Landscape With Invisible Hand

I was just a student who couldn't afford tuition. For five years, I was also the secret lover of Mafia Don Dante Costello. Publicly, I was his personal art restorer. In private, he spent his nights making me his, holding me close and kissing me breathless. Then his family arranged his engagement. To Isabella Rossi. A princess from a rival family. At their engagement party, Isabella stabbed the back of my hand with a shard of broken glass. He made me apologize. To her. For making a scene. Fighting back tears, I bowed my head to Isabella. When Isabella lost a bet and had to play Russian Roulette—one bullet, six chambers—he made me take her place. My hand shook as I raised the gun to my head. "You saved my life once," I told him. "Now you can have it back." The moment I vanished from his world, the ruthless Mafia Don who had everything under control...completely lost his mind.

Mom and Aunt Denise Taylor fell off the balcony in the midst of their heated argument. Dad rushed in just as they hit the ground, each with a broken arm. Without hesitation, he left Mom behind and hurriedly took Denise to the hospital instead. Later, Mom filed for divorce. Dad's face twisted in anger as he yelled, "Enough, Nicole! So what if you broke an arm and can't hold a scalpel anymore? What's the big deal? Dee is a genius designer. If she had lost her hand, her life would've been over! Of course, I had to save her first!" Watching all this in my ghostly state, I couldn't help but laugh. Did Dad really think that Mom had only lost the use of her hand? Mom didn't just lose her hand. She lost me. After all, I had severe heart failure, and the only person who could perform the life-saving surgery was Mom, the medical master herself. But none of that matters now, because I'm already gone.

“In a world of ruthless mafia rivalries, the Italian mafia, La Famiglia De Luca, has been embroiled in a brutal five-year war with the Mexican mafia, La Mano Roja (The Red Hand). Desperate for an advantage, Capo Ivan De Luca forges an unlikely alliance with the feared Russian Bratva, led by the powerful Pakhan Sergei Morozov. But at a steep price: his daughter's hand in marriage to the Pakhan's ruthless grandson, the future Pakhan. Meet Mikhail Morozov, a half-Russian, half-Cuban mafia heir with ice in his veins and blood on his hands. He rules with silence and steel, trusting no one and loving none. Raised in brutality, Mikhail believes emotions are liabilities and mercy is weakness. And Donatella De Luca, the sharp-tongued and fiercely independent second daughter of Capo Ivan De Luca. With a quick wit and sharp mind, she navigates the complex world of the De Luca famiglia with confidence and poise. When the Pakhan chooses Donatella as the bride, a complex web of loyalty, power, and forbidden love is set in motion. Will Donatella’s strength be enough to tame the devil, or will Mikhail cold heart consume her?”

“You don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to, Lilliana,” Dante reassured me, standing in his tuxedo, looking far too delicious to be saying that on my wedding day. “But everything is settled,” I said, trying not to smear too much of my makeup as I cried uncontrollably. “Why doesn’t he love me, Dante?” A sob tore through me. “Come with me,” he said, his voice low and dark—practically a command. “What?” I asked, looking up at the stoic, dangerous man in front of me. “Come with me,” he repeated, holding out his hand. “I’ll make sure everything goes away, fiorellino.” I looked down at his hand, at the tattoos swirling around his fingers. And even though a hand like Dante Gallo’s should have scared me, nothing had ever felt so safe. So I stepped forward, took his hand in mine, and looked up at him. “Take me away.” ** Two ruthless men. One stolen bride. A love too wild to be contained. Lillian thought she had finally secured the life she always dreamed of — until her perfect engagement crumbles in one night of shocking betrayal. Whisked away from the wreckage of her wedding by the dangerous and devastating Dante Gallo, she finds herself caught between two powerful forces: Dante, the mafia king who has loved her from afar, and Damien Volkov, the lethal enemy who refuses to let her slip through his fingers. Torn between loyalty, passion, and a fierce desire for freedom, Lillian faces a choice that could break all three of them. But what if she refuses to choose at all? In a world of power, obsession, and forbidden love, some hearts aren't meant to be divided — they're meant to be shared.

