Mercenary Soldier

Twenty-five years old Ashley Zoryana was born and raised in the middle state, wife of Andriy Norman and a proud mother of Katie, her sweet little fairy princess. Her life was not the perfect one but with her husband and child, everything was more than perfect... There was nothing else she could ever wish for. Andriy is a soldier, working in the middle state Army force. Sworn to protect his country. He got caught up in the war between the Middle state and Northland leaving behind his beautiful wife and child. Ashley thought her life was perfect, not until the news about her husband's death came flying like a dove, chirping like a parrot in her ears. She thought all was over and was willing to live her life with her daughter but fate was way cruel, taking away her fairy princess land eaving her with nothing to hold on. to She was chased away from her husband's home by her stepmother Ivanna who has never liked her since the very beginning. Jolly, Andriy's sister was happy and ready to make her life a living hell. Alina, her best friend stood by her through it all. Ashley blames herself for her child's death and decides to work with the children's hospital, hoping to right her wrongs. She came in contact with a little sick boy, Kayden, son of Anton, the well-known billionaire finds herself falling for him without realizing it. Beckon to her, he was her one nightstand. She was willing to let herself consume in her newfound feeling not until Andriy popped out of the blue, setting her in a state of confusion as she found herself stuck between both men. Will she choose Anton whom she's come to love or Andriy whom she's never stopped loving?

Mom and I board a flight to Fangoria to visit Alicia Carter, my wife. She's a special forces soldier who's here on a peacekeeping mission in this foreign country. But the moment we walk out of the airport, we're ambushed by a group of kidnappers. One of them holds a gun to Mom's head and says, "If you don't give us the ransom in three days, we'll blow her head off!" In a panic, I make a video call to Alicia, my hands shaking as I beg her to help me. "Calm down, honey. I'll put in a request to lead a rescue mission. We'll save her within 24 hours!" But the next day, I keep failing to get in touch with Alicia. After I blow up her phone with multiple calls, one finally connects. Amid her rushed panting, she tells me, "Sorry, honey. I just got assigned to an urgent escort mission. You guys just hang in there. I've arranged for the local authorities to—" Her voice is abruptly cut off by a familiar male voice. "Alicia! Thank goodness you came over just to pick me up. I didn't have to spend 100 dollars on a cab after all! That cab driver didn't even have a license, and I can't believe he tried to ask for more money…" The three-day deadline passes, and the kidnappers keep their word, letting me hear the gunshot myself. As I clutch Mom's cold, dead body, Alicia calls me out of nowhere. "Hey, honey. I just completed the escort mission. How are things on your end? Have the kidnappers released her?" I look down at Mom. Her eyes will never open again. I gently wipe the blood off her face as I reply to Alicia in an eerily calm voice, "Yeah. They have."

My husband was working over the holidays, again. He’d been sent out of town to oversee one of the Family’s dock operations and a string of gambling houses.. I decided to buy a ticket and surprise him. Only business class was left. Staring at the five-figure price, I gritted my teeth and spent a year’s worth of savings. Then I couldn’t even figure out how to pull down the damn tray table. The socialite seated next to me let out a cold laugh. “Never flown business class before?” I forced an awkward smile. “My apologies. You must be… important. You have that aura.” “Oh, me? No. The man who keeps me is important. He’d charter a private jet if I asked. Business class is practically slumming it.” I blinked. “A… keeper? That’s rare.” “Not really. I’m his secretary. I mess up a lot. Cost him a fortune. He yells at me until I cry. And then, well… crying leads to other things.” She winked. “You know how it is.” “Funny,” I said, my voice tight. “My husband has an assistant who helps him manage accounts for the docks. She’s always messing things up too.” “You’re married?” She looked me over, head to toe. “My man has a wife about your age. Says he’s sick of her. That touching her is boring. Says I’m more exciting just brushing my hair out of my face.” She leaned closer. “I told him I wanted to see him for New Year’s. So he told the wife he had to work.” The diamond on her finger caught the light. It was identical to the wedding band I’d lost. My body went cold. No. Matteo was just a low-level enforcer. A foot soldier the Family occasionally trusted with small operations—dock shipments, backroom gambling, nothing more. When did he become a Don?