Smoke Screen

On the run from her adoptive father for five years after being sold to the Russian mafia, Lianna took refuge in the states. She thought New York City was a safe place for her, that it was her ticket out of the mafia world. Little did she know that it’s swarming with people much vile than the place escaped from. This city will pull her deeper into the underworld. ~~ "I'm not her." He stood up from his chair abruptly that it fell behind. It took him three strokes until he was holding my neck, lifting me, and pinning me on the wall as he choked me. He breathes the smoke in my face but I was losing air in my lungs to inhale it. "I've searched for you and you're giving me this crap?" he hissed in my face. "Try something else, Alexa, or I'll bury you alive." He let go of my neck, I gasped for air as my lungs took all the air it needed. It's better if he ends my life anyway. I thought to myself. "Where is it?" he asked as he stood beside the table. "Where is what?" He lifts a tattered knife in his hand as he walks slowly to where I stood now. "I'll carve my name in your chest if you don't stop acting dumb, Alexa." He traced the neckline of my dress with his knife. The pointed cold blade sent shivers all over my being. "Where did you bury my father!?" ~~ [Mature Content] Photo credits to Nikola Jovanovic

When my body is engulfed in flames, my firefighter father is watching a new movie with my sister. My mother is baking them a cake. I hear laughter in the living room, and I can smell the caramel popcorn in the kitchen. Today is my family's weekly family day—it's a day for my sister and parents to be with each other. The doorbell rings, and the perpetrator gives me a chance to ask for help. My limbs are bound, and stones fill my mouth. I stand at the door and desperately wait for my parents to open it. They don't get up. Instead, they sit on either side of my sister and hug her. "We promised you we'll only be with you on our family days. No one can disturb us." "What if it's Danica?" Ravenna Sutton, my sister, asks. "Her? She hasn't answered her phone in days—who knows where she's off being wild? I'll think of her as dead if she still doesn't return tomorrow!" Ravenna giggles. Mom feeds her some popcorn, and Dad discusses the movie's plot with her. The perpetrator drags me back upstairs and laughs mockingly in my ear. "Looks like I did something unnecessary. They genuinely don't care about you." Smoke permeates every corner upstairs, and the flames start to lick at my body. Mom and Dad protect Ravenna as they run downstairs. They have no idea their birth daughter is screaming in pain amid the blazing fire.

For five years, I was married to Joshua Grayson. He was known as the gentleman of the tech industry and was never arrogant. In fact, he was always cool and collected. A shame we never had any children of our own. I asked every single doctor I could get my hands on, but nothing helped. For that, I kept beating myself up. Joshua told me that it was fine if we had no children, and that what mattered was that our souls were perfect for each other. We did not need any children to secure our bonds. I believed him. And then I found an unsealed box of Plan B in a secret space in his study. It looked exactly the same as the vitamin tablets he fed me all the time. A phone sat under the box. The screen was a photo of him with his top secretary, Yvonne Wellington. It was a family of three. Then, a message popped up on the screen. 'Our girl's born, Joshua! Haven't thought of her full name yet, so we'll call her Cece for now.' 'Oh, right, you fed your wife contraceptives for five years. Now that we have a perfect family, you should kick her out and make me your wife instead. When's that going to happen?' The message hit me like a lightning bolt that came out of nowhere. To think I wasted five years beating myself up for never getting a baby. To think I looked forward to one. And now, everything was crumbling around me.

To take care of my paralyzed mother-in-law, I quit my job and spent three years as a full-time househusband. That day, after cleaning up her waste, I hid in the bathroom with a cigarette between my fingers and came across a post on my wife’s boss’ Instagram. [You’re meant to be with me in the end. Since that freeloader can’t give you happiness, let me take you to the paradise of Maldev.] Above the caption were two plane tickets. Someone commented below. [That homemaker husband of hers is definitely clinging onto her. After all, she’s his meal ticket.] The boss replied. [Don’t worry. Tonight she’ll go home and come clean. She’ll say the company was caught falsifying accounts and is facing massive fines, and that she might need to serve jail time. [To keep that guy from getting dragged into it, the only option is divorce. He’s as timid as a mouse and will take any chance to flee.] I stared at the screen, stunned, until the cigarette burned my fingers. Ten minutes later, my wife rushed home, panic written all over her face. She dropped her bag on the floor. “Honey, something’s gone wrong with the company’s finances. They’re accusing us of falsifying accounts. I was solely responsible for the accounts. I might need to serve 10 years in prison, plus fines of more than ten thousand dollars. “We need to sign the papers before they seize our house. I don’t want to drag you and mom into this.”

This is a BadBoy Billionaire series novel. Book 1: This story is about a two characters in a contract marriage... A simple girl from a humble background! A bad boy billionaire with a scandalized réputation ! They come together to play the 'It' couple but it's all just pretend, smoke and mirrors... Zeke hates the word love, thinks it's naive and deadly. While Blair thinks love is everything in the world, now she's supposed to pretend not to be in love with the man she's actually in love with? Book 2- The Greek’s Marriage Proposal. Blurb She was never his! She was his late brother's fiancee, But he had always desired and lusted after her from the day she was introduced, he has no idea why those green eyes sets ablaze a forbidden fire in him! He wonders if she felt the same way too! And now that one forbidden night between them seems to be the start of a road trip to consequences and guilt! Zion Zephyr Vasilakis is the eldest son of the Vasilakis wealth not the favorite of course! That title belongs to his twin brother Hermes Vasilakis! His parents favourite, the son they doted on the one they made him be responsible for! Hermes is like a bird while Zion was raised to be the fence around the building Hermes shouldn't fly out of. Now his brother’s fiancée is pregnant for him and that might just be the most ludicrous thing that might just happen to him! Now they are stuck together with a binding marriage proposal, Hermes parents believe the child belongs to their dear son! Could they risk the truth from coming out? Can they handle the backlash! The shock? Or the scandal!

