The Gaze

I was the top bounty thief in the organization. The best they had. After turning in my final score, I announced on the spot that I was done for good. Then, I stood in my studio, blending paint. A single photograph was pinned to the wall before me. Black Viper filled the doorway, the light behind him casting his face in shadow. "What's it like," he asked quietly, "pretending to be an artist?" He stepped further inside. "Does paint smell better than blood?" I placed the palette knife down and wiped my hands slowly. "I'm done. I walked away." "Old Fox didn't approve of it." "That's not my concern." Black Viper crossed the room and tapped the old photograph on the wall. "Are you certain?" I did not want to look. I told myself not to. However, my gaze shifted anyway. A young boy stared back from the photo. "The blind kid?" I had spent ten years searching for him. "Where is he?" I moved toward the wall, reaching to rip the picture down. "One last job," Black Viper said, pressing his palm against the photo. My hand stopped in midair. "What's the target?" "The final lot at next month's auction that the Gilbert Group will be holding. "It's called Mermaid's Tear."

His steely gaze bore into mine, an abyss of emotionless darkness. "Marc-" "SHUT UP!" I flinched, a shudder coursing through me. He came on closer, his fingers tightening around my neck, a cruel parody of a caress. I met his frightening stare, I stared at him breathing heavily. "Just be still." I lowered my face, eyelids fluttering shut, as if seeking solace in the darkness. "I own you." His declaration resounding heavy in the air, an unbreakable chain binding me to this desire’s. In that moment, I knew - there was no escaping the clutches of this man who held me captive, body and soul. **************** In the heart of a city shrouded in shadows and secrets, Elena Santiago's life takes a dangerous plunge. Her father's debts drag them to the doorstep of Don Marco De Luca, an astute and enigmatic mafia overlord, thrusting Elena into a world of scary gambles and lethal allure. Boundaries blur between allegiance and survival as Elena must survive through a web of deception, where every move becomes a battle cry. With her family's future teetering on a razor's edge, she finds herself torn between defying the merciless Don and submitting to a life of total servitude. ******** Will she succumb to his desires… or hers?!

She knew the wedding was inevitable. That’s why she let herself have one last night, one reckless, sinful night with him. Nico Moreti. The man who made her forget the world. It was supposed to be their final goodbye. A stolen moment before she was forced into a marriage she never wanted. But when she walks down the aisle the next day, ready to marry the most feared mafia boss in the country, she looks up and sees him. Her Nico. Standing beside the groom as his son. The realization hits her like a bullet to the chest as his cold, burning gaze strips her bare in front of everyone. She never thought she’d see him again much more him turning out to be her new stepson. She never wanted this marriage. Never wanted to belong to Salvatore Moreti, a man who buries his wives before their bodies go cold. But she’s trapped. And the man she loves? He’s part of the people sharpening the knife. Because Nico won’t forgive nor let her go. And he sure as hell won’t let her forget who touched her first. Now, there’s no way out. Because in this world, love doesn’t save you. It destroys you.

He pinned me against the wall, his eyes burning with intensity. I tried to push him away, but he just smiled, his lips curling up in that annoying grin of his that looked sexy as hell. 'You can't resist me, can you?' he teased, his breath hot against my skin. I tried to deny it, but my body betrayed me, arching into his touch. He chuckled, his eyes glinting with triumph. "Don't," I whispered, my voice trembling with need. "I'm not ready for this." He paused, his gaze searching mine. Then, he leaned in closer, his voice low and husky. 'I think you are." When Tilda's fiancé cheats on her, she seeks comfort in a one-night stand with a stranger who pretended to be her groom to get her our a a bind but when she discovers he's her new boss, Richard, and the father of her young patient, Ivy, Tilda's world is turned upside down. As she explores her feelings for Richard, she must confront the consequences of their whirlwind romance as well as the Pandora's box they open. Will their love survive or will they end up like every Ill written love story?

"The clothes you wear is mine. The house you live in, is mine. Even the air you breathe is mine. I will take away everything from you, even your name," ******* The life of Sienna Clairvoyant, a girl from a poor background gets bamboozled when she is abused by her boyfriend's brother and accused of theft by his mother. In the blink of an eye, the harsh reality that is her is thrown before her as she is locked up, beaten up again and left to die. Nine years later, she emerges from the ground as Sienna Williams, the wife of a deceased trillionaire, seeking revenge. Next to her, is a lovely set of twins that kept her going all those years and the eldest son of her deceased husband, who, secretly harboured feelings for her. With a meticulously crafted plan for revenge, Sienna Williams returns to the town that caused her doom, targeting all those who played a part in her demise. As soon as her gaze locks with her first love and the father of her twins, Sienna doesn't think she can go through with her plans. But seeing how greedy he and has family had become over the years, Sienna Williams decides that they deserve what she has in store for them. Miss Nobody Strikes Back!

