Numbers Don't Lie

Being forged from the trauma that clings to your soul like an additional layer of sin has an elegance to it. When my father and I buried my sister, falling in love with her first love wasn't on the agenda. Don Alessandro Valentino has something I want. Something he refuses to depart with and no matter how much pain he inflicts upon me, I will never give up. I vowed to never let him win. I thought I had escaped his grasp, but his torment had only just begun. Despite everything, he still held the power to manipulate my heart and make me crave to be possessed by him. As secrets come to light and the truth is exposed, can I surrender the battle and surrender what I've been fighting for all along, without hesitation? --- He tore his lips away from mine, peering down at me, brushing the pad of his thumb along his lower lip—smearing my touch as far as it would travel. “You taste like mine.” He said in a cold and condescending tone. Then he left. He walked out of the wine cellar without a second glance over his shoulder as Riccardo locked the door behind them.

POWERS SERIES (BOOK TWO) ”I’m only here until my father’s debt is paid. I’m not your property,” I said, though my voice faltered under his piercing gaze. Owen smirked, stepping closer, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “Funny, because the moment you stepped into my territory, you became my property, mia cara, and I do not let go of what’s mine until I’ve taken everything I’m owed—and more.” Mae has spent her entire life trying to clean up her father’s messes. But when his largest debt lands her in the hands of Owen, the most feared Mafia Don in the country, her life takes a maddening turn. Owen built his empire on blood, power, and his unwavering belief that family is nothing but a weakness. Mae’s fierce loyalty and willingness to risk everything to protect her deadbeat father—and track down the mother who abandoned her—makes her more interesting than she already is. Trapped in a web of danger, desire, and impossible choices, Mae has to decide: How far will she go to save the people who’ve already let her down? And how long can she resist the pull of the man who claims to own her?

Setelah melewati serangkaian tragedi dalam hubungan ‘toxic’ dan abusif yang nyaris merenggut nyawanya, Trisha Geraldyn kembali mencari jati dirinya. Dengan kemampuan istimewa membaca batin yang sempat hilang selama masa keterpurukannya, Trisha pun menuju petualangan baru yang sangat menantang. Namun, di dalam prosesnya, dia bertemu Desmond Zachery, seorang pengusaha yang kejam di siang hari, lelaki hidung belang di malam hari. Bagaimana kisah cinta keduanya?

Solenne's life is completely shattered when her charming, fun-loving boyfriend, Vincent, is killed, prompting his cousin Caelum to swear he’ll protect her. Caelum, a ruthless man suddenly thrust into leadership of the families after losing both his cousin and uncle, has no interest in playing bodyguard to the ungrateful girl his cousin foolishly fell for. +++++++++ The room was dark with red hues and a large bed in the center draped in black silk sheets. Caelum's body was over six feet tall and completely bare as he rammed himself violently into a woman he had bent over the edge of the bed. His hand was wrapped in her hair forcing her face into the mattress as she screamed in pleasure. Then he roughly pulled her head back making her screams louder. Caelum's eyes met mine and he began f**king her faster, grunting out his release as I stood there and just watched him dominate every part of her body. I was right, he was a f**king beast and I swear I was not finding it f**king hot. What is wrong with me? I quickly ran from that room and headed straight to mine. That did not just happen.

In the day, Evelyn Jefferson is Warren Larkin's elegant and capable executive secretary. At night, she's his alluring bedfellow.After three years of such an arrangement, she thinks he loves her. But when she proposes to him, he says, "It's just a game—we fuck, not make love. Did you really think I'd take you seriously?"She loses hope in him and leaves without another word. From that day on, her life is transformed, and her career skyrockets. She becomes a renowned lawyer that no one in the industry dares offend. Countless suitors swarm her.He regrets his decision and pins her to the wall, his eyes bloodshot. "I'm yours in heart, mind, and soul. Will you marry me, please?"She smiles seductively. "Sorry, but you're standing in the way of my Mr. Right."

"I'm sorry Avry, let me explain.." Buong pusong pakiusap ko sa kanya. Nasasaktan ako. Ang sakit sakit. Bakit masakit? All of it is just part of the game. Make her fall in love with me yet ako ata ang nahulog ng malala. "Save it, Ice. I don't need it. Don't worry we're even. Hindi naman kita minahal." Bumalik ang walang emosyon niyang mukha. Bakit ganun? Parang mas masakit pa to kumpara sa lahat ng naging break ups ko? Ayaw ng tumigil ng mga luha ko.

The day I went into labor with the twins, I bribed the family doctor to shoot me up with every heavy-duty suppressant he could get his hands on. Anything to stall the birth. Why? Because in my last life, Vincent—my husband, the Don—claimed to have a low sperm count. To guarantee an heir, he lined up ten mistresses and told the whole house: whoever popped out a son first, her kid would be the next Corleone Don. He promised if I delivered first, he'd ditch the others. Said our baby would inherit the throne. I bought every word. When I found out I was carrying twins, I couldn't stop shaking—I thought I'd won. But after I gave birth, he tossed me and the babies into the freezing wine cellar and locked the place down. "Lucy came from nothing. I just wanted to give her kid a name. You started rumors, pushed her into despair, and now she's dead—her and the baby. You're vile. Not fit to be the Don's wife. Think about what you've done. I'll open the door in three days." Then he had the butler seal it shut. What he didn't know? That night, the cellar caught fire. Me and my babies? Burned alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—right before labor. This time, I'm not staying. Soon as I deliver and get back on my feet, I'm taking my kids and disappearing for good.

When Grace Green, a nurse, helped a dying man on her way to work, she didn't know she had just saved a Mafia Don and that she would enter the mafia world. Gunfights. Bloodshed. Brutality. Secrets. DEATH. It was a world different from the peaceful life she lived. A world where a single mistake can cost her life and family. But as danger closes in, the lines between captor and protector blur. The most dangerous threat may not be his world… but her heart.

On the day of Lucas' engagement, he managed to get a few lackeys to keep me occupied, and by the time I stepped out the police station, done with questioning, it was already dark outside. Arriving home, I stood there on the doorstep and eavesdropped on Lucas and his friends talking about me. "I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I got her to spend the whole day at the police station. I made sure that everything would be set in stone by the time she got out." Shaking my head with a bitter laugh, I blocked all of Lucas' contacts and went overseas without any hesitation. That night, Lucas lost all his composure, kicking over a table and smashing a bottle of liquor, sending glass shards flying all over the floor. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she's jealous… She'll come back once she gets over it…" What he didn't realize, then, was that this wasn't just a fit of anger or a petty tantrum. This time, I truly didn't want him anymore.

When he kissed her on his stage he loved it. T him she was an angel and she felt right in his arms. Little did he know whose daughter he was messing with and before he did, it was too late for any saving. Now that he blames her for his misfortune, she must pay no what what the cost is and he will stop at nothing till she does. Worse now that they live under the same roof or rather yet, same room. Will his thirsty for revenge cloud his judgement or will love conquer everything?