The Don

Axel leans down, his breath brushing against my ear. At first, he bites lightly, just enough to make my breath hitch. Then, his voice slips into a whisper, “I’ll give you a warning, Hazel." He says so slowly and deeply. And then he continues, "Don’t ever raise your hand at me again. Do you understand?” I force myself to look up at him. I don’t know where the strength comes from, but I manage to say, “Or what, Axel? What are you going to do?” His eyes darken, something sharp flashing behind them. For a second, I can’t tell if I’ve shocked him, impressed him, or made him furious. ****** The Don is a strong, cold, powerful man. His voice alone makes men tremble. Ruthless. Powerful. Precise. Commanding. He thinks he can control me.....own me. But he’s wrong. I’m not one of his mistresses, not another woman he can use and discard when he’s done. he can’t contain. He might rule the Morelli empire, but he’ll never rule me.

“Alexander, this isn’t right,” Valentina whispered, her voice shaky as his hand traced the line of her jaw. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It doesn’t matter what’s right,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “It matters what’s mine.” Her breath caught as his fingers slid to the back of her neck. “And you think I’m yours?” “I don’t think, Valentina,” he murmured, a dark smile curving his lips. “I know.” --- Valentina never expected her life to take such a dangerous turn. After her husband demands a divorce to marry his mistress, she finds herself entangled with Alexander—a powerful mafia Don whose reputation is as lethal as the man himself. Alexander doesn’t just want Valentina; he needs her. When he discovers she’s the daughter of Nico Vance, the man responsible for the tragedy that destroyed his family, his rage burns hotter. But instead of killing her, Alexander makes a chilling decision: Valentina will become his late wife, down to the last detail. Caught between desire and danger, Valentina must decide if she’ll run from Alexander’s dark world—or step willingly into it. Because once she does, there’s no turning back.

Viola Giovanni's hitherto boring life as an accountant becomes a lot more exciting when, one night, after closing late from work, she stumbles on a murder scene. The perpetrator? Only the notorious mafia boss, Alvarez Italo- one of the most powerful, most ruthless men in the country. She first-hand sees proof of it that night. And he sees her. He definitely knows she's a problem; a witness. While, to her surprise, he lets her live, he doesn't let her go. And it will take her a while to realize that she's been caught in the web of a dangerous obsession with one of the most lethal men out there When he begins to feature in her life in unsettling ways- stalking her, breaking into her house, leaving her notes, as well as nearly blowing off the head of a possible boyfriend, she realizes that she's in deep trouble. She tries to run… That is when he kidnaps her and confines her to his villa, to be released on the condition that she falls in love with him. Viola tells him it will be over her dead body. And in the ensuing struggle between brain and heart, as she promises to hate him for life, Alvarez swears that she will be his come hell or high water.

To get a divorce from Dante Conti, I volunteered to walk away with nothing—even our three-year-old son. Seeing that I had deliberately changed back into the old clothes I wore before marriage, Dante froze for a moment, then sneered, "So? You don't even want Nico, the heir you fought so hard to give birth to?" "Careful. Play your part too long, and you won't be able to recover the scene," he warned. I pushed the signed agreement toward him. "Don't worry. This isn't acting." Dante shot me a puzzled look before signing his name. "So obedient? Fine. I'll be magnanimous and let you see Nico from time to time." He set down the pen, his gaze appraising me. "And if you regret it… come to me now, and maybe—just maybe—we could remarry—" I cut him off, standing and walking away without a word. He had thought I married him for the Mafia's power, that's why I had given him an heir to inherit his family. But once he knows I'm dead, there will be no more misunderstandings.

I was with a fishmonger for seven years. Every night, he pinned me beneath him, reckless and wild. Until one day, he took off his bloodstained apron and came clean–he was getting engaged to Sophia, the Bilotti heiress. Only then did I learn that he was the Don of the Colleo family. “Hahaha! You fooled around with Ms. Mancini for seven years, only to take another delicate young lady’s hand in marriage. Surely, she’s going to come at you.” “Don Colleo, you should keep things sweet with her.” His men’s laughter echoed in my ears. “What’s the rush? I’ve broken her well enough these past seven years. If you don’t mind, you can have her for a couple of days. Evelyn… flexible.” On the day of Vincent’s engagement party, I handed the evidence of his crimes to the police. As the sirens ripped open the city night, someone called out my name. I smiled and leaped from the eighteenth floor.

