Past Tense Smile

The air in the Parisian haute couture salon smelled like money and fear. I’d waited six months for my wedding dress. Now, it was draped over the shoulders of Sofia Ross—the trending influencer, and my mafia fiancé Vincent Cassio’s god-sister. The salon manager was sweating bullets, his eyes darting between me and the man lounging on the velvet sofa. Vincent Cassio stood up. He adjusted a fold of the diamond-encrusted train on Sofia with a casual flick of his wrist. “Her premiere next week needs a statement piece. She’s borrowing it. Pick something off the rack and stop making a scene.” His tone was flat, final. Under the crystal chandeliers, Sofia admired herself in the full-length mirror, a triumphant smile on her lips. I looked at my reflection in the same mirror, wearing jeans and a soaked trench coat. I looked like a lost tourist. Suddenly, the entire past year of planning felt like a sick joke. I didn’t yell. I just felt cold. Numb. I slipped the five-carat engagement ring off my finger. It hit the glass coffee table with a sharp, final click. “You’re right, Vincent. I don’t need this wedding dress. This wedding… I don’t need it either.”

Previous book name: Constantine Blurb: Constantine Leone has built his empire with cold, calculated ruthlessness, earning him a reputation as a man without a heart. As one of the city's most powerful figures, few dare to cross him—until April Danielle crashes into his life, quite literally, by wrecking her old Ford into his Lamborghini. April, an eccentric artist with a sharp tongue, quickly catches Constantine’s eye. Intrigued by her fiery spirit, he forces her into his world, blackmailing her into working off the debt. What begins as a tense power play soon escalates into a daily clash of wills, with Constantine taking twisted pleasure in pushing April’s explosive temper. But as sparks fly, Constantine finds himself softening, seeing in her what no one else has. And April, despite her best efforts, starts to unravel the myth of the heartless businessman, discovering a man far more complex than his reputation. Yet, both are trapped in futures they didn’t entirely choose—engaged to others, bound by obligation. As stolen glances and forbidden touches fan the flames, they are forced to confront the impossible, A choice between love and responsibility... ××× Other books like this: Sold To The Cruel Mafia.

On The Low: His entire life, Cyrus has played it safe—studying for good grades, spending weekends quietly, asking no questions. Raised in a strict, conservative household, he never really had room to find himself. All that changes, however, when he finds himself crashing at a party he wasn't invited to. It is there that he meets Derick. Derick is the type who takes up all the space in the room, not that he tries. Older, rough, and with the reputation for keeping people at arms length, he is the polar opposite of Cyrus. Yet, in the midst of raucous music, cheap alcohol, and bad decisions, something happens between them. It starts innocently enough—glances, small talk, the ride home—but it intensifies. They start to meet in secret, and the curiosity soon intensifies into something greater. Derick catches glimpses of Cyrus that no other person catches. And Cyrus feels alive in ways he never has at any other point in his life. Yet, in their world, there is nothing that makes it easy. The secrecy comes at a cost, with Derick's fear of being discovered and Cyrus's bags causing rumors to go around. Things become tense at home and at school. Regardless of the best efforts at keeping things under the carpet, the truth ends up getting discovered.

Sophia Ysabelle, 26 years old, accepted the life-changing deal of marrying the famous billionaire, Daniel Kelley, not for his money but his name. They have different reasons for marrying each other. Daniel needs a woman to pretend as his wife to get the biggest investment for their company, which will lead them to the top-grossing company in the whole state of California. While Sophia needs someone 'powerful' on her back while still seeking justice for what happened to her in the past. But there is a big problem between the two of them, they couldn't stand alone in one place facing each other. Daniel is a cold and arrogant billionaire with a smile as precious as a diamond, and who already put her under his judgement from the very first time they met. And Sophia is a stubborn yet resilient woman who never backs down from anyone's judgement, not even from her future husband's rudeness. But in the end, will she tell him the real reason for marrying him? When he finds out the truth, will he continue to judge her? Will he be able to protect her from her dark past or he will just remain a cold and arrogant husband towards her? "Never judge someone without knowing the whole story. You may think you understand, but you don't"

