Ruth Bell Graham

•••[Excerpt]••• "Stop... Stop!" Rosana's voice quivered as tears of fright brimmed her vision. She had been crying for hours, but not because she was leaving the beautiful life she had planned with her fiance behind. She was crying because her newly wedded husband had tortured and murdered a man mercilessly on their wedding night. "Stop, please..." He ignored her. "No... Stop touching me. Take your bloody hands off me!" Indeed, his hands were covered with the blood of the man he had killed earlier. But he didn't care. "S... Stop touching me!" He grabbed her neck and she gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "You shouldn't make me do this on our wedding night, Bambolina. You are mine and I will take whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, and however I want, till death do us part, Mi Amor" ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Rosana Marcello was already living the life she had dreamt about. With her boyfriend-turned-fiance by her side, nothing could be more perfect. Some weeks before the wedding, she was called back home by her parents and welcomed with devastating news. She had been betrothed since when she was a little girl but never knew. Now, he has come to claim what is rightfully his. With or without her approval. He is deadly, He is evil, He is the ruthless Sergio De Niro, known by everyone. Rosana can't escape this. She can't run away from him because he will comb the world and kill everyone in it, just to find her. She is now his possession, his property. It's either she tames him and melts his cold heart or he breaks her into a thousand pieces. Will she succeed or get consumed by his burning hell?

I poured out my heart to him, telling him everything and not leaving a single part out of it. "Please, Don Xander, I will be grateful if you could grant me just this one wish" I begged desperately, my voice cracking at the end, even though I tried so hard to stay strong. He tilted his head to one side and smirked. "I can do that for you" he said, and my eyes beam with happiness immediately. "But..." He trailed off, swirling his drink in his hand. "What do I get in return for helping you? After all, it's all about give and take" My jaw dropped instantly. His playboy attitude playing in my head. "I... I can't... I mean, I'm sorry Don Xander but I'm not the type of girl who sleeps around with men. If it's okay with you, I can work for you instead" I suggested. He wave his index finger, shaking his head. "No, Bella" he said in a low, husky voice. Then, he rose from his seat and walked towards to me, his movement graceful and deliberate. I shivered, still seated as he crouched beside me. He leaned closer to my face and I tilted my head to look at him in the eyes. "If I will help you..." he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "You must give me something in return" "What do you want?" I asked in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with intensity. "I want you, Isabella" he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. I jerked back, shocked by his request. "Don Xander!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling.

Being blinded by the intensity of the shadow, Eerah Age Ferit agrees to being a cover up for an accident that happened between two rival families. Without asking much, she nods her head and signed the marriage contract. Innocent, naive, and nothing but a disappointment to her family, she accepted her destiny to be the stranger's wife. However, Atlas Omergin never leave the spotlight. He is not a shadow. He is the light. Learning about how beautiful exploration is has made his life colorful. Playboy, ruthless, and a black sheep to his family, he declined the contract at first. But after he found out a fact about the family, he did not think twice and signed the contract. When the two meets for the first time, both felt heat... in different perspective. Ones heat is for madness. And the other one feels heat from a broken piece of a woman. As their life begins from being a mistake, will Atlas opens his heart to a person he doesn't know? Or will he close it before it opens... because for him, she doesn't matter at all. Even her mere presence disgust him. For Eerah, is this marriage worth her life? Is being married to the ruthless Vice Mayor's son worth fighting for?

Bounded to the ruthless mafia leader, Everybody in the city was aware of the Mafia's dangerous reputation. Because he was so feared, no one dared to step on his toes, not even the FBI or the police, who were unable to apprehend him. As a result, New York City was no longer secure. Owing the mafia leader an urgent debt, the Peterson family were given an option to pay back. They were either given the option to pay back the debt or to die. Mr. Chadwick Peterson was concerned because he didn't want his family to pass away as a result of the enormous debt he owed. Consequently, he preferred to use one of his daughters as collateral. The mafia leader, after learning about Mr. Chadwick's trying to exchange one of his daughters for the debt he was owing, was angry. He promises to not fall in love with her and to hurt her. Nevertheless, how long will he be able to keep his word?

Veronica Remington was given to her first husband by her cruel father who only saw her as a means to use for alliances, after years of tolerating the abuse and torture from her husband while she plotted her freedom. The opportunity came and she poisoned him. She played the part of a sad young widow and pretended to be devastated despite being the mastermind, however, she wasn't informed that in the mafia world, the wife of a member of the outfit is passed down to another. Her efforts to be free were all for nothing and she found herself bonded to the most vicious of them all, even worse he knows her secret and he's completely obsessed with claiming her for sinister reasons. Would she give up after having a taste of freedom only to be shoved back to the start? Will she fight with all she has and escape? Or will she give in to the temptation?

