My Life In The Ruins

Marianna Del Vecchio, a student entangled in a covert affair with her professor, faces a love crisis when her father, Santo Del Vecchio, the leader of the Italian mafia, reveals an arranged marriage to Javier Bezzio to strengthen ties against the Russian mafia. Unveiling the shocking truth that her lover, Alceo, is the son of the ruthless Russian mafia, Isiak Romanov, Marianna grapples with betrayal and heartbreak as her father holds Alceo captive. A fierce clash ensues, claiming the lives of both mafia rivals in a dramatic gunfight. In this gripping mafia saga, destiny weaves the threads of true love. Can Marianna and Alceo boldly defy the odds to salvage their love, or will they be swallowed by the abyss amid family rivalries and relentless enemies?

When my husband, Austin Hart, and I participated in the earthquake disaster relief, he discovered the corpse of his first love, Stacy Deleon, in the collapse zone. That night, Austin left a suicide note behind before jumping off the building with our son, Clifford Hart, in order to reunite with Stacy in the afterlife. Only then did I realize that both Austin and Clifford never cared about me, to begin with. When I was reborn, I returned to the moment when Austin first asked for a divorce. This time, I agreed to the divorce immediately. I even gave the custody of the three-year-old Clifford to Austin right away. Five years later, we meet again at an auction. Austin laces fingers with Stacy while taking Clifford's hand with the other. He mocks me, "It's only been five years, Kendra. You're really that shameless now, huh? You can't wait to latch onto me again now that you've found out I'm here!" Clifford mocks me as well. "Mom… Wait, you should be Ms. Powell to me now. You should stop pestering my dad already. My parents and I are living a very happy life right now." I just ignore them. Instead, I grab my daughter, Faye Gilmore, who has been sneaking food off the table, and steer her back to our seats. But Austin flies into a fit of rage instantly. A vein pops out of his hand, which is still laced with Stacy's fingers. "You really are shameless, Kendra Powell! We've only been separated for five years, yet you already have a daughter that old? I can't believe you're willing to resort to such despicable methods just to make me jealous! Which bastard did you have that bastard child with, huh?"

So… He was naked. And my back was a little bit sore? I couldn't freak out, I had to stay cool. There was no way he'd touch me, because he swore that he wouldn't… We didn't do anything… Correct, or… “Did we?” I muttered under my breath, breathing slowly yet unsteadily as my chest rose and fell. He scoffed. “Now don't play coy, after all…you were the one begging for it.” He said, as he leaned in... ---------- Erica is being asked by Denise, the daughter of the Elder she worked for as a maid, to sleep with Alpha Rowen, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Lycans Pack, in exchange for her mother's freedom trading her virginity in the process as Alpha Rowen only wanted a virgin mate…and giving Erica to him while under the influence of the drug she had prepared, Denise was sure to take her place on the red stained bedsheet. But the Alpha is not the kind that can be fooled by drugged food and drinks, though he still has to marry Denise for the sake of his reputation, he also goes ahead to make Erica his… But it doesn't end there…now that Denise is poisoned and Erica is accused of attempted murder, what would be the outcome of her fate after her execution? Being reborn in one Natasha's body, Erica is given a second chance to live again…she meets her new mates, the hot Triplet Alphas and is happy to live a new life of love, thinking the moon goddess had blessed her enough… What actually changed was her, and not the world, there was still Denise, and everyone that had betrayed her in her past life… Will she go ahead to live as Natasha? Or would the opposite be the case?

As a dive engineer, I need to go down into the shaft to retrieve a drill bit in order to speed up construction on the 800-million-dollar construction project before Independence Day. Little do I know that I've barely made my way down the shaft when I realize I don't have enough oxygen to last the journey. Amid my panic, I completely lose my sense of direction. So, I dig out my wireless radio in an attempt to communicate with my fiancee, Viola Jenkins. But all I hear is her laughter over the radio. "Aren't you all high and mighty, Elden? I'd like to see how long you can last underwater without oxygen!" Her first love, Ron Carey, adds, "Just sit back and watch the show, Viola! He'll definitely beg you to open the manhole cover for him when the time comes!" That's when I realize Viola and Ron have allied together to kill me. Not only have they closed the manhole cover, but they've also cut off my life-saving oxygen supply. After ensuring that the manhole cover cannot be moved at all, I begin crying for help weakly into the radio. "Hurry… Open the cover for me… I'm running out of oxygen…" Viola's contemptuous voice drifts from the radio. "It's only been five minutes. Why are you playing the pity card already? This is Ron's first time in a construction site, so he's inhaling some oxygen from the canister because he's already lacking in oxygen. You can wait for a while. "If you have the time to moan about the lack of oxygen, you might as well use it to retrieve the drill bit. Stop dilly-dallying around, Elden! You seriously think I'll keep you around if you don't pull your weight around here?" With gnashed teeth, I cover 65 feet downward in the shaft. With the last bit of oxygen in my lungs, I place my hands on the drill bit that's stuck in the deepest part of the shaft that can determine whether or not the 800-million-dollar construction project will be a hit or miss. I'd like to see if Viola and Ron will be able to reap the benefits from this project just by killing me off in the shaft!

