The Old City

In a realm of criminal activities and allegiance, 20-year-old Sofia Rosario is ensnared in a last-ditch effort to protect her family. Sofia is compelled to marry Mark Carvajal, the fierce Underboss of the Hernandez crime syndicate, and must maneuver through the dangerous world of mafia power struggles and hidden family truths. While forming a relationship with Mark, she uncovers a tangled network of deceit, allegiance, and suppressed emotions. Will their love save them, or will it bring about their downfall? Immerse yourself in this gripping, heartfelt mafia love story to discover the truth.

As a child, an innocent, our imaginations run wild. We pretend to be knights or princess', magicians or mythical creatures. Then as we age our imagination is tamed by the laws of science and everything we are taught to believe as truth. We as a race of humans can not fly or wield a wand. Dragons and mermaids don't exist. Fire burns, ice freezes, what goes up must come down. These are but a few of the truths that exist in our world, but like so many others they are false. My world was turned upside down on my 21st birthday, everything that was a truth turned out to be a lie. The world we live in, isn't what we believed it to be. My name is Alexi Drovnic, and this is my story.

By my third month on the job, I discovered that my coworkers had been calling me "the old crow" behind my back. The nickname came from none other than Jace's condescending secretary—because at 32, I was still clutching onto an eight-year relationship that hadn't ended in marriage. I confronted Jace. "Do you know your employees have been calling me the old crow?" He didn't even bother to look up. "That's just Sadie—she speaks her mind and means no harm. You're 32; why get so worked up over what a young girl says?" Then he gave me a faint, mocking smile. "Though honestly, it's a pretty fitting nickname." It felt like a cold hand had wrapped around my heart. So that was it—eight years of my youth, nothing more than a joke to him. I turned and walked away, handed in my resignation, and blocked every way he could reach me. But for the first time, the man who had always seemed so calm and untouchable finally panicked. "Elara," he pleaded, "please come back."

You ruined me, now watch me bring down your great empire to crumbles.” she signed off her agreement on the contract slip. What happens when the famous billionaire unknowingly places the future of his business in the hands of the ex he broke?. **** Ace and Jasmine cross paths again after their romantic life went downhill seven years ago, following the scandal. He broke her heart. He humiliated her. She was expelled and ruined, and Ace wanted nothing to do with her anymore. Fast forward to seven years later, fate draws her back into his life. A rich boss. The sweetest piece of ass in New York, and the hottest musical celebrity around the city. Men just can't take their eyes off her. Fate has placed the balls in her court, with a chance at revenge when his empire offers her a contract and now, she will stop at nothing to take her revenge, especially after having a glimpse of how easygoing his current life is with his replacement of her. What happens when Ace finally recognizes her too? Deep dark secrets will be revealed but what will the future hold for them? Will Sparks return or were they never gone? ~ “I know we broke up…but I just can't seem to give you up….come back to me please….” He nuzzled his face in her neck, breathing in her calming scent. “I'd be a fool to make the same mistake again.” She pushed him away, glaring at him. ~ He wants her back. But then there's Veronica, his fiancee, pregnant for him...

BLURB: Judge Elias Reid Perez Salviejo; virgin wrecker, innocent hooker. Walang humihindi sa kaniya. He could easily capture every woman's heart regardless of their age because of his cool personality. Pero wala siyang sineseryoso. Para sa kaniya, tama na ang isang gabing puno ng aliw at pantasya. Vhanessa Anne Dizon; old maid at palaging kinakantyawang malapit na sa expiration. Ang masaklap pa, isa siya sa mga babaeng tinaguriang NBSB, o no boyfriend since birth. Hindi sa takot siyang magmahal, ayaw niya lang na maiwan sa bandang huli. Ngunit, nang pagkatuwaan si Vhanessa ng dalawang kaibigan, hindi niya akalaing mahuhulog siya sa kamay ni Elias. Ang lalaking ni sa hinagap ay hindi niya pingarap.

Takuto Kimura, 30 years old, a career elite, always dressed in a sharp suit, with his hair perfectly neat, looking like the lead character from《The Godfather》or《Yakuza Chronicles》. His daily life is a never-ending "battle": meetings, overtime, coffee to stay awake, and piles of reports. To outsiders, he is the epitome of a successful businessman, but inside, he's already overwhelmed by the pressure and suffocating under it. Every day, he finds himself thinking, "If only I could go back to being three years old, I wouldn’t have to deal with these damn files and KPIs." One late night, as he stares at his computer screen, drowning in self-doubt, fate suddenly gives him an unexpected "opportunity" “He is reborn, back to the age of three.”

On the night before the wedding, New York was washed in cold rain. The rehearsal at St. Patrick's Cathedral had been set for seven o'clock. Under the vaulted ceiling, the white roses, black satin bows, and silver candelabras had all been arranged exactly the way I wanted. But by the time the rehearsal ended, he still hadn't shown up. At 11:17 that night, I finally got a message from him. [Sophia is pregnant. Although the baby isn’t mine, I can’t let her child be born carrying the name of an illegitimate child.] [I went to City Hall with her tonight and made it legal.] [The wedding is still happening tomorrow.] [That piece of paper is just a formality. The person standing at the altar will still be you.] [Don't let outsiders know too much. And don't ruin her reputation.] I stared at those lines for a long time. In the end, I replied with a single word. [Okay.] I don't want the wedding and you.

Past thirty, my usually serious husband suddenly developed a fascination with pink. The dark-colored furniture that had stayed the same for ten years was replaced with pink; even the utensils he picked up casually were pink. I stared at the line of pink pajamas, pink bow ties, and pink underwear hanging out to dry on the balcony, feeling something was off. "I thought you said you hated pink—that it was a color only women liked?" He was unpacking a new pink bed set and didn't even look up. "Oh, Jack and I made a bet. If I can replace everything in the house with pink, he'll give me his seaside villa for free. Honestly, after looking at it for a while, pink isn't that bad, don't you think?" I neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, I called Jack, who blurted out, "What seaside villa? I don't remember ever buying one!"

"Has anyone heard of this city?! No one seems to remember it, and something horrific might have happened to it."

Scarlet blood trickled from my thigh as I clutched Arvin Owen's hand. "My belly... It hurts so much..." He shook off my hand indifferently. "Come on, I know it's chicken blood you are using. Debby just suffered abuse from her husband and is now in the hospital without anyone to care for her. Don't be so spoiled!" But what flowed from me was not chicken blood. It was my life slipping away.