As the quality control supervisor of an import company, I need to finish up the storage of the final batch of king crabs before the holiday. Just after entering the subzero freezer, the door is immediately locked shut. The alarm system also fails. When I realize I'm starting to lose body heat, I immediately take out the hand warmers from the emergency kit. However, the moment I apply them, a chilling sensation makes me instantly realize something is wrong. I scream from the cold, and the walkie-talkie transmits the boisterous laughter of my fiance, Martin Clay. "We're live-streaming the challenge of locking the company's 'Ice Queen' in the freezer. Let's see how long she lasts!" The flirty voice of his female colleague, Lilian Saunders, also comes through, "Sierra, smile for the folks in the live stream! The number one donor wants to see it!" I instantly understand that they're live-streaming a prank on me. Not only do they lock me in the freezer, but they've also replaced my life-saving hand warmers with cooling patches meant for fevers! I grit my teeth, trying hard to stay calm as I call out to them for help. "The spare… spare hand warmers… Give them to me!" My fiance's voice rings out from the walkie-talkie, sounding unconcerned, "Oops! Lily gets cold easily, and it's her time of the month. The spares are all being used to keep her belly warm! "You're so healthy that you can just jump around a little and you'll warm up! You might even get some tips from the number one donor!" I stop arguing with them. With frozen hands, I pull out the signal flare gun and aim it at the most valuable and mysterious cargo in the freezer—a tube of frozen sperm worth 200 million dollars.

It happened on Thanksgiving Day. I was on my way to my girlfriend's house when a car slammed straight into mine. The road was deserted, not a single person was around. The doors were jammed shut from the impact, and flames were licking toward the engine. I fumbled for the safety hammer, only to find that someone had replaced it with a toy hammer shaped like a cartoon bear. Panicking, I called my girlfriend. But before she could even pick up, her ringtone started playing from the car that had just hit me. Luna Hill stepped out, hand in hand with her childhood sweetheart, Julian Ford. Julian put on a show of alarm. "Oh no, I'm such an idiot! My first time driving, and I already hit a car." When Luna saw that it was me in the crushed car, she quickly tried to calm him down. "It's fine. He probably did it on purpose." I pounded on the window, shouting for her. "Luna, the safety hammer's been switched out! Please, help me get out!" Julian burst into a grin. "Sebastian, that was me! The little bear hammer's adorable, isn't it?" Luna's face twisted in disgust. "You're fine. Stop being dramatic. Figure it out yourself." Thick smoke was billowing inside the car, and it was about to explode. I begged her to get me out. Julian chuckled. "Sebastian, are you cooking in there or what? That smoke's killing me!" He patted his stomach and said with a laugh, "Man, I'm starving. Luna, let's go home and eat." Luna hooked her arm through his and tossed a parting line over her shoulder. "Enough already. My parents are waiting for us to start dinner." Just as I was about to pass out from the smoke, I slammed my hand on the car's emergency button.

SAVAGE LOVE GENRE: Romance By, Tamar writes PROLOGUE Amour sniffed back her tears as she watched the scene before her. Never in her life would she have imagined getting herself in this situation she currently was. It felt like a never ending nightmare. The sound of footsteps was what rented the room, it was coming from a tall figure, his gaze never left the man that was tied down on a chair with both his hands chained down on the table The figure held a sharp silver colored knife in his hand, twirling as if it was his play toy, a vicious smirk playing on his lips Every step he took instilled fear and panic inside the man that was tied down. “Boss please forgive me! I was drunk so I thought she was one of the clan's whóre I swear I didn't know she was yours" The man begged like his life depended on it. "Which hand did you use to touch her" Aurelio spoke calmly. "My.. My.. L-Left-" He wasn't chanced to finish his sentence when Aurelio cut off his left hand completely. Blood splashed on his cheek as it began bumping out of the man's hand. "Aargh!!!" The agonizing cry from the man echoed in the room as he peed on himself. Aurelio turned to Amour who looked horrified with the scene she just witnessed. His hands found his way to her neck and he gripped it tightly, bringing her face close to his so he could have a clear view of the terrified look on her face. "This Is just the highest level of my kindness compared to what I can do. Remember this, you're mine! Mine to touch, mine to f**k, mine to do whatever I want with... No one else... But me"

