Small Mercies Dennis Lehane

⚠️ Warning: Abuse, descriptive sexual acts, please refrain from reading this if you're below 18, forbidden love, BDSM, sex control, manipulation. "Take off your dress,” he ordered, his voice quiet but commanding. One guard hesitated and tried to speak, “But, sir—” Damian’s cold stare silenced him immediately. “I said take it off,” he repeated, this time with no room for argument. The guards exchanged nervous looks and then left the room, closing the door with a chilling finality. Aurora was now alone with this man, the one who had bought her like an object. Her dress felt heavy, her heels like chains. Taking a shaky step toward him, her breathing echoed in the silence. “Please,” Aurora whispered, dropping to her knees. “I’m only eighteen. Don’t do this.” Her voice was small, trembling, but she knew he held all the power.

One heart is broken and one heart is just finding for lust and heat, the two of them met in an unexpected place—wherein the undeniably insane connection and lust between them started. *** Eura Vegaz was a widow for two years. After her husband’s unexpected death she found it hard to fix her broken self. She decided to have a trip to gather herself again. Then, she found herself in El Paraiso, a small town with breathtaking beauty. El Paraiso was ruled by the Saldieguez, from politics to business. Her path crossed to the CEO of Nirvana Hotel and the youngest of Saldieguez named Luther. In Paradise Club, where all fantasies happened, the two of them had an agreement—to be “Strangers with Benefits”. With Eura being a brokenhearted widow and Luther as a troublesome playboy CEO, will things work between the both of them? Will the “Strangers with Benefits” contract between them work? Because the both of them know, at the end of the day . . . they’re just strangers to each other.

"I don't want to marry you!" "You have no choice, Celeste. Your father sold you to me the moment he couldn't pay his debt." Celeste Madrigal lived a simple life running a small coffee shop—until one day, she’s dragged into a world of guns, masked strangers, and billion-dollar debts she never knew existed. When her father’s empire crumbles under a staggering two-billion-dollar debt, Celeste finds herself thrown to the mercy of a dangerous man—a masked billionaire known for his cold-blooded ruthlessness. As payment, he demands only one thing: her hand in marriage. With no choice left, Celeste is forced to become his bride... but behind the mask lies a man with secrets darker than she could ever imagine. And when love begins to bloom in the shadows, will she run—or will she fall deeper into the arms of the man who ruined her life?

Naomi Kim works in a small coffee shop in the middle of the busiest town of Hongdae Seoul, South Korea. She graduated college and was looking for a bigger job since she has to support her cost of living alone. A young man who happened to be their loyal customer, always dropped by in their shop every morning to have his cup of coffee, will help her to get into the big company she's aiming for but in one condition, Naomi will have to be his girlfriend. Naomi accepted it, thinking that it is not a big deal for her to have a boyfriend. But little did she know, his boyfriend is the CEO of the company she'll work for and a Mafia Boss. Lucas Manoban pretended to be a poor young man, who works as a librarian in the little library in town. He kept his identity to the young woman so she wouldn't get scared at him. But one incident will reveal all of the secrets in his life, which is also the reason to change the flow of their sweet yet boring relationship.

Livvy was the Beta's daughter. Mated to the Alpha after being treated horribly by him for the last few years, two of which he knew they were fated yet said nothing and went around with another she-wolf that claimed she was his chosen Luna. After being rejected she ran away, started a life in a small town away from all werewolves until the day she is found, five years later. Now she is to return to a pack she no longer views as home where her younger brother took the Beta position after am untimely passing of their father. Alpha Timothy never took a chosen mate despite what she thought, he pined after her instead. Now that she is back he will do whatever it takes to earn her love since he broke their bond. Will she take him back, or will she choose to take a chosen mate in his stead?

It is against the law in the Gold River Pack to have a physical relationship outside of the mating bond. The morning after the Alpha Beta Ball, Hyacinth finds her life turned upside down when she wakes up in a stranger's bed. Forced from her pack she becomes a rogue. Little does she know, her ill-fated one-night-stand would lead to her being forever linked to the new young alpha--who is engaged to her step-sister Ashlynd. When a roadside rescue finds her returning to her pack after 6 years, she comes face to face the pack's new Luna, her sister Ash, and sees an opportunity to find out what really happened to her the night of the Alpha Beta Ball. With the help of her very special son, who has been gifted with powers beyond explanation, she looks for answers and justice. Who set her up that night? Why does her child have "superpowers'? And what is really happening in the small pack of Gold River?

She was meant to sell books. Not steal a billionaire’s broken heart. Julian Blackwood is a man of power, wealth, and secrets—his name synonymous with control and cold precision. Since the death of his wife, he’s locked love away and drowned his pain in one-night distractions. No strings. No vulnerability. No heart. Then he walks into a small, struggling bookstore—and meets her. Lena Carter is soft-spoken and stubborn, running a little shop that smells like vanilla and paperbacks, where his daughter finds comfort... and where he begins to unravel. Her kindness disarms him. Her touch ignites something wild. And her innocence? It drives him insane. He tells himself it’s wrong. He’s too broken. Too dangerous. But temptation doesn't ask for permission. And once their lips meet, there’s no going back. He’s the fire she never meant to play with. She’s the quiet he never knew he craved. Together, they’ll burn down every rule they thought they had.

It has always been him, he was my first love, and so, I had to let him go. He wasn't made for this life. He, was made for greater things. He was too much of a tornado for this small town, that doesn't mean I miss him any less. It's been 9 years since we last saw each other. Nine years of hatred on his part and self-loathing on mine, why did I let him go? Now, he is a successful billionaire, living the life one could only dream of. I wish things were different now that he's back but that just seems like a foreign concept to him. He doesn't want me anymore, but I can't blame him either. It was me who broke us and it is going to be me who will put all the pieces back together. Even if it is the last thing I do before death comes knocking at my door.

Sarian’s life has never been easy, but stripping to keep her sister safe and the bills down was a small price to pay — until Don Julio Rossini walked into the club where she dances. The ruthless mafia lord isn’t just there for a show; he’s hunting her father, who stole something precious from him. Betrayed by a childhood friend and with no escape, Sarian is into Don Julio’s dangerous world, where power is currency, fidelity is fragile, and desire is a must. When Sarian fails to deliver her father, Don Julio offers her a deal, her body in exchange for her family’s safety. But as she fights to reclaim her freedom, she discovers a darker side Don Julio has adversaries who want her just as important as he does but there is something different, Don Julio is in love with her. Trapped in a deadly game of control and temptation, Sarian must decide — submit to Don Julio ’s demands or outsmart him before he consumes her fully.

Memories of an event that occurred in a narrow, dark alley haunted Eric five years ago. Dressed in a penguin cartoon costume, he saved a teenager from a gang but was pushed into an abyss and drowned by the same teenager, transforming him into an Omega. In an attempt to escape the pain of the past, Eric became a B-list actor in the entertainment industry. However, his encounter with Haley and the legendary crown prince of the SMALL Group disturbed his peace. Darcel's crazy hegemony terrified Eric, and he wanted to fight back when Darcel used force to crush him. He ended up imprisoned by Darcel's side and was constantly troubled by gangs knocking on his door. The lack of funds caused by suppressed investor support prevented the completion of his new movie. The past and reality intertwined, and an unexpected coincidence between Darcel and another teenager caused Eric to feel intense hostility towards Darcel. Will Eric forgive Darcel for the hurt he has caused, and will Eric's peace ever return to the way it was before?