Osmanthus Wine

I’m the Vettori family princess. The only one. It was our fifth anniversary. A big dinner party at the estate. A waiter spilled red wine on my husband Marco, heir to the Rossi family. My best friend, Sofia, slapped the waiter. Hard. Then she was all over Marco, helping him out of his jacket. Her hand lingered on his waist. A second too long. I just stood there, watching. Sofia saw me. "I was just closer, that's all. Helping him clean up. Don't overthink it." I just smiled. Grabbed my glass. I went to make the rounds with the old dons from the other families. I would finish this night with my head held high. Later that night, Marco crawled into my bed, stinking of booze. His hands were on my waist. He wanted sex. I pushed him off. "The alliance is over," I said, my voice dead. "We're finished." Marco sobered up fast. His face went cold. "I'm trying to apologize here. You're divorcing me because Sofia helped me with my jacket?" I laughed. He didn’t get it. Not until I threw the proof of his betrayal in his face. Not until I cut him off from my family. Then he was on his knees, crying, begging me to forgive him.

"I want her." he said coldly sipping onto his wine staring at the grey eyed enchantress standing in front of him taking in her curves and flawless smooth skin. "She's his mate." his beta proclaimed widening his eyes at the reckless demand of his alpha. "So?" his alpha asked him coldly like it didn't affected him a bit. "But she is forbidden and---" his beta tried to make him understand but a one cold look from his alpha made his mouth clipped shut. He moved his blank gaze towards the girl tempting him without even trying and sternly said "I want her." And that was it, the end of the discussion because what he wants he gets it by hook or by crook. Daxon Valor, the alpha of the blood moon night pack is what people and all of the packs fear of. He is powerful and a rude, arrogant alpha who fears nothing. But he was not like this from the birth the death of his mate made him like this so cruel and ruthless because he loved his mate more than his own life. Hazel Suarez, the wife of alpha Alexander Suarez of nightingale pack is the beauty everyone wants to take a look at. But to even look at her is forbidden for everyone. But Alpha Daxon Valor has his eyes on her now. He wants her at any cost for himself.

On the party of our seventh year anniversary, Luca Romano wheels me into the venue. Both of us are dressed to the nines. Our daughter, Sofia Romano, suddenly leans into Luca's ear and says in fluent Bellavian, "Dad, Ms. Celia is eight months pregnant now. Once she gives birth to my little brother, will they be living with us?" Celia Amato is Sofia's private tutor. At the moment, she's staring at us jealously from a short distance away. Luca lowers his head and tucks in the blanket on my lap lovingly. Then, he replies in Bellavian, "I've made a vow to your mother that I will never betray her. So, once Celia is done with her labor, I'll send them to another country overseas. If you miss your little brother, we can visit them together." Once he's done speaking, he tries to kiss me. I lower my head quietly to avoid the kiss. Luca doesn't know that I understand Bellavian because I've grown up in Sisse, Bellavia since I was a kid. He also has no idea that my legs were fully healed a week ago, and that I've uncovered the evidence of his affair with Celia in the estate's wine cellar. Of course, he doesn't know that I've promised my grandma that I'll return to Bellavia and take over the family business. Once all the paperwork is done, I'll set off on a lone journey, and I will never return.

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 I'm seven months pregnant, my mate, Kayden Booker, brings me to a celebratory party hosted in the Darkwind pack. Vera Walker, a Beta warrior, purposefully splashes red wine onto my gown. She also accuses me of smelling like a Rogue. I shove her away, only for her to collapse to the floor. Kayden immediately picks Vera up before slapping me in the face. "You're just a plaything to warm my bed, and yet you have the gall to touch what's mine?" That night, the video of me doing a lap dance while heavily pregnant is projected to the pack's public monitor, all thanks to Vera. The comment section is filled with the wolves' lewd chuckles and mocking comments. As I hide outside the door, I listen to Kayden and his subordinates' conversation. "She's just a human being who's meant to carry my pup. I'm going to abandon her when I get sick of her." "Only the Moon Goddess knows if that pup inside her womb is a bastard pup or what." "Vera is right. Women like her should be groomed." The wolves laugh among themselves. "Alpha Kayden, that woman sure is hot! Will you give her to us and let us have a taste?" Kayden replies icily, "Once she gives birth to that wretched pup, you can do whatever you want to her." Laughter fills the conference hall once again. I pull out the silver dagger that I've been tucking under my pillow. Then, I scratch out the countdown timer on my calendar.

It took me ten years to become the right hand to Damian Costello, the Consigliere of the Costello crime family. From a nobody to the woman wearing his engagement ring. But two weeks before the wedding, I decided to throw that ring away. Everyone in the family knew how hard I had fought all these years just to stand by Damian's side. I gave up the chance to become a top trader on Wall Street, willingly becoming Damian's assistant, his shadow. This man was infamous for his coldness and exacting nature, keeping everyone at arm's length. So I hid my sharp edges, spending a decade wearing down his icy exterior with gentleness. I cleansed the blood from every dollar he made. I became a necessity to him, as essential as the air he breathed. I thought that after ten years, I had finally made my presence indispensable. And finally earned what looked, to outsiders, like a glimmer of his affection. The family's notoriously aloof genius actually remembered my birthday. He even made an exception, letting me spend the night in his private study when I was unwell. He didn't even push me away when, emboldened by wine, I pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. If the Don's daughter, Isabella, hadn't returned from Italy, I might have kept playing my part, clinging to that false dream forever. But sadly, there are no ‘ifs’. I am going to give up everything here and leave you.

