Let's Pretend We Don't Exist

He whispered her name nine hundred and ninety-nine times in his sleep. Never mine. For five years, I gave everything to Vincent Bonanno—the heir to one of the most powerful mafia dynasties in Europe. I turned his house into a home, remembered every careless detail he let slip, even abandoned my dream of becoming an artist—believing that one day, he would finally choose me. But whenever Alessia appeared, his loyalty bent toward her. The night boiling fondue scarred my arms, he rushed to shield her from a scratch that barely reddened her skin. In public, his gaze never stayed with me—it drifted to her. I was the wife on paper, but never in truth. So I walked away. With nothing but a suitcase, divorce papers he signed without noticing, and a secret I never planned to share—three months pregnant. He discovered too late. The divorce was real. The clinic file was real. And by the time he realized, I had vanished. Now the man who once ruled cities with cold power is tearing the world apart to find us. He has soldiers, money, and a thousand apologies he never gave when I was still his wife. But I’m no longer the woman who begged for affection. I’m a mother. An artist. A survivor. The question isn’t whether Vincent can reach me. It’s whether, when he does, I’ll ever let him back into the life he destroyed.

I woke in the middle of the night to my Don husband murmuring in his sleep. “Juno, be good. Tomorrow I’ll buy you and Mamma a new house.” My eyes flew open. Juno? That was the name I’d always planned for a purebred Ceylon cat I dreamed of owning, but I’d never gotten one because of my pet fur allergy. And a new house? Could this just be a coincidence? I shook him lightly. “What did you just say?” He frowned and mumbled coarsely, “Had a nightmare. Dreamt of a shootout.” I didn’t press further. In the darkness, I reached for his phone and silently opened his messages.

"I warned you, Lena. No man touches you except me. You're mine now, let that stick." That was his first warning. Delivered with a cold stare and a voice that didn't allow defiance. "Now, I'm going to fuck you till every other man looks like a woman to you." That was her punishment, and she couldn't even lie to herself about how much she enjoyed it. Abandoned by her father, Lena Anderson, whose dream was to become a surgeon, never planned to end up in a mafia-owned strip club. But when your sister is diagnosed with cancer and your mother can barely walk because of a stroke, you do all it takes to keep them alive. All it took was one night to change her entire life. She didn't plan on killing her first VIP client. But when he forced himself on her without permission, she made sure he never touched anyone again. It wasn't her intention, nor was it getting caught. But she was. Not by the police. By someone ruthless, Lucano Baricelli, her boss, heir to the Baricelli family. A mafia don. A man known to break bones before asking questions. He should have turned her in. Instead, he offered her a deal. Pretend to be his wife for five years so he could win his father's trust and take over the mafia empire. In return? He keeps her out of prison and makes sure she never lacks anything. She accepted. But there were rules. Never get pregnant. Never be caught with any man. Rules are made to be broken, so they say. Lena Anderson broke both, and it drove Lucano nuts.

She was betrayed, almost raped, imprisoned, and killed. Everyone thought she was dead, but someone helped her escape. Five years later, bumalik siya kasama ang babaeng anak niya. Ngunit hindi niya inaasahan na kambal pala nito ang anak ng CEO. Sumilay ang nakakabighani na ngiti sa labi ng CEO habang nakatitig sa mga labi niya. "Looks like your daughter resembled my son. It means they are twins. Why don't you marry me and add them three?"

She thought she was giving her innocence to the man she loved. Instead, she woke up in the arms of the devil himself—Dante Moretti, the ruthless Mafia Don who rules the city with blood and iron. Essa Kane planned a perfect first time with her boyfriend Enzo. One night of passion in a dimly lit penthouse changed everything. The powerful body claiming her so possessively wasn’t Enzo’s. It was his father’s. Now Dante has her locked in a contract marriage “for her protection.” Cold, obsessive, and dangerously addictive, he watches her every move, touches her like she already belongs to him, and warns the world: touch her and die. But Enzo and her traitorous best friend Lila won’t let her go so easily. They plot to break her, pass her around, and destroy the empire. When the gang closes in, Dante storms through them like a hurricane, claiming Essa as his woman in front of everyone. In a world of betrayal, secrets, and power plays, Essa must survive the Don’s dark obsession while fighting the dangerous pull between hate and unbearable desire. She started as a vulnerable pawn. She will rise as the Mafia Queen who brings even the untouchable Dante to his knees.

