The Builder By Edith Tiempo

It was all her fault. My life could have been simple—40-hour shifts at KFC, sneaking extra chicken crumbs, and binge-watching reality shows. But no. Instead, here I was, standing at the altar, saying I do to a man whose idea of “casual” involved drugs, women, and murder on speed dial. Thanks, Mom. Not only did she ruin my life, but she also sold it—traded me off to the deadliest Mafia boss alive, Mario Santiago, as if I were some secondhand couch on clearance. Mario Santiago. Yeah, that Mario Santiago. The Human Terminator. The guy whose enemies mysteriously vanish like my paycheck two days after payday. And now, I was his wife. He glanced at me with a slow, wolfish smile that practically screamed trouble. That was when I knew two things: 1. I was completely doomed. 2. This man was going to wreck my heart (and probably my life). But hey, it could be worse, right? At least I’d get a killer wardrobe out of it. *** Are you looking for romance and humor? Stuck with Mario Santiago is a hilarious, Mafia billionaire romance filled with danger, betrayal, drama, and a love story you won’t forget. Dive in—you won’t regret it (but the characters might).

I swallowed hard as my shaky hands flipped through the contract, my heart thumping hard in my chest. He nonchalantly pressed his gun against my father's temple as he watched me, his voice low and threatening… “If you sign this, you belong to me—body, mind, and soul. I’ll take you whenever I want, however I want. In return, your father lives.” *** Sofia’s world shatters the night she crosses paths with Luca Moretti—the ruthless heir to Italy’s most powerful mafia syndicate. It was a reckless night, a one-night stand that should never have happened. And now, he refuses to let her go. Luca set his eyes on Sofia, and he was going to get her at all costs. When her father is taken hostage, Luca gives her an impossible choice: sign a contract to become his plaything, or watch her father die. He claims her. Possesses her. Breaks her. Yet each touch ignites a fire she can’t resist. How long can she survive under Luca’s ruthless obsession? Will she escape the chains of his desire—or will she fall deeper into his arms, going against everything she stood for?

WARNING; This story contains mature contents not suitable for readers under 18 and may be triggering to others. Dark themes like BDSM, dub con, drug abuse and human trafficking and others are mentioned. It has a happy ending, but the journey will not be a pretty fairytale that's why it's dark romance. If you choose to read further, please don't complain and I hope you enjoy my story. Thank youuu!!! * All she wants is a better life, but she keeps going from frying pan to fire. From an abusive father, to a human trafficking syndicate just to find her lost sister. A man whose name was whispered in fear among the most feared becomes her saviour. Their only history was a night of no holds barred pleasure after she was rescued by him in a dirty alley on a cold November night. He says he’s not a hero, and everyone calls him dangerous. But he was the only safety she had ever known. ~ "I want you on my bed at all times, always ready for pleasure. I want you to only think about how good I make you feel, and I want you to scream my name so loudly you’ll lose your voice. That’s what makes me a villain. I want everyone to hear and know that you’re mine, only mine. I am not a hero, and you don’t need a hero. A hero would sacrifice you for the greater good, I would burn the world for you. All you need to do is ask.”

Aria Nightshade’s world ends the night her pack is destroyed by Alpha Kael Thorn, a cold-blooded leader feared across the kingdoms. As the lone survivor and daughter of the fallen Beta, Aria expects death—but instead, she’s taken prisoner. What she doesn't expect is the shocking truth: Kael is her fated mate. Marked against her will, Aria refuses to accept the bond, vowing to escape and avenge her family. But Kael harbors a dangerous secret—a curse that’s slowly destroying him, and Aria may be the only one who can save him. As hatred turns to desire, and secrets unravel, Aria must choose between revenge and the pull of destiny. Can she resist the bond—or will the enemy Alpha become the only one who truly understands her?

She was wolfless. All her life, Holly Ambrose had been longing for her family to reciprocate the love she had been working hard to get from her father and her sister, Irina. Unfortunately, they only saw her as an embarrassment to the pack and used her instead so that Irina could refuse to marry Alpha Evander Edgerton: the ruthless and cold-blooded Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Thinking that it was the only way to escape them, Holly accepted the proposal. Alpha Alec, her former mate and her sister’s fiance begged her not to. He confessed he still had feelings for her and wanted her back as his mate. Too late because there was no stopping her from having her freedom. But would Holly be truly free if Irina had no intention to stop destroying her life after Alec left Irina to claim Holly back? Would she stay with Alpha Evander even after she found out that his former mate came back and was pregnant with his child?