Gianna had tirelessly searched for employment, driven by the need to earn a living, and finally secured a position at one of the largest beverage companies in the Philippines. However, in an unforeseen twist of fate, she discovered that her new boss was none other than the man she vehemently despised: Francis Locan, the CEO and President of The Golden Scenery, one of the most renowned wine companies in the Philippines. He was known for his cold demeanor and his aversion to those who sought him out solely for his wealth. But beneath his icy gaze lay a secret he had guarded for a long time. He suffered from a rare condition called monochromacy disorder, which rendered him unable to perceive color and also significantly impaired his vision compared to that of a normal person. Yet, upon meeting Gianna, he couldn't explain why he could perceive the colors surrounding her, a phenomenon that defied all medical understanding. Driven by a desperate hope for a cure, he devised a plan to use Gianna, believing that somehow she held the key to his healing. However, as time passed, his feelings for the young woman became increasingly genuine, despite his repeated attempts to dismiss them. Though he resisted acknowledging it, he found himself ensnared in his own carefully constructed trap. What would Gianna do when she discovered that all the affection and attention she had received from the man she had grown to love had been meticulously planned and orchestrated? Would she be able to forgive him for his deception, or would she choose to walk away, her heart shattered by his betrayal?

One week before our wedding, my fiancé, my father’s own consigliere, sold him out.He set him up for a FBI raid. My father died in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, and the once-great Moretti family collapsed overnight. In my darkest hour, Dominic, the Don of the New York Luciani family, showed up with a crew of mercenaries. He didn't just take care of the rat; he gave me total protection. He obsessed over me for three years, even tattooing my name over his heart. I fell for it. I believed he loved me. I let my guard down and stayed by his side, serving as the lead perfumer for the coldest man in the city. Until today. Outside the wine cellar, I overheard him talking to his rival. "Old man Moretti died never knowing who had leaked his location," Dominic said. "But imagine if that stupid woman, Elena, found out," the rival mocked. "If she knew the man who killed her father was the same husband kissing her forehead every night... would she lose her mind?" My hand froze on the cellar door. The rival’s laughter came through the cracks: "You’re cold-blooded, Dominic! Elena thinks you’re her savior. She even wants to give you an heir. She’d never dream the raid that destroyed her life was actually your offering to Sienna."

In my ninth year of being with Tyler Freeman, he flaunts his relationships with other women while I'm only allowed to come and go from his bedroom. He doesn't acknowledge me as his girlfriend, yet he allows his friends to address me as such. I have a name but not an identity. His friends are bored during a private party and want me to perform a strip dance on stage to liven things up. I expect Tyler to at least turn them down on my behalf, but all he does is sip his wine and say, "Go on. You're the owner of this place, aren't you? Aren't clubs supposed to satisfy their patrons' needs? Don't let my friends down!" I look at him emotionlessly. I don't cry or throw a fuss. Instead, I splash a glass of liquor in his face. The following day, I trash the club. Three months later, Tyler finally thinks of calling me. "Where are you? Aren't you gonna get the hell back here? Do you really expect me to beg you to come back? Do you think you're worthy of that?" I pull my newlywed husband to the camera. "Sorry, Mr. Freeman. I'm getting married. You don't need to come, but do get me a wedding gift." Unexpectedly, he threatens to show my husband intimate videos of me when he sees me in a wedding gown.

They shattered her. Now she’s the storm coming to destroy them. For five years, Mona Smith was the perfect wife, silent, loyal, and invisible. Trapped in a golden cage, she clung to love while the Caldwell family tore her down piece by piece. They laughed at her. Belittled her. Treated her like dirt beneath their designer heels. Until the night it all fell apart. “Get out,” Emily Caldwell sneered, wine staining Mona’s dress like blood. “You were never one of us.” Framed. Humiliated. Abandoned by the man she gave everything to. The Caldwells thought they could toss her out and move on. But they made one fatal mistake. They let her live. Enter Alexander Kane, dangerous, untouchable, and worth more than empires. He offers Mona a deal: marry him, and he’ll give her the power to crush the people who destroyed her. Mona says yes. Not for love. For vengeance. But revenge has a cost, and Alexander has secrets darker than she ever imagined. As Mona claws her way into the ruthless world of power and privilege, she must decide: Will she burn them all to the ground? Or will she become the very monster she was trying to destroy? Because the most dangerous woman in the world… is the one they tried to break. --- "You wanted me broken?" Mona whispers, slipping on a diamond ring worth more than their entire legacy. "Congratulations. I’m broken. And now, I’m unstoppable." They wanted her silent. Now she’s their worst nightmare