This is the ninth year Dante and I have honored the Month of No Masters. The Corinni family's heir apparent believes this will make our relationship last longer. For one month after our dating anniversary each year, he is free, and we stay out of each other's lives. If either of us finds someone more suitable, we are to wish them well. If not, we go back to the way things were after a month. Around me, the men of the family are spraying champagne with abandon. "To another year of freedom! Congratulations to our Underboss on reclaiming his bachelor status!" "The family betting pool is open! Place your bets on the left if you think they'll still get married, and on the right if you think it's over for good!" Through the hazy cigar smoke, I sat on the corner of a leather sofa, a cold observer, as if this whole farce had nothing to do with me. Dante's hand was curled around Scarlett's waist as he brushed past me, whispering, "Don't get any ideas. You'll always be my only Donna." "I'm a kite. No matter how far I fly, the string is always in your hand." I pressed my cold fingers against the gentle swell of my belly, my expression a blank mask. Dante, this time at the family's betting table, I'm putting my money on "the end." I'm going to vanish from your world completely. That kite string you're so proud of? Tonight, I'm cutting it myself.

I built them up. I gave them everything. And they destroyed me. I thought love meant sacrifice. I thought friendship meant loyalty. But I was wrong. I bankrolled my boyfriend, helping him rise from nothing, believing in his dreams. I took my best friend under my wing, giving her everything she never had. But while I was away, enjoying a much-needed girls' trip—the one she conveniently backed out of—they were busy betraying me in the worst way possible. I found out by accident. A simple call from his phone, meant to tell my best friend I was back, turned into the moment that shattered my world. "My baby." Those words on the screen made my stomach drop. And then I read more. "I’m just after her money. Once I get enough, I’ll leave her. I’m collecting from her and her father. I’ll use her and dump her." Every message felt like a dagger to my heart. The man I loved, the friend I trusted—they had been plotting against me all along. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. What do I do? Do I confront them? Do I scream? Do I fall apart? I want to wake up. I want this to be a nightmare. But it’s not. This is my reality. And I don’t know what happens next.

I am the wife of the capital city’s esteemed tycoon. We were married in secret for three years. At the celebratory banquet, I was about to make our relationship public. However, his first love, Juvelia Shaw, stumbled into the hall clutching her torn collar. “Edwin, save me! Peri Sanders brought along her penniless brother. He just forced a kiss on me in the lounge! “He says he’s your brother-in-law. If I want to get into the Gough family, I have to please him.... Argh! I have been defiled!” The room fell deathly silent before erupting into a chorus of finger-pointing and curses. They accused me of forcing my brother to assault the esteemed tycoon’s woman just to secure his favor. Edwin Gough’s eyes blazed crimson. He ripped off his coat and wrapped it tightly around Juvelia. Then, he flung a glass of red wine at my face. Gritting his teeth, he glared at me. “Peri, bring out that beast of a brother of yours!” “Since his mouth is so vile, let’s pull out his teeth and cut his tongue off to feed the dogs! Otherwise, I’ll make the entire Sanders family pay with their lives!” Amidst the crowd’s looks of contempt and disgust, I burst into laughter. My brother had long since lost his voice. Three years ago, in a fire, he had inhaled excessive smoke while saving Edwin, which had destroyed his vocal cords. His tongue was gone too.

Adrian Moretti’s adopted sister—She knew perfectly well that I suffered from severe asthma and could not be exposed to smoke or strong scents. Yet during the yacht reception, she deliberately dragged me onto the open deck, where cigars burned nonstop and the wind howled. Within seconds, my chest tightened. When I reached for my inhaler, my blood ran cold. It was empty. I collapsed against the railing, gasping violently, my lungs burning as if they were collapsing in on themselves. She crouched beside me and smiled. “You’re always so dramatic. It’s just a little smoke. You don’t need to act like you’re dying,” she said softly. “You’re too weak. You need to build some tolerance.” I looked toward Adrian, my vision already blurring. “Adrian,” I choked. “Give me my inhaler. If I don’t use it right now, I’m going to suffocate.” He frowned slightly. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” he said coldly. “I’ve never heard of anyone dying from a bit of smoke. She’s right—you’re always seeking attention. We finally gathered tonight, and you’re ruining it.” My heart dropped. I fumbled for my phone and called my mother. “Mom,” I sobbed, barely able to breathe. “I’m being bullied… and I can’t breathe.” My voice shook violently.

One life-saving secret. Two sisters. A marriage built on a lie. Ten years ago, I pulled Desmond Zimmerman out of the water. But through the smoke and blood, he saw the wrong girl. He gave his heart to my younger sister, Vivian, believing she was his savior. Then came the accident that paralyzed her—and the world decided I was the monster who caused it. When Vivian vanished, Desmond didn't seek justice; he sought a substitute. Using my sibling's connection with Vivian as a sick form of penance, he forced me into a marriage of cold rooms and bitter vows, promising to make my life a living hell in her honor. Now, Vivian is back, walking perfectly and demanding her place at Desmond's side. She wants my husband, my home, and my total ruin. I signed the divorce papers and walked out with nothing but a secret growing inside me and the truth he was too blind to see. He thinks he’s finally free of the woman who "broke" his first love. He has no idea that the woman he just discarded is the only reason he’s still breathing. And by the time he realizes his mistake, I won’t be his wife anymore—I’ll be his greatest rival. How will Desmond react when he realizes he spent three years torturing the woman who actually kept him alive? Can a man who treated his wife like a "substitute" ever truly be forgiven?