Pete Marino

Selena Dacosta had never experienced love throughout her whole life, not even from her own parents. To shield themselves from the potential shame of her kleptomania, She was forced to live with her poor aunt in Italy. Years later, Selena's past mistake resurfaces, forcing her into a contract marriage with the most unexpected person: Jake Marino, a handsome CEO and her best friend's fiancé. Despite Jake's initial resentment, he proposes the marriage to hide a secret of his own, his face blindness and protect Rose, the love of his life. But Selena's newfound love is tested when a shocking kidnapping and a life-altering night throw their world into chaos. When she discovers she's pregnant with twins, she decides to keep it a secret and elope to New York, where she transforms into a powerful CEO. Can their story of hate turning into love survive the challenges thrown their way? Dive into this heartwarming tale of family, forgiveness, and a possibility of a second chance at love as you flip until the last page of this book.

Michaella always believes that every woman must marry the only man they love. But everything she once believed ruined when she was being forced to marry an old man in their town. She felt devastated and her feelings got invalidated to the point that she decided to run away. While she was walking out-of-nowhere, she suddenly almost got hit by a car that made the man help him to get up. She's drunk for Pete's sake and couldn't even walk properly. "I know what you wanted to do. Do whatever you want because tomorrow would probably be my last day." The next morning, Michaella left the hotel without even looking at the man he gave herself with. She went to her friend far away from their city and lived her life happily until she found out that she's pregnant. "Congratulations, Ms. Gomez. You're pregnant! They're twins!" The Doctor happily announced. She almost fell to the ground because of the news and couldn't even breathe properly. She was about to leave the hospital but someone suddenly spat in front of her. It was her Father and she was being forced to come with him but someone suddenly came and grabbed her hand away from her Father. "Don't you ever come near her. Nobody has the right to touch the Mother of my children." He uttered using his threatening voice.

She returned to bury her father. Instead, she was forced to marry his enemy’s son. - Rosalind Marlow returns to New York to settle her father’s affairs, once one of the city’s most feared mafia bosses, only to find he died beside his greatest rival… and left behind a contract binding her to the rival’s son. Viktor Marino is cold, calculating, and infuriatingly magnetic. Rosa has no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn, not in grief, not in business, and definitely not in bed. But Viktor plays a long game, and with every stare, every challenge, he pulls her deeper into a world of secrets, power, and heat. She was raised to be untouchable. He was born to conquer. And in the space between vengeance and desire, who is going to lose control first? (Contains mature and dark content) ***** EXCERPT ‘Why would you want to leave this behind?’ he growled in my ear, his chest rumbling against my back. Because I can’t trust you. Because I don’t know what I want. ‘Because it’s cruel,’ I whispered. And then he pulled away, leaving me trembling, desperate, and furious.” ❦

Isabella Marino has spent her life toeing the line between duty and desire, torn between her family’s expectations and her dream of freedom. When her father arranges her marriage to Leonard Ricci, the most powerful and ruthless mafia boss in Italy, she’s thrust into a world of power, violence, and deception. She knows Leonard’s reputation—a man feared by his enemies, respected by his allies, and untouchable in the criminal underworld. But as their marriage forces them into each other’s lives, Isabella soon discovers the man behind the ruthless façade—a man scarred by betrayal, driven by loyalty, and desperate to protect the empire he’s built. In the shadowy world of mafia politics, where trust is a rare commodity and enemies lurk at every corner, Isabella and Leonard must navigate a dangerous game of power and survival. As secrets unravel and bloodlines are tested, Isabella faces an impossible choice: follow her heart and risk everything, or remain loyal to a family that sees her as a pawn in their game. But Leonard has his own battles to fight, and in a world where love is a dangerous weakness, the only thing more treacherous than their enemies is the growing connection between them. Power. Betrayal. Love. When the stakes are life or death, can two souls caught in the crossfire find a way to save each other, or will they be torn apart by the very forces that brought them together?

In my previous life, I married the Underboss of the Marino family to forge an alliance between our mafia families. However, he treated me with nothing but cold indifference. In the end, he conspired with his mistress and left me to burn alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was 22 years old once more. I was back at that party where he had locked me out for her sake. This time, I did not cry. I simply turned and walked away. I tore up our marriage contract myself, built my own fashion empire, and met a man who actually respected and loved me. The irony of it all? The same man who once threw me away like garbage now chased after me like a mad dog, desperate to fix what he had broken. "Rosalie, just come back with me now and I'll pretend none of this ever happened!" His eyes were bloodshot as he begged. I looked at him and laughed. What happened could not be erased just because he wanted it to be. In this lifetime, I would bask in the sunlight and live just for myself.