His hot breath fanned my ear and I nearly died the moment the straps of my dress fell away. Revealing a part of myself that left me vulnerable to his hungry gaze that moved over me. I pride myself on decency, to always be appropriate but the way he clenched his jaw and ran his large hands on my thighs made me go. . . to hell with decency. Reaching out, the need to touch him no longer bearable, I traced the outline of his torso through the fabric of his shirt. But even that wasn't enough as my hands moved underneath the fabric to trace the muscles there. He shifted slightly away triggering a fear in me that I had done something wrong. However, the fear diminished when he removed the fabric- granting my eyes the chance to feast on seeing more of his skin. He moved forward peppering light kisses all over my neck and torso only to latch onto my nipple tugging gently on the hard nub. I cried out at the movement of his teeth and tongue as his hands kept me close hindering any chance to reduce the contact to damn near impossible. Reducing the contact was the last thing I wanted, especially considering how far we had come. . .

Scarpa sees. Scarpa wants. Scarpa hunts. Scarpa gets. It’s a chain of life for Torre Scarpa—the unspoken law of the Scarpa world. When Torre sets his eyes on Montana Rossi, his employee’s wife; a pale, soft-spoken foreign woman who gave herself to the wrong Italian man as husband, he doesn't just want her. He claims her by all bloodied means. Montana, left alone, humiliated by the powerful Rossi family after her husband's death, finds herself in Scarpa’s warm embrace. He pays off her debts. Gives her shelter. Offers her peace. Even lets her care for his troubled daughter. He is the savior she never expected. But Scarpa is no angel. Behind the tailored suits and steady gaze is a man who always gets what he wants—no matter the cost. And Montana? She's not free. Not really. Not anymore. As she falls for him, body and soul, she begins to wonder: Is this love? Or a beautiful trap? When the truth of Scarpa’s world comes to light—its secrets, its crimes, its bloodied roots—Montana must face what she’s become, and decide: Can she live with the devil who saved her? Or is it already too late? Because the Lord Scarpa doesn’t let go. He devours.

I slipped into a vegetative state because of an accident. For the next five years, my wife, Ella York, remains devoted to me. She turns down all of her admirers and has chosen to raise our child on her own. At the same time, she exhausts herself from taking care of me to the point that she suffers from stomach bleeding. Everyone advises her to find a new man to settle down with. But Ella exclaims in a choked-up tone, "I'll always be Zack's wife for as long as he lives!" When I miraculously wake up from my comatose state, the first thing I do is file for a divorce under the condition that Ella leaves this marriage without a cent to her name. All of my family, friends, and relatives are pissed off at me, to say the least. "You bastard! Ella has stayed by your side for the past five years! How dare you cast her out the moment you wake up!" As I gaze at Ella's tear-streaked face coldly, I say to everyone else, "Go ahead and check the security footage at my son's kindergarten. Then, you'll understand how Ella has taken care of me over the past five years."

"Didn't I tell you not to let another man touch you?" he growled. I shivered under his gaze becoming terrified. "I didn't let him, he did it without my permission," I whispered looking at the floor out of fear. I felt him walk towards me, his hand grabbed my face bringing it up, so I was now looking at him. "Do I need to remind you how easy it is for me to ruin you for any other man?" Mason Andrews is the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country. He is known for being a beast in the office and the bedroom. With girls chasing after him he has no reason to beg for one's attention; which is why his one rule isn't so hard to follow. Do not sleep with employees. Nia Richardson is a smart, kind woman. She is hard-working and most of all innocent. She doesn't believe that love is true nor is she looking for it. But she also not looking for a friends with benefit. What happens when they both become the one thing they wanted to stay away from, after Nia gets a job as Mason's personal assistant. How crazy can things get?

My parents were renowned educators, celebrated as top-tier teachers who mentored countless high achievers. Yet, I was the black sheep of the family, consistently bringing home failing grades. After yet another gentle reminder from my homeroom teacher, my mom erupted in frustration. "How could I have given birth to such a foolish child? You only exist to torture me!" She disappeared for three days. When she returned, she brought a girl with her. "From today on, Cora is my real daughter. You are forbidden to call us Mom or Dad ever again. Get out. Only when you can pass your exams will you be worthy of being my daughter!" Our next encounter was at the hospital, during the school staff's annual physical check. The dean spotted me, speaking. "Renee, isn't this your daughter? Sherry works here now! That means Cora's illness can be treated. Ask her to introduce you to the new director!" My mother's gaze landed on my white coat and shifted from shock to irritation. "She changed jobs and didn't even bother to tell me?" I discreetly covered the badge pinned to my chest, trying to conceal my status. I was now Evie Coffey, the director of Obstetrics and Gynecology.