She tried to win him back. The kidnappers did not get the memo. Nora Hale’s life used to read like one of her bestselling novels - perfect husband, dream career, book tours- she was living her best life. Now, after two years of crippling writer's block, looming deadlines, and a husband who has packed his bags, her story has hit a brutal plot twist, and Nora is desperate to have the happy ending she’s used to writing. Naturally, she does what any logical, emotionally sane woman would do – plan a dangerous trip to Paris to rekindle the spark with her husband (and maybe spark a new book while she’s at it). The plan? Simple. The outcome? Absolute chaos. Between real criminals, fake ransom notes, French police, and one soon-to-be ex-husband, Nora’s romantic rescue mission quickly turns into an international disaster. But somewhere between the mayhem and macarons, Nora and her husband rediscover something they’d lost – the spark that started it all. Now if only she can keep him from finding out the truth behind the worst (and best) idea she’s ever had before the credits roll. Because in love and fiction… sometimes the best stories are total disasters. Billionaire romance story.

When Steven Baxter, the heartthrob of the school, admits that he loves action movies the most, my childhood friend, Lisa Thornton, has my limbs strapped to four huge drones. During the flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning, the drones lift me high up in the air in front of the entire school. The students' laughter is deafeningly loud. The videos they take quickly go viral, too. I only get to return to the surface once the drones finally run out of power and make their descent automatically. With a wide grin on her face, Lisa unties me from the drones. "Steven loves action movies, so we had you cosplay the main character from the most popular Tom Cruise movie. "We grew up together since we were kids, Dominic. Surely you don't mind, right?" As I sit on the ground, Steven pulls Lisa into his arms before he starts guffawing at me. Tears soon streak down his face from all the laughing. "I can't believe you actually peed yourself!" "Ahahahaha!" I get up to my feet and walk away. From then on, I don't return to Lisa's side. But Lisa soon loses her mind. "We've known each other for ten years! Must you really do this to me?"

Tony and Dillon have just entered 2011 and the next year of their love and lives. No matter what the world has in store to throw at them, they will make it through just fine regardless. The Second Symphony is the next book in the line of eight that will show how close two people can become. Walk with both Tony and Dillon again as they grow together while at the same time grow into individuals. Love, even an unconventional one like theirs, has the potential to weather any storm.

On the day Selene Casper learns she’s finally pregnant, she also learns the cruelest truth of her life. Her blindness was never a curse. It was orchestrated by the mate she worshipped… so another woman could see. That night, Selene disappears. She leaves behind divorce papers, an abortion report, and an Alpha publicly humiliated before his pack. Three years later, she returns. Not as the weak Luna who endured humiliation in silence — but as a woman backed by the Lycan throne, feared in business, and no longer begging for love. Her ex wants her back. Her sister wants her destroyed. And the most powerful man in the realm wants her by his side. But Selene isn’t here for love. She’s here to collect debts. And this time… she decides who falls.

I had just been discharged from surgery for a collapsed lung when my boyfriend took me to a childhood friend’s birthday party. At the party, he yanked off my ventilator and used it to inflate party balloons. My chest seized violently, as if my lung had been torn open. Justin Miller turned to Sophie Shaw proudly and said, “See? This is so much easier than blowing them up with your mouth.” I gripped the doorframe. I was gasping as my vision blurred. “Justin, I need that to survive! I can’t breathe!” His expression darkened. “Sophie was kind enough to invite you to her birthday party. Know your place! Besides, she put in a lot of effort for this day and spent hours preparing for it. Are you really going to ruin the celebration?” I struggled to speak through the pain. “Is her surprise more important than my life?” I extended a trembling hand toward the ventilator, but Justin waved it aside. He said impatiently, “I already checked. You won’t die from holding your breath for just a moment. Don’t be so selfish!” At that moment, pain stabbed me in the chest, and I used every ounce of my strength to press the emergency call button my brother had given me.

My breath caught in my throat as Roman’s finger grazed my chin, “I want you,” he whispers, “All of you,” I watched as his eyes flickered to my lips and back up to meet my gaze, “You are my brother Ronan,” I swallowed. “Stepbrother,” he drew closer, this time his breath was hot on my face. “This is wrong,” I managed to say, struggling to hide how obsessed I had become with his touch. His lips drew to mine, “Stop me if you don't want this, and I'll leave you alone,” he said and his lips pinned mine between his, sucking aggressively like he had been hungry for this. I didn't pull away, I didn't care, “Oh…,” I mumbled against his lips as I wrapped my arms around my stepbrother's neck. ~~~~~~ June Rourke’s life changes overnight when her mother marries powerful billionaire Victor Grayson. Forced to leave her old life behind, June transfers to an elite college she never wanted. On her first day, she clashes with a rude, arrogant boy, Ronan Grayson, only to discover hours later that he is her new stepbrother. Living under the same roof, tension builds quickly between them, turning every encounter into a battle. When a school project takes June and Ronan on a three-day trip, their hatred shifts into something neither of them expects. A single kiss changes everything, pulling them into a secret, forbidden relationship filled with tension and desire.