The Thorn That Pierces Me

I shook my head as a dark chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m not her, Dimitri, can’t you see it? I will never be her,” My voice shook as I spoke, tears threatening to spill. Dimitri ran his fingers through his hair in distress. His usual cold demeanor slipping away as he walked towards me and grabbed me by my shoulder. I felt his fingers on my chin, forcing me to look at him. I swallowed. “You don’t understand, Dimitri,” My voice came out as a whisper. “You are in love with that woman. Not me. It has-it has never been me,” “I know who I want, Val and that person is you,” *** For years, Valeria Moore had lived her life as a substitute lover to Dimitri. She believed one day, he would see her for who she is and not as his lost mate who had the same face as her. But when Dimitri announced his engagement to Summer Wood, Val knew she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to cut all ties with him but now, Dimitri wasn’t ready to let her go. Not when he just realized she was pregnant for him.

She’s done surviving for everyone else. Now she’ll live for herself—even if it kills her. Kylee has always kept her head down. At school, she’s invisible. At home, she’s broken—caught between a stepfather’s rage and a mother who refuses to see the damage. The only way to cope is silence. Numbness. Disappearing. But then Price moves in next door. He’s all wrong for her: too charming, too curious, too determined to see what she’s worked so hard to bury. Still, Kylee can’t help but let him in. And with Price comes something else—something she can’t explain. Scratches on her skin she didn’t make. Whispