Left Hand

After a car accident left Vincent Holt, head of the powerful Holt family, disabled, he stunned high society by publicly seeking a wife. My father immediately submitted my profile. “Since you’re so determined to break up with Cole, let’s see if you can land someone from the Holt family instead.” I refused, only to get slapped hard across the face as I tried to grab his phone. “You have no choice in this.” With nowhere else to turn, I went to ask Cole Brody for help. He was the only one who could change my father’s mind. However, I overheard their conversation. “Don’t worry, Mr. Brody. Vincent Holt is just a cripple. Bethany’s too proud to accept him. Just give it some time. She’ll come crawling back to you.” Cole chuckled. “Lulu wants a baby. I’m just helping her out by sleeping with her a few times. It’s not a big deal, yet Bethany just won’t leave it alone. I knew you got a way to keep her in check.” My body went cold. It turned out that I had been standing alone in a ruin of lies all along. However, when the Holt family really picked me, they panicked.

On the morning of the day my fiance, Anton Solomon, and I are scheduled to start our destination wedding trip, he finally rushes to the airport straight from the office. Just seconds before boarding, he receives an urgent message from his female secretary, Callie Lawrence. "I'm sorry, honey. A major project just came in, and I need to be there to approve it. "Could you go ahead and start the trip on your own? I'll join you as soon as I wrap things up in a few days." Despite feeling a twinge of regret, I understand that work comes first, so I offer him my full support. After he leaves, I tear up my boarding pass and turn around. I decide to return to the office and see for myself. I want to see which blind, brainless company is negotiating a major project with a company I acquired hours earlier at dawn, and how it has the nerve to bypass me, the current CEO. They have chosen to approach a man who is nothing but a CEO in name only.

I'm Victoria Corsini, the only daughter of the Corsini family's Don in Iberny. The marriage alliance partner whom Father has picked out for me is Cesar Romano, the new mafioso upstart in the underworld. Cesar is an ambitious man who intends to take over the casino industry in Navoles City. However, he's in the middle of getting oppressed by the alliance of powerful families due to his shaky foundation. In short, he might file for bankruptcy anytime soon. This means his only way out is to marry me and ask for the Corsini family's protection. In order to uncover his true colors, I put on a disguise and infiltrate Cesar's casino as a greenhorn dealer. On my first day at the job, I feel someone gripping my wrist tightly. "What makes you think you get to deal in the VIP hall? You really think a nobody like you has the right to touch the chips here?" I look up to see Liliana Conti, the casino's manager. She happens to be wearing an arrogant look at the moment. Everyone else begins muttering among themselves. "Liliana is Mr. Romano's beloved lover. He has stated more than once that he'll give this casino to her as a gift." Liliana flashes me a contemptuous smirk. Then, she slams a tray of casino chips that are made of gold in my face. "Drag her out of the casino and chop her hands off! Make her understand that I, Liliano Conti, am the one who determines the rules on Cesar's turf!" I just chuckle icily in response. To think that I, the future mistress of this casino, am being threatened to get kicked out of the casino by a worker right now… After shaking the bodyguards off me, I dial Cesar's number and set the call on speaker mode in front of everyone. "Cesar, your manager is threatening to chop my hands off. She even declares that you've given her the right to set the rules in place. "It seems that your casino doesn't really need the Corsini family's support, after all. I suppose we can call off our marriage, then?"

[Wanna do it?] I accidentally sent the message meant for my bestie to her brother, Gerald Cooper. Ten minutes later, I received his reply. [In the Maybach downstairs. Come down.] To my surprise, her brother was very well endowed too. That night, things got heated and we almost lost control. When we sobered up, he promised me that he would bear responsibility for his actions. He treated me well and doted on me, giving me anything I asked for. However, there was only one rule: I must never admit in public that I was his girlfriend. Five years later, he brought another woman home. With his arm wrapped around the woman, he told me that she was his girlfriend. I confronted him, asking, "If she's your girlfriend, then what would that make me? I waited five long years for you!" He chuckled indifferently and said something that chilled me to my bone. "Wait for me? Did I tell you to wait? Nyssa Bennett, don't ever fall in love with someone so desperately. It's terrifying." So it turned out that my love for him was nothing but trouble. From then on, I tried to live without him, let go of my feelings, and finally left him. But one week later, when I was exchanging my vows with another man, Gerald was standing there in the aisle, looking up at me with reddened eyes.

