Ten Years For His Sicilian Lie Novels & Stories

"Come on Haidan." Antoine murmured moving forward so that his face was getting dangerously close to mine. "I'm not that bad of a choice, am I?" "You..." I whispered as I felt a small flutter in my stomach at our close proximity. "You're getting too close." "Does it make you uncomfortable?" Antoine asked, allowing his breath to tickle my skin. "Or is it turning you on?" Meeting Antoine's gaze, I tried to determine the answer to his question myself. Was I uncomfortable? Or was I actually becoming turned on by this? If it was the latter, then was it because Antoine looked so much like Ashton? "I don't know." I responded as Antoine's face began to block out my vision. His lips touched mine with a feather-soft lightness, sending a tingle running through my body. Pulling away, his eyes began to search my face for any sign of argument against his actions. Satisfied that there was nothing there, he pressed his lips to mine again, this time much more firmly. Haidan had always found Ashton, the elder of the Alpha twins to be her knight in shining armor, especially after a near death experience when she was young. So enthralled she decided on a whim, to confess. That was the day her entire world came crashing down. Suffering from rejection, Haidan's best friend and the younger Alpha twin Antoine, proposes a deal to help Haidan forget her heartbreak. What will she choose? And would she come to regret that decision or thrive because of it?

For three years, we held a wedding in name only—my husband, Kit Rutgers, a pilot, canceled our marriage registration eighteen times. The first time, his female trainee, Katy Ferguson, had a test flight. I waited outside the county clerk’s office the whole day. The second time, he got a call from her mid-drive, made a sharp U-turn, and left me standing on the side of the road. After that, every time we planned to make it official, some crisis with Katy mysteriously arose. Eventually, I chose to walk away. But the moment I boarded a plane to Solara, he lost his mind—and chased me there.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, my mother-in-law Mary came to visit us from Ohio. I took her to my husband Liam's new spa in Manhattan, Apropos. We enjoyed a basic facial treatment together, which I had purchased for $9.90 on an e-commerce platform. Right after the treatment, the beautician slapped a high-priced package down in front of us. She glanced at us contemptuously and said: "Do you really think you can enjoy our premium services with a $9.90 coupon?Stop kidding. You two look like you’re here to freeload. A single facial here costs thousands of dollars. This isn’t some free trial for cheapskates like you." I suppressed my anger and said coldly: “We have already paid for the basic treatment. How can you call this taking advantage for free?. Go get your manager.” A flashy woman walked over. Her arms were crossed. She looked down her nose at us. “I’m the Boss lady of this place.You and this old hag are just trying to get something for free, aren’t you? Let me be clear. You're buying this five-thousand-dollar hydration treatment today. Or you're not walking out that door.” A five-thousand-dollar hydration treatment? So this was it. This was why Liam suddenly got into the beauty industry. He didn't open a spa. He opened a scam shop to bankroll his mistress. I was about to call Liam, but she beat me to it, dialing a number. “Darling, you need to get down to the spa, right now. I've got a couple of hicks from the sticks making a scene, trying to get free services!”

I turned to Kaelen and said, "I need you to help me make a potion—something that can erase every trace of me, like I never existed. Like I'm already dead. "It's the only way I can leave Julian Blackwood for good." Everyone used to say he loved me like I was his own heartbeat. For me—a rogue with no pack to protect me—he even called off a planned union with the Silvermoon Pack. He built a whole new territory and named it after me. At the start of every month, he'd hunt down the rarest snow fox pelts just for me. He told his pack I was his only salvation. For years, he made everyone believe in our love story. But love isn't always loyalty. While I was busy believing in forever, he was quietly building a second life behind my back—a home filled with his twin pups' cries and toys. Their eyes were just like his. The night I vanished, I burned it all down. That once-loving den turned to ash. He searched every valley, put a bounty on every winged rider, and tore through half the borderlands to find me. But when he finally did, I was already gone.

I kept our marriage a secret for three years, enduring every sneer as her VP while helping her build her empire. Tanya Cox rose from a scorned, illegitimate daughter to a revered CEO. She once nestled in my embrace and promised to be open about our relationship when the company went public. I waited year after year. Even when our child was born, she still hadn’t made good on her word. One day, I pressed for a timeline. However, Tanya simply put the baby in my arms. “Callum, things are complicated at the moment. The disclosure will only hurt the stock price. I gave you a child. Isn’t that enough?” Alas, when her childhood friend, Gavin Nolan, returned from abroad on New Year’s Day, he took the seat of honor during our newborn’s sip and see event. Gavin, cradling my baby girl, accepted well-wishes from friends and family with a smile. “Don’t take things the wrong way. The right etiquette probably slipped his mind since he’s been away for so long. He’s only sitting there to keep the baby entertained. That’s all. Don’t read too much into it. “We’ve always been close since childhood. He’s going to be the godfather of our child. Don’t tell me you’re jealous of him.” Beaming, I raised my glass as a toast to Gavin. Tanya was wrong. I wasn’t at all jealous. Heck, I was done with her.