At the underground black market auction in New York, Lorenzo Moretti won a rare red diamond with a bid so high it made jaws drop. The entire Commission was waiting for the other shoe to drop—waiting to see me become a joke. Because in the Moretti family, every time Lorenzo gives away a diamond, it represents another one of his betrayals. White diamonds are hush money to cover up tabloid scandals. Blue diamonds mean he had a "slip-up" at some wild party. Pink diamonds mean I caught him in his private apartment, rolling in the sheets with another woman with my own eyes. But this time was different. It was a rare red diamond. Everyone guessed the Don was preparing to divorce me. Instead, Lorenzo publicly declared his love. He said this red diamond represented a "Blood Oath"—a symbol of his true heart and loyalty to me. He said that from now on, he would return to the family and pledge his allegiance only to me. Everyone congratulated me on finally taming the Sicilian Wolf. I, however, left the signed divorce papers in the safe, and all alone, I left him forever.

"That's okay baby. I won't be taking her away from you because you will be coming with us. Me, you, and Aria, together. A perfect family. What do you think about that?" Riccardo De Luca, popularly known for his ruthlessness and unforgiving spirit, has led the Italian Mafia for twelve good years now. He is feared and respected- either forcefully or willingly- by everyone including the Italian government. The title has been in his family line for...longer than he can even remember and all of a sudden his position is being threatened because he doesn't have an heir. Not under his watch though. He is going to keep this position no matter what it takes. with the mafia baby, Emilia Salvatore left Italy five years ago and vowed never to return again. She set up a life for she and her daughter in New York City. But what happens when Riccardo suddenly shows up at her door five years later demanding to be a part of not only his daughter’s life but also a part of Emilia’s life?

Valentina Castillo, 22, never owed her father’s debts—but when her runaway sister leaves a night to her wedding, she is handed over as payment, a bride stolen for a price she cannot refuse. Nikolai De Luca, Miami’s ruthless Don, gave a man three choices: repay his debt, give his life… or offer a bride. When she was brought before him—trembling, unprepared, aware of the darkness in his gaze, he decided in an instant. She would be his. In his world, power is absolute, and a wife is not a partner—she is a possession. And once Nikolai De Luca claims what is his… even death itself can’t take it from him.

My parents were branded as "traitors" within the Lucchese family. To show the family's mercy, I was taken in as their "sacrificial lamb" to atone for my parents' sins, and I lived with them for 12 years. Those 12 brutal years would have been unbearable if not for one thing: the Don, Antonio Lucchese, had twin heirs who became my only protection. Until that night, when they believed Martina Browne's lies about me and handed me the execution poison known as "The Vow of Silence." "Drink it, Chiara Colombo." Dante Lucchese's voice was cold, his eyes fixed on me. "Prove your loyalty to the Lucchese family." I drank the poison, and it burned through my throat like acid. Through my blurred vision, I watched as his twin brother, Enzo Lucchese, pulled the real traitor close to him. He said coldly, "Take Chiara to the infirmary. Don't let her die in the banquet hall." The day I was released from the hospital, I made a phone call to the Lucchese family's deadliest rival. My voice was hoarse as I spoke each word slowly. "I have evidence that could bury the entire Lucchese family. Marry me, and I'll help you destroy them."

They caught my fiancé with my sister on the night of our engagement party. Tangled in a private wine cellar. My family name was dragged through the mud. We became the laughingstock of the Chicago Outfit. Then came Don Lorenzo Falcone. He proposed in front of all the Families, saving my honor and forging a more powerful alliance. For four years, he put me on a pedestal. But an old injury left him unable to father an heir. This year, through the family’s private doctor, I finally got pregnant. After that, his devotion became absolute. I thought this powerful man was my savior. My only protector. Until I heard him talking to his right-hand man. “Boss, Arabella worships you. How could you do it? You had the doctor switch the vials, made Arabella the surrogate for the Moretti heir. Just 'cause Isabella couldn't handle the pain? The kid’s due in two months. What’s the plan?” He was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was ice. “When the child is born, it goes to Isabella. It's the only thing that guarantees her future with the Morettis.” “And Arabella?” “I’ll tell her the baby didn’t make it.” “She’ll still be Mrs. Falcone. She’ll have everything she could ever want.” So that was it. My great protector. All of it… for another woman. This tainted bloodline? I don’t want it in me. And this sham of a marriage? I’m done.