Limang taon. Limang taon na ang nakalipas at heto si Therese, isang sumisikat na scriptwriter ng GL Media, ay muling nagbabalik sa Manila — isang lugar kung saan maraming alaala ng nakaraan ang ayaw na niyang balikan pa. Si Luna Therese Aquino ay isang dalagang matapang at may sariling prinsipyo, na sa kabila ng kanyang kabataan ay natutong ipaglaban ang sarili at harapin ang katotohanan. Matapos ang limang taon ng pagtatangkang kalimutan ang nakaraan, muling nagtagpo ang kanilang landas ni Emilio Madrigal, isang bilyonaryong lalaki na may malamig ngunit mapanukso na puso, at lihim na pagnanasa sa kanya. Sa bawat titig at haplos, muling bumabalik ang alaala ng kanilang nakaraan, ang tamis at sakit, ang init ng damdamin at ang matinding tensyon sa pagitan nila. Ngayon, hindi lang damdamin ang nakataya kundi ang kanilang buhay, reputasyon, at kalayaan ay nakasalalay sa mga desisyon nilang gagawin. Habang si Therese ay nagtatangka na manatiling matatag at protektahan ang sarili, unti-unti niyang nadidiskubre kung ang pagmamahal kay Emilio ay isang pagkakataon para sa kanyang kalayaan, o isang bitag ng pagnanasa at kapangyarihan na hindi basta malalampasan. Sa mundong puno ng yaman, lihim, at tukso, paano niya mapipili ang tama— ang puso o ang sarili?

“Please don’t kill me.” She pleaded in a slightly cracked voice. I pursed my lips, thinking hard about what to do with her. “Kill her, and let’s get out of here.” Lorenzo urged but I shook my head and lowered my gun. She was too beautiful to die just like that. ~•~ Ava Martinez’s world is shattered when a mafia boss, Ruiz Giovanni, brutally murders her family and kidnaps her. Ava’s feelings for Ruiz are complicated and her desire to escape is matched by her forbidden attraction to the man who destroyed her life. Will Ava find a way to escape or will she fall in love with the person who murdered her family?

Nagimbal si Farah Jimenez nang masaksihan niya kung paano patayin ang isang ‘di kilalang babae. Ang lalaking nagpapatay dito ay walang iba kung hindi si Lance Dominguez, isang napakayaman at maimpluwensiyang businessman hindi lang sa bansa kung ‘di maging sa buong Asya. Pinagbantaan siya nitong papa

Eloise had the perfect life. Overnight, everything changes. She discovers that Hall, her mate, is a damn traitor who cheats on her with her stepsister and only uses her to take over the pack. Desperate, she breaks the mate bond she has with Hall and tries to fix everything, but it's too late. Her father is dead, and her little brother has been poisoned. Heartbroken and with her brother dying, she flees far from the pack and, by mistake, ends up in the dark forest, unaware that her salvation will be the man her father always considered a danger, the Dark Alpha. A man who hides a great secret and who, unbeknownst to her, would give everything for her. Sometimes, life breaks everything you knew... Only to take you exactly where you belong.

Dwyne, a self-supporting medical student, has just joined the hospital as the youngest intern. But she met with an unexpected situation on her first night shift alone--she’s targeted by a handsome man who looked very dangerous. Is he a gangster? Dwyne thought, judging him by his demeanor. He always wore a black suit and sunglasses. Sometimes even at night. And he's got a gunshot wound on his body. A gunshot! It terrified Dwyne.  She wanted nothing more to do with such a dangerous man, but it looked as if the man was haunting her. She began to meet him frequently. Or rather, he was literally everywhere！ The hospital where she works, the coffee shop where she has a part-time job, the bar where she helps out on a temporary basis... And it seemed like everyone knew him. Is he famous?  It's not just outside Dwyne met him everywhere. Her home was no longer a sanctuary for her alone either. The door to her apartment seemed to be a useless decoration to him. She sometimes finds a bouquet of flowers on the coffee table in her house, while a couple of times she's even found himself suddenly showing in her room. Yes, whenever he wanted to see her, he never made an appointment. It absolutely wasn't a funny joke or a pleasant surprise for her. Dwyne was tired of the boring banter, she just wanted to get through her internship and become a qualified doctor, but she was always surrounded by a gang of menacing men in black suits. Annoyed, she blurted out that she didn't have any feelings for him and she didn't want to see him anymore. She didn't expect that, her wish came true. For the next week, month, and then until a year, she never saw the man in her sights again. Her life went back to the way it was. Though, it was ever so slightly boring. Until that day... When they meet again, it's him lying bloody and dying in the operating room. Dwyne realized that she had never forgotten him. During the time she took care of him, she learned his name and got to know him a little more. Geez, it turned out that he's not only a gangster, but a formidable Mafia Boss! However, when Dwyne moved to this town three years ago, she also hid her true identity. This, after all, is not a life that belongs to her...