Seven years into my secret marriage to Leon Ferrante—Don of the Ferrante Family—and he still wouldn't make it public. Before the vows, I was his Consigliere. Every arms deal went through me. After? Just another housewife. Swapped my holster for an apron. Kitchen counter became my war zone. He didn't want kids. Said he had to take care of his autistic little brother. I got it. So I gave it all up—for his Family, for that kid. The Family blew up fast. The kid? Went from blank stares to sharp comebacks. Even started talking. But Leon still kept me in the dark. His mother wouldn't quit. "Give him a healthy heir. He'll settle down." I thought maybe she was right. I clung to him for a few nights. I got pregnant. Came home with the results, ready to tell him— Then I heard his "autistic" brother ask, clear as day: "Papa, are you gonna divorce Anna and marry someone else?"

Six years ago, a corporate acquisition deal I handled went up in flames, and 50 billion dollars vanished into thin air. Bankrupt investors spray red paint all over my front door for a year straight. Dad died from a stroke, and Mom lost her mind and disappeared. I ended up doing six years in prison for embezzlement. After I got out, I changed my name and started delivering food in downtown, running myself ragged for a few bucks per delivery. But then my ex-wife, Shirley Pearce, showed up, and the entire delivery station ground to a halt. She had become a financial powerhouse, a regular on the covers of business magazines. Reporters blocked my delivery scooter, shoving microphones in my face. "Mr. Marcus Quinn, Ms. Pearce has been single for six years, paid off all your debts, and she's been waiting for you to come home!" I stared at that perfectly made-up woman with her adoring eyes and felt nothing but disgust. That so-called "devoted" ex-wife of mine? Six years ago, she had forged company seals to help her boy toy short the stock market. Then, when everything fell apart, she threw me under the bus to save herself.

In the third year after my death, my mother finally remembered me. But it wasn't out of longing—it was because my younger sister's leukemia had relapsed, and she urgently needed a bone marrow transplant. Clutching a donation agreement, my mother made her way to the basement I once lived in. She kicked open the door and was met with a floor slick with blood and scattered medicine bottles. "Cassidy, what game are you playing this time? Do you really think a self-inflicted act of suffering could fool me? Why are you so selfish? Why won't you save your own sister?" Her voice roared with anger, echoing through the space. From the crowd that had gathered to watch, a ragged little boy stepped forward. "Are you talking about Cassidy Porter? She… she died three years ago of organ failure… she vomited so much blood…"

My life was simple. Boring, even. That changed the day my mother married the richest Alpha in the pack. I fell for his son, my stepbrother Felix Dimitri is damn hot, infuriating, and impossible to ignore. He is my stepbrother by marriage, my fated mate by the Moon Goddess’s cruel design, and the one man I should never want. His storm-dark eyes ignite something inside me I cannot control. Every glance tightens the bond between us. Every accidental touch feels dangerous. I know he feels it too, even as we both pretend we can outrun fate. School, family, friendships. Nothing stays untouched when desire cuts this deep. Staying away from Felix is impossible. Giving in could destroy everything around us. But resisting him? That may be even harder.

After I get drugged by my stepmother and gets delivered to Don Edoardo Ariani's private cruise ship, I tell her smilingly, "Oh, there's no need to take me there. I'm already home, after all." My entire family thinks that I'm hallucinating, so they start berating me angrily. "Chiara, Gina has racked up a huge gambling debt. Only Edoardo is capable of saving us now. He loves pure and innocent women like you the most. As long as you can serve him well for one night, our family will be able to tide over this crisis. "Once Gina has paid off her debt, you'll have received benefits from Edoardo as his lover. By then, we'll be able to experience what it feels like to be a billionaire!" The drugs' effects on me have yet to fade, but this family—the people whom I trust the most in this lifetime—doesn't even hesitate to drag me into the most luxurious suite of the cruise ship. No one knows that Edoardo has kneeled before me and pleaded for me to help him establish his forces in Siceria seven years ago. Tonight, my family has personally delivered me to his suite. Tomorrow, I'm pretty sure that there will be a few extra bodies floating on the sea.