Two mafia families. One bloody feud. And a love that was never supposed to exist. Valenti Moretti is known as Ghost—a shadow in the underworld, a man feared for his precision and ruthlessness. But beneath the cold exterior lies a burning obsession he can't escape: Lorenzo De Luca, the golden prince of their rival family. Lorenzo's every smile, every calculated move with his perfect fiancée, is a reminder of what Ghost can never have—or forget. Their story began years ago, with a kiss neither of them were supposed to remember. Now, Ghost has a plan to make Lorenzo face the truth they both buried: a staged kidnapping, a forced reunion, and a chance to rewrite their fate. But Ghost goes a step further, paying the kidnappers to make them sleep together. But love born in the dark doesn’t thrive without consequences. As secrets unravel and both families spiral into chaos, Ghost and Lorenzo find themselves drawn together by the very forces tearing them apart. Loyalties will shatter. Blood will spill. And when the truth about their past comes to light, they’ll have to decide whether their connection is worth destroying everything—or if it was doomed from the start. In this deadly game of power, hate, and obsession, how far will you go to claim the one thing you can’t have?

"Sign the papers, Damien. Set us both free." For six years, Elara Blackwood endured a gilded cage—playing the perfect wife to a billionaire who married her out of duty, his heart forever claimed by another. Their daughter Lily was the only light in her lonely world. But that light was snuffed out by the cruelest betrayal. When their dying daughter needed him most, Damien was embracing his past love. Lily cried, "Mommy, does Daddy not love me?" Elara couldn’t bear to tell her: it wasn’t that Daddy didn’t love her—he just didn’t love Mommy, and by extension, couldn’t bring himself to care for her. After Lily’s death, Elara confronted him: "You chose her over our dying daughter—how could you?" Her decision to leave followed, but Damien dismissed her departure and accusations as a dramatic—even laughable—ploy for attention, refusing to believe their daughter could truly be gone. Yet when the truth dawns, everything shifts: Lily’s death, Elara’s broken smile, and her departure with their newborn. Drowned in regret, Damien finally confronts the love he’d long denied. The billionaire tycoon scoured the city, proclaiming her his one true love—all for a second chance.

In the glittering world of wealth and power, where every smile was calculated and every gesture choreographed, Ann Sinclair is left wondering ‘what had she truly signed up for? Now that she was married to Lucas Montgomery, the internet giant. The game of marriage had begun, and neither of them knew just how dangerous it would become.

“I killed his secret lover.” “Does he know?” “Yes, but he pretends not to know it in front of me.” A gun shot sounded outside the mansion and Alvah didn't bother to check. “What is going on?” Alvah chuckled, a smile spread across her face, “My husband. He's here to kill me.”

A heart, as soft as cloud, goes through so much pain and agony. Any smile that lits up his face, later turns to sorrow. But that life got changed by an angel who took his breath away, who sealed the hole in his heart and gave him the happiness he could ever wish for.

Our third anniversary trip to Hawaii was supposed to be a new beginning—just me, Tom, and our son. But then she showed up. Blair. Our single, sexy neighbor with a killer smile and a suitcase full of charm. I thought she was just tagging along. I was wrong. One night, I overheard her hiss, “Why the hell didn’t you just let her die?” That’s when it hit me—Blair wasn’t just having an affair with my husband. She had planned to let me drown in the tsunami. I survived. But I kept quiet. I decided to play dumb—to smile, to act fragile, to stay close—for my son’s sake. I needed to know what they really wanted… and how far they’d go. Then, on my son Noah’s birthday, he made a wish. “I want Aunty Blair to be my new mommy.” The candles flickered. My heart cracked. Had Blair already replaced me?