Blurb She wanted love. She wanted freedom. But what she got instead was heartbreak in its cruelest form. This is Alessia Marino’s story. Born into a ruthless mafia family, Alessia was suffocating under their rules and expectations. All she ever wanted was a life that was hers—to love freely, to breathe without fear. So she ran. She changed her name to Sienna Johnson, determined to start over and live like a normal woman. And for a while, she thought she’d found it all. A devoted husband, Gabriel. A sweet four-year-old daughter they’d adopted. And a best friend, Sylvia, who felt like the sister she never had. But paradise shattered in an instant. The truth hit her like a knife to the chest—Sylvia and Gabriel had been lovers all along, and the little girl she adored wasn’t adopted at all… she was theirs. Broken. Betrayed. Shattered beyond repair. But fate wasn’t done with her yet. When Desmond Blackwell, Gabriel’s powerful rival, offers her a chance at revenge, Alessia takes it without hesitation. Together, they plot to destroy the man who destroyed her. But the deeper she gets, the harder it becomes to ignore the pull she feels toward Desmond—dark, magnetic, and dangerous. And when the truth about who Desmond really is begins to unravel, Alessia realizes she might be walking straight into a trap… one that could cost her not just her heart, but her life.

"Isla," he called, his voice brutally stern, "you know it was a terrible mistake that shouldn't have happened in the first place. You're my best friend's daughter and he has entrusted you to my care for Pete's sake!" "Is that your excuse? But that doesn't mean we can't feel something for each other," I retorted, my voice rising. "You kissed me back, Robert. You didn't stop me; infact, you seemed to enjoy it!" Isla's dad had entrusted her to Robert Hardy, his best friend. His goal was for Isla to learn the core of handling business under the scrutiny and watchful eyes of a dear and very trusted old friend, who was to become Isla's mentor, and guardian, but Isla only saw this as an opportunity to finally be able to pursue the strikingly handsome man she has had a huge crush on ever since her young girly heart knew what it meant to feel. As she settles into Robert's world as his office assistant, sparks ignite dangerously between them as a forbidden steamy romance evolves. Their secret office affair faces a huge threat from Robert's manipulative and materialistic Ex, who also works as his manager. Amidst the uncertainty, Isla comes face-to-face with the heart wrenching secret of her very dear Robert. As she confronts this secret, her heart breaks into a million pieces on who Robert Hardy truly is. Isla also brutally finds out the most unbelievable truth about her always busy and hardworking parents. How does Isla handle the emptiness she feels, and the bile life threw directly at her face?

After I married Riccardo, the Don of the Moretti family, he paraded a string of mistresses in front of me. He never gave me a second glance. But on our tenth anniversary—right after my father’s death—he suddenly promised me half of his empire. The catch? In return, he planned to seize control of all my family’s arms-dealing routes. That pissed off his favorite mistress. She cornered him on his yacht, demanding he take his words back. Then she fell overboard and died. An “accident.” After she died, Riccardo went insane. He took it all out on me. He tied me to the back of his yacht. He dragged me through the sea, a human anchor, until the rocks shattered my legs, crippling me for life. I became the family’s shame. Then, as I lay helpless, he finished the job with poison. Then I opened my eyes. I was back on the day Angelo Marino—the head of our rival family—proposed to me. In my last life, my family forced me to say no. He came for me, a one-man army. He killed Riccardo, but died in the process. This time, I looked at his kind face and nodded. Yes. But as we embraced, Riccardo appeared. He ripped me from Angelo's arms and claimed me as his own. That’s when I realized the cruelest joke of all. My monster was back, too.

"Why would you try to hurt her?" Victor shouted back. His voice was cold towards me, as he held onto Lily's hand. "So you're just going to believe her over your own wife?!" I fired back. Victor ignored my words and drew his attention to Lily and the broken glass. I watched as he carefully collected the pieces and threw them away. "Are you hurt anywhere? Did the glass get you?" Victor asked softly, giving her hand a light squeeze. "No, no. I'm okay now that you're here." Lily's smile was small. "Please don't leave me alone with her again..." **** I, Emelia Russo, once thought I was a woman who had it all—a successful career, and a loving husband. But when a "childhood friend" by the name of Lily Marino re-enters my husband's life, everything takes a turn for the worse. All of a sudden, my once faithful and loyal Victor was lying for her, favoring her, and trusting her word over mine. I became the outsider in my own marriage. When I finally had enough of his secrets and mistreatment of me and called for a divorce, he begged me to stay. "Please, let's go back to how the way things used to be! I'm begging you! Don't leave me!" Victor pleaded. But what happens when I tell him "It's too late."?

The year the Rossi famiglia falls, my personal Underboss, Lorenzo Santoro, rises to power—becoming the Don and seizing control of the underworld. Once, I was the untouchable Principessa. He was the Soldato, ready to die for me at a moment's notice. For something as trivial as a paper cut on my finger, he would drop to his knees with red-rimmed eyes, blowing on it for half an hour. Now, to earn a smile from his new flame, Elena Marino, he forces me to sign a contract and makes me his live target. He watches with indifference as I am battered and bloodied under a hail of bullets. During a blast-resistance test, shattered glass slices the corner of my eye, but Lorenzo merely looks on. "The once-delicate Principessa Rossi can't even handle a little pain?" During attack-dog training, I am bitten to the bone, yet he shields a trembling Elena instead. "Animals don't know any better. Why are you holding a grudge against a dog?" Then comes the real kidnapping. To save Elena, who is desperate to become Donna, he personally cuts off my escape. "This is just a drill, Isabella," he scoffs. "Stop acting like it's real." On the surveillance monitors, flames engulf me as I take my final breath. A bloodstained termination contract is delivered to him. "Don Santoro, I return the life I owe you." Only then does the man who believes he rules the world finally lose his mind.