Dark Mafia Scene “Who laid a hand on you? Dallion's voice was low, cold, and dangerous. His dark gaze bore into her, daring her to stay silent. When she didn’t respond, the tension snapped like a whip, his voice booming through the room, “Who?” The butler, standing rigid against the wall, swallowed hard before stammering out the words, “It... it was Mr. Rivers, sir.” The atmosphere turned deadly as Dallion's jaw clenched, fury igniting in his eyes. “Bring him to me.” The butler’s eyes widened in fear. “N-now, sir? It’s... it’s late.” Dallion's hand, once braced against the wall near her head, slowly curled into a fist. His eyes never left her face, his possessiveness was palpable. Without looking at the butler, his voice dropped to a lethal calm, “Do you need a better time? Or shall I break your legs to teach you urgency?” The butler didn’t need any more encouragement. He fled the room, returning twenty minutes later with a trembling Mr. Rivers. “Dallion, my friend, what’s all this about?” Rivers began, his voice casual as if nothing was amiss. But Dallion wasn't’t here for pleasantries. His eyes slid to the knife stabbed into the apple on the table, and in one fluid motion, he yanked it free, the blade glinting in the dim light. Without a word, Dallion grabbed Rivers outstretched hand, slamming it onto the table. The sharp scream that followed echoed in the room as Dallion, with one swift movement, sliced through the man’s fingers. Blood splattered across the polished wood as Rivers screamed in agony, clutching his mutilated hand. “No one touches what belongs to me,” Dallion's voice was eerily calm, his expression devoid of any sympathy.

Invisible. Overlooked. Forgotten. Avery Quinn has always lived in the shadow of her golden-boy twin brother, Ethan—the star athlete, the perfect son, the one everyone notices. Birthday parties, family dinners, school events—Avery’s presence feels more like background noise than a celebration of her own life. She’s the invisible girl, the quiet one, the forgotten. Then there’s Jaxon Carter—the handsome, magnetic captain of the football team and heir to a mysterious legacy no one suspects. Jaxon walks through Avery’s world with ease, surrounded by friends, girls, and power, yet hiding a secret that could change everything. When Avery’s birthday celebration crumbles under betrayal and humiliation, fate brings her face-to-face with Jaxon in a way neither expected. A spark ignites—raw, complicated, and forbidden. But Avery quickly learns that Jaxon’s world is darker and more dangerous than she ever imagined. And the line between ally and enemy blurs. In a high school where popularity reigns, secrets lurk in the shadows, and supernatural forces stir, Avery must find her voice, fight for her survival, and confront a destiny she never asked for.

An unserem siebten Hochzeitstag saß ich rittlings auf meinem Mafia-Ehemann Lucian und küsste ihn innig. Meine Finger tasteten in der Tasche meines teuren Seidenkleides nach dem Schwangerschaftstest, den ich dort versteckt hatte. Ich wollte ihm die Nachricht meiner unerwarteten Schwangerschaft erst am Ende des Abends mitteilen. Lucians rechte Hand, Marco, fragte mit einem anzüglichen Lächeln auf Italienisch: „Don, dein kleiner Kanarienvogel Sophia – wie schmeckt sie?“ Lucians spöttisches Lachen vibrierte in meiner Brust und ließ mir eiskalte Schauer den Rücken hinunterlaufen. Er antwortete ebenfalls auf Italienisch: „Wie ein unreifer Pfirsich. Frisch und zart.“ Seine Hand streichelte immer noch meine Taille, doch sein Blick war in die Ferne gerichtet. „Behaltet das unter uns. Wenn meine Donna das erfährt, bin ich ein toter Mann.“ Seine Männer grinsten wissend, hoben ihre Gläser und schworen Stillschweigen. Die Wärme in meinem Blut erstarrte Stück für Stück zu Eis. Was sie nicht wussten: Meine Großmutter stammte aus Sizilien, also verstand ich jedes Wort. Ich zwang mich zur Ruhe und bewahrte das perfekte Lächeln einer Donna, doch meine Hand, die das Champagnerglas hielt, zitterte. Anstatt eine Szene zu machen, öffnete ich mein Handy, fand die Einladung zu einem privaten internationalen Medizinforschungsprojekt von vor einigen Tagen und tippte auf „Annehmen“. In drei Tagen würde ich vollständig aus Lucians Welt verschwinden.