My parents died when I was ten, and I became an orphan. Darius Rossi, a mafia don, found me and took me out of the beggars' den. He wrapped me in designer clothes and raised me like a prized possession. Everyone said I would grow up to be his wife, that I was the treasure he kept close to his heart. Then came my birthday party. After a night of wild passion, he handed me a photo of his rival, Valerio Warren. He said, "Monica Arden, I've taken care of you for ten years. Now it's time for you to repay me. I'm arranging a marriage alliance with the Costa family. This is the guy Gina Costa has been crushing on, and I need you to seduce him and create an opening for me. I want her to marry me willingly." That was when I finally understood that I was never his treasure. I was just the most disposable piece on his chessboard. I followed his orders and pursued Valerio, doing exactly as he commanded. Yet, on the wedding day, Darius lost his mind when Valerio slipped the diamond ring onto my finger.

In this city where blood flows like water, loyalty is mandatory and power is law, Amelia learns that love can be your greatest strenght and also your biggest weakness. Amelia's world collapsed to a million pieces the day she was betrayed by her lover and sold for a price- but she ends up rescued by the one person she should never want. Don Mateo. Her ex father in law The one whose name brought fear to the hearts of many. He is the king of the underworld, who doesn't forgive, doesn't forget and never plays a losing game. Fate brought them together thanks to a fateful night and he offers her a deal: One year of marriage for his protection, power and a chance to get her revenge. But in the underworld, secrets never remain buried and weakness wasn't an option. Amelia has a choice to make- whether to run while she still can or rule with the devil.

“She was once his weakness. Now she’s his greatest threat.” He used her like she was nothing. An innocent girl who became the plaything of the most feared mafia don in the city — Dante Moretti. No promises. No love. Just pleasure. And when she gave him the one thing he never expected — a child — he threw her away like she meant nothing. “I begged you to love me. You taught me to burn instead.” — Amara Left broken, abandoned, and pregnant, Amara vanished. But monsters aren’t the only ones who rise from the dark. Years later, she returns — no longer the fragile girl he remembers, but the woman standing beside his greatest rival. The queen who carries his biggest regret… and the power to destroy him. “You made me your weakness. I made myself your war.” Dante built an empire on blood and loyalty. But nothing will prepare him for the storm that wears the face of the woman he left behind. And this time… she’s not here to beg. She’s here to burn his world down. “I once loved you enough to kneel. Now I love myself enough to watch you fall.”

Valentina Moretti is the Don the Italian Mafia. Smart and formidable, surviving a male dominated environment, overcoming tremendous challenges. Trained from a young age to be a deadly assassin, she commands respect wherever she goes. She seemingly has everything, until her father decides to arrange her marriage. Luca Delgado is the head of the American Mafia. He is a ruthless and cold individual. He understands the rules of the game perfectly and will do anything to achieve victory, including breaking others without hesitation. Their forced marriage is a cruel twist of fate. Will these two ruthless individuals find comfort in one another, or will they end up destroying each other? "I don’t remember agreeing to play strip poker," she remarked. Her lips formed a slight frown, but her eyes sparkled with playfulness. She realized she couldn't outmatch me in this game. "Are you giving up? Are you a coward? " I taunted, aiming to provoke her. Her lips quivered before she pressed them firmly together. The richness of her eye color intensified as she offered a sly grin. She began shuffling cards and removed one of her sandals. Great. We’re taking the long route. She held it up, letting it dangle from her finger before casually tossing it aside. She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly challenging me. I was pleased to know I had touched a nerve. Just as I expected. BE AWARE: Trigger warnings: MATURE CONTENT 18+ (SMUT) SWEARING SELF HARM/SUICIDE (REFERENCES) LANGUAGE THAT IS UNAMBIGUOUS CURSING VIOLENCE, GUN VIOLENCE SELF-INFLICTED HARM /SUICIDE (REFERENCES) BLOOD, DECEASE, and GORE

“No one touches what is mine and gets to live,” he replies firmly, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Alessandro, I am not yours. I am not anyone’s property,” I argue. He laughs softly. “Okay,” he says casually, as if what I said doesn't matter. “I mean it; I will never be yours—not your property, not your plaything, and certainly not your mistress,” I've already made it clear that I won't be his mistress; I don’t know why he can’t seem to accept that. His jaw tightens, then he scoffs. “He threatened you, he touched you,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “It really didn’t matter if the device was his or not; he knew what was coming for him.” In search of her missing father, Renée, a 24 year old boudoir photographer, moves to a new country and makes a deal with the FBI. She helps them bring down the most feared Mafia Don in the country, and they help her find her father. All she has to do is seduce him and get him to lower his guard—easy. Alessandro has been married for three years to the perfect wife, the princess of the East Mafia dome. That kind of marriage makes Alessandro the leader of both the South and the East of the Mafia dome and untouchable, Ruthless. Then one night at a masquerade ball, he meets her, the seductive stranger with a different accent. She looks like the typical type of woman he would make his mistress. But is that enough? Will his world accept a woman like her? It has been a rule for as long as he can remember that certain races can't mix, at least not from where he stands. Plus, he is a married man. Everything about her is forbidden.