the hope in my heart. When I got back to our empty penthouse, my screen was lit up with missed calls and texts from Rocco. The last one came in thirty minutes ago: [Aurelia, trouble at Livia's prom. You know how she gets. Couldn't leave her. Your mother's gala means everything. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Next time will be perfect. Trust me.] I didn't reply. An engagement held together by "next time." Was a promise like that even worth keeping?

A year ago, Jonathan walked away from Mia without an explanation, leaving her heart shattered. Now, she is forced into an arranged marriage with the same man who once loved her, only this time, neither of them knows the full truth behind the union. To Jonathan, the marriage is a strategic move for business purposes. To the mafia, it is a transaction, and to Mia, it is a trap designed by the father who never loved her. Raised and mistreated by her stepmother and discarded by her own family, Mia is sent back into Jonathan’s life as an entirely different person, hiding her true identity as the daughter of a powerful mafia lord. But Mia is not as powerless as they believe. She is intelligent and already entangled in a dangerous secret—Collins, her hidden lover and a loyal mafia enforcer who will stop at nothing to keep her for himself. As old feelings resurface and buried betrayals come to light, love turns into a battlefield. Caught between two men, two worlds, and a past that refuses to stay buried, Mia must decide whether love is worth risking her life, or if breaking free will cost her everything.

She traded her magic for survival. He traded his humanity for power. Now they’ll trade everything for love. Kamari is dying—poisoned by fifteen years of suppressing the magic that killed her mother. With only months left, she crosses dimensions to save her son from a scientist who turns children into weapons. Enzo Cesario escaped that same hell years ago. Now a mafia Don hiding his wolf-breed nature behind expensive suits and colder smiles, he’s spent a decade trying to become human again—trying to atone for the woman he murdered when the beast took control. When their scents collide, a mate bond ignites that neither can deny and both are desperate to destroy. He’s the predator she should fear. She’s the witch who’s been running from her power for fifteen years. Now they’re working together to rescue thirty-two kidnapped children while fighting an attraction that defies logic, threatens everything they’ve sworn to protect, and might be the only thing that can save them both.

Kelvin Carli needs this job. With his grandmother's mounting medical bills and no other options, landing a position as secretary at the prestigious Beaufort Company feels like a miracle. What he doesn't expect is to find himself working for Michael Chris Beaufort—the devastatingly handsome CEO who's engaged to socialite Mia Martel, yet harbors secrets that could destroy his carefully constructed life. Michael has spent years hiding his true nature behind the facade of a perfect heterosexual relationship. But when Kelvin walks into his office, everything changes. The undeniable attraction between them threatens to unravel the lie Michael has built his entire identity around. As stolen moments turn into passionate encounters, both men find themselves falling deeper than they ever imagined possible but with corporate espionage, family pressure, and a vengeful ex pulling the strings from the shadows, Michael and Kelvin must fight not only for their love but for their very survival. In a world where power and reputation mean everything, can two men from different worlds find their way back to each other?

A moment. A mistake. That's all it took for Kennedy Reynolds to lose her first love and her family. She's spent a decade traveling the world, building a life, hiding the truth, never looking back at the past—until her adopted mother's unexpected death pulls her back to the small town—and the secret—she left behind.A chance to apologize. That's all Xander Kincaid wants from the woman who ran away with his heart years ago. At least that's what he tells himself until he sees her again and that old flame flares bright. As she struggles to mend fences with her sisters and save the legacy and the foster child her mother left behind, Kennedy finds an expected ally in Xander. Falling back into his arms is beyond tempting, but accepting his support is dangerous. He can never know the truth about why she really left. Will Kennedy be able to bury the past or will secrets revealed destroy her 2nd chance?The Misfit Inn is created by Kait Nolan, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

*His eyes scanned my bruised face, searching for answers. A careful, gentle hand caressed my cheek, intensifying the turmoil in his gaze. "He did this to you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. But I couldn't find my voice, trapped in frozen silence. Fear gnawed at my skin as I stood amidst cold-blooded killers, surrounded by chaos and lifeless bodies. And as he held the gun, I knew more bodies would soon drop.* *** To everyone else, she was a nobody. A vessel for their perverse desires, a desperate pawn willing to fulfill their every whim. A nearsighted girl, finding solace only within the pages of her books, a portal to escape reality. But what they failed to grasp was that behind those innocent blue eyes lurked a devil, dependent on her happiness, hiding in the shadows and watching over her. And that devil was prepared to sacrifice everything for her. The scariest part? She had no clue. *"Why do you act like you're in love with me?" "Jesus, Lily," he growled, "I TATTOOED YOUR NAME ON MY FUCKING CHEST!"*