Anim na taon ang lumipas mula nang talikuran ni Zephyra Arcadia ang lalaking kanyang minahal—ang tahimik at prinsipyadong si Wren Deveraux—para sa mas “tamang” desisyon sa mata ng mundo. Isang kasal na may pangalan, kapangyarihan, at proteksyon. Ngunit kapalit nito ang isang buhay na puno ng pananakit, takot, at unti-unting pagguho ng sarili. Nang tuluyan niyang piliing makipaghiwalay sa lalaking sumira sa kanya, akala ni Zephyra ay sapat na ang lakas ng loob. Hindi niya inasahan na ang mas mahirap na laban ay ang harapin ang lalaking iniwan niya noon—ang lalaking ngayon ay isa nang makapangyarihang abogado na kayang pabagsakin ang sinuman… at kasama siya. Wren Deveraux—ang lalaking minahal niya, at lalaking matagal nang itinuring na patay ang pangalan niya sa puso nito. Malamig, mapanupil, at may galit na anim na taong kinikimkim. Isang lalaking hindi tumutulong nang libre, at hindi nagpapatawad basta-basta. Isang gabi. Isang silid. Isang kompromisong walang malinaw na hangganan. Habang sinusubukan ni Zephyra na buuin muli ang sarili at ipaglaban ang kalayaan niya, mas lalo naman siyang hinihila ni Wren pabalik—hindi bilang minamahal, kundi bilang isang bagay na minsan nang naging kanya. Pero sa pagitan ng galit at paghihiganti, posible pa bang mabuhay ang pagmamahal na matagal nang inilibing? O sadyang huli na ang lahat para sa ikalawang pagkakataon?

[warning- Steamy scenes] "Wife!" the man lovingly said. "What exactly are you attempting to do? I am not your wife, Mr. Richard Hill! Behave!" "Stop playing with men, Woman,” his distasteful voice spoke. “You are no one. Thus, I feel bothered by your presence,” Anastasia was cruel with her answer. “I have proof we are married! Furthermore, you own fifty percent of my fortune because I have vowed to spoil you for the rest of my life. Keep in mind that you are mine, and I am a possessive guy. Every eye will be dug out if they fall on you," the voice and declaration were both forceful. "I have heard you can't touch a woman because of your disease!" Ana smirked. Anastasia Long married a billionaire, Richard Hill. She knew nothing about the family or the spouse since she was coerced into it by her mother and stepfather, who exploited her mother in terrible ways. She had a step-sister as well, but her stepfather would never consider putting his own daughter into the fire. She tolerated the anguish and pain inflicted by her mother-in-law and the mistress who intended to marry Richard, but she was unfortunate to be placed in such circumstances. They humiliated her, burned her clothes, and starved her till she ended up in the hospital for a week. However, her husband never came to see her. Surprisingly, Richard Hill never met her or spoke to her as if she were married to someone who did not exist. She was made to sign a divorce decree one day, and she fled the city for five years. Upon her return, she was renowned as Dr. Anastasia Long, a gifted surgeon. People kissed her feet.

“You will be mine and mine alone, you can’t refuse nor can you abscond. You will be my fucking slave forever”. “I won’t; I will never give in to your silly threats,” I spat, moving backward until my back touched the cold wall. “Is that really what you think, wife?” He whispered in my ears, one of his hands rested on the wall while the other hand trailed down my cheek to my lips. I swallowed hard. I felt weak to the bone, and even his words sent shivers down my spine. I can't refuse, nor can I deny. This is my crimson fate, and I have to accept it. Sold to this mafia tug all in the name of allying, I can only cry in silence. A mafia princess becoming a lady of responsibilities, a free woman becoming a caged one, a happy lady becoming a lady who sheds tears as a routine. ******************** Camila was married off to a Ruthless mafia lord by her parents. She loathes him and everything about him feels disgusting to her. Her life became even worse after ending up in a one-night stand with a stranger which resulted in pregnancy. She terminates the pregnancy, she dies. He found out, she dies. She can't run away nor can she let him find out. Now caught in a deadly web of power, control, and forbidden choices, Camila is left with one haunting truth. “What if the only man who can destroy her… is also the only one who was ever meant to love her!?” “What if surrendering to him isn’t the end but the beginning of something far more deadly… and intoxicating!?”

Growing up, Zacario Isaak, only admire one girl. He used to watch and admire this girl all his life. So when a chance walk in, he immediately grabbed it. The woman she love, Maria Isabelle, is being sell to him in exchange of a help from him so that their business wouldn’t die. But knowing the woman, she doesn’t love him. How will their life as a married couple turn out if the only reason of them being together is the fear that Isabelle had for him?

Emma Scott has always had it all—wealth, beauty, and power. As the privileged daughter of a business tycoon, she ruled her university years with confidence, arrogance, and an undeniable presence. But beneath her sharp tongue and ruthless attitude was an obsession she never dared to name—Killian Thomas, the one man who never bowed to her. Killian, a hardworking scholarship student from a middle-class background, despised Emma for the torment she put him through. She was cruel, entitled, and always seemed to have a target on his back. But when one heated argument after class turns into something far more physical, their hatred transforms into an addiction neither of them can resist. What starts as secret, no-strings-attached encounters after lectures spirals into something far more dangerous. They become study partners, but their breaks are filled with untamed passion. One night, they get locked inside the library and spend the entire night indulging in their darkest desires. Their obsession only grows stronger. Upon graduation, Killian is offered a job at Emma’s father’s company, the very place where Emma works. Their sinful rendezvous continue in secret—stolen moments in offices, forbidden trysts during business trips. They think they’re careful, but when Emma’s father catches them in a compromising position overseas, their affair is exposed. Faced with an ultimatum, Emma refuses to back down. She confesses that her bullying was always a twisted way of masking her love for Killian. She threatens to leave everything behind if her father dares to fire him. Forced to confront their true feelings, Emma and Killian finally make their relationship official. But even after marriage, their hunger for each other remains insatiable—whether at home, at work, or in places they should never be. Their passion is reckless. Their love is ruthless. And their temptation?