Aurora Hayes had it all — success, love, and a future that seemed certain. Until the day she discovers her fiancé’s betrayal with her best friend, and the world she built comes crashing down. Determined to start over, she leaves everything behind… only to collide with the man she least expected she’d see again.Noah Carter — her brother’s best friend, a powerful billionaire with ice in his veins and secrets he’ll never speak of. Years ago, he made a promise that tore them apart. Now, fate pulls them back together under the same roof, where buried emotions burn brighter than ever.But some promises are dangerous to break, and some wounds run too deep to heal.When love and loyalty collide, how much are they willing to risk — and who will they be when the truth finally comes out?

[RATED 19+ CONTENT AHEAD] "This is the last time, Thea." He thrust himself entirely into me, and I whimpered. "Yes, Daddy." That was the lie we told ourselves. *** He was my father's best friend. The man I called "Uncle Stellan." Now, my father is gone, and Stellan Vaughn is my new guardian. My new boss. He’s cold, ruthless, and the most powerful man in New York. He’s supposed to protect me, to guide me. But at my father's funeral, when his dark eyes met mine, what I saw wasn't comfort. It was a hunger that lit a matching fire in me. That's when I realized, there was no going back for this man and me, nor were we prepared to experience both of our lives getting f**ked over. He thinks I’m an innocent, grieving girl. He doesn't know I'm just as broken as he is. He doesn't know I want his control to shatter. He's the one man I can never have. The one man who could destroy my future. And the only one I'm willing to sin for.

On a trip to Chicily, my wife, Rosa Stone, and her first love, Jack Cud, insisted on feeding wild, starving wolves. I simply reminded them, "You might attract more hungry wolves." They turned on me, calling me a heartless monster. In the end, I was right. A pack of wolves really did show up. They circled the car, watching us hungrily. Jack was bitten by one. To my surprise, Rosa kicked me out of the car, yelling, "Jack is hurt! He needs to be taken to the hospital! Distract the wolves, I'll come back for you!" I watched them drive away, leaving me behind, surrounded by hungry wolves closing in from all sides. My heart sank. But, Rosa forgot one thing—I was a great Wolvesmith.

Like any other teenager, Jane has only two wishes in her life. One is to be mated to Malcolm White, future Alpha of Nightfall Pack. Two, she wants to become the Luna of Moonshine Pack. However, imagine her disappointment when her first wish didn't come true as the moon goddess has bound Malcom to her best friend Shauna and she is bound to the enemy. Will she accepts her Lycan mate or reject him for life?

The game: Mafia. The rules: Lies are required, deceit is essential, betrayal is highly encouraged. Who wins? The remaining one left at the top. Who loses? The one who falls in love first. Eirene Evander's identity had always been kept a secret, her family made sure of that. Since she could remember, she was trained in the art of illusion and deception. But a tragic event led her to run off and enlist in the Marines as Rein. Now that she’s come home, it’s time to see what the mafia’s up to these days. Will pretending to be a man help with her mission for the military? Will she finally find the truth about her father’s death? Or will it lead to her demise just like her predecessor? Delian Leofric is a calculated, mean-spirited brute. Every person he meets would warn others to avoid even just a glimpse of his shadow. But what they don’t know is that he’s more than that. Now that he’s about to become the mob leader, will he turn things around? Or in the end, will he be swallowed up and forced to do their bidding until he’s replaced by another? A vengeful soldier, a puppet mob king, with all the other players from the underground organization and more. These combinations may just bring tragic deaths, unexpected greatness, or maybe a concoction of both.

It was our seventh year of marriage when my husband, Joseph Lowe, brought my best friend, Teresa Shaw, to my ward. And they were the picture of a perfect couple. I gave them my most genuine blessing. "You two make the perfect match." Joseph tossed an agreement in my face. An asset transfer. He demanded that I give Teresa everything I had. I took the papers and signed my name without wasting a moment to think. Teresa laughed happily, pleased with my obedience. She then hugged Joseph and said, "Thanks for taking care of Joseph for me, Selina. Oh, there's the divorce papers, too. How about…" I noticed the look of impatience in Joseph's eyes, so I snatched the papers from Teresa's hand. "Yeah, I'll sign them all."