"You need to stop looking at me when we are in public, Connor." "I cannot do that, Megan, because my job is to make everyone in this room believe I am obsessed with you." "You are touching me too much." "I am barely touching you, but if you want me to pull you closer and show them what we do behind closed doors, you only have to ask." I spent my college career hiding behind oversized clothing while keeping a pathetic crush on Caleb Mercer. I thought he cared about me, but I was entirely wrong. I overheard him bragging to his friends about how he planned to secretly record us in his bedroom and use the video to blackmail me. I refused to be a victim anymore. I bought a completely new wardrobe, threw away my glasses, and walked back onto campus ready to confront him. Before Caleb could bully me again, Connor Blake intervened. Connor is the intimidating captain of the ice hockey team and Caleb's biggest rival. He kissed me in front of everyone and claimed I was his girlfriend. Connor needs a fake relationship to silence the rumors threatening his professional draft prospects. I need his protection to stop the relentless harassment. The rules we established were simple, but we are already breaking them. He is supposed to be faking his possessive behavior, but his hands linger far too long on my waist. I am supposed to be using him for safety, but I am developing real feelings for the man protecting me.

"Her crown was built on a lie. His love will help her burn it all down." At fifteen, Valencia De Von Cruz was the most feared girl in school— a shield of cruelty masking the trauma of her mother's unsolved murder. The only boy who wasn't afraid, Aaron Sinclair, left a rose for her on Valentine's Day. She never came. She vanished, leaving him with a broken heart. Six years later, Aaron is a business kingpin, and Valencia is the ruthless Queen of the underworld. When he’s attacked, she saves his life in a blur of violence, not recognizing the man she once inspired. To find her again, Aaron lies. He walks into her empire and hires her for the one thing she sells: protection. Valencia agrees, hiding her own truth: her crown is a cage. Her grandfather, who blames her for her mother's death, controls her with brutal trials. Aaron sees through her carefree facade. He witnesses her pain and wages a secret war against her grandfather, his love for her rekindled into a fierce, protective flame. As their guarded hearts collide, a shadow from the past emerges. A secret organization, *Phoenix*, is systematically destroying Aaron's empire and has its claws in the underworld’s very foundations. To survive, Valencia and Aaron must unravel a conspiracy that leads to a devastating truth: the mastermind behind her mother's murder has been hiding in plain sight all along. Now, Valencia must remember the tragedy she locked away. To claim her future with Aaron, she must first tear down the legacy built on her mother's blood. Even if it means becoming the monster they all fear. *A story of shattered pasts, fierce love, and brutal revenge, where the most dangerous weapon isn't a gun— it's the truth.*

Lily’s life hits rock bottom when her gambling stepfather sells her at a private underground auction to pay off his debts. Desperate to fund her sister’s life-saving surgery, Lily is helpless until the highest bidder steps forward: Dante Vallocchi, a cold-hearted billionaire CEO with a dark secret. But Dante didn’t buy her out of mercy. Lily is the spitting image of the woman who betrayed him years ago. He wants revenge, not romance. He forces Lily into a cold-blooded contract: she must pose as his fiancée so he can secure his massive inheritance. In exchange, he will pay for her sister’s medical bills. As the ink dries, Dante’s warning is clear: "In this house, you are not a queen. You are my prisoner." Living in Dante’s world is a dangerous game of luxury and threats. While Dante is a cruel tormentor, he becomes a deadly protector whenever anyone else tries to hurt her. Llily begins to see the broken man behind the ruthless mask, while Dante finds himself falling for the one woman he is supposed to hate. The stakes turn deadly when Dante’s past returns, and Llily discovers she is pregnant. Fearing she is just a pawn in his corporate war, Lily flees. Now, the powerful CEO must decide: will he finish his revenge, or will he drop his billionaire empire to save the woman who truly captured his heart? In a world of lies and mafia rivalries, can a bought bride ever become a beloved wife?

Devan Williams, the richest man in the country, gets shot by an assailant when he's giving a speech. He's quickly sent to the hospital I work at to undergo a heart transplant surgery. But my girlfriend, Katie Wilder, insists that her childhood friend, Luke Rivera, has to become Devan's primary doctor. She even takes off Devan's oxygen mask just to coerce me into handing the position over. "Ashton Howard, if you don't get out of here once I count to three, you'll be facing imprisonment due to medicinal malpractice!" As I look at Devan, whose face has gone horribly crimson due to asphyxiation, all I feel is a strong sense of ridicule. So, I call the hospital's security guards on Katie and Luke with the intention to have them dragged out. But the security captain, Jason Wilder, is actually Katie's younger brother who relied on her just to get his hands on this job. He has me pinned on the floor instead. "From the way I see it, you're the criminal who wants Devan dead! Be honest with me; did you sneak into this hospital just so you can kill him behind everyone's backs?" I can't help but struggle against Jason. But that's when Luke tramples all over my fingers, causing them to fracture. At that moment, the vitals monitor begins beeping shrilly. I lift my head to glare at the culprits. "All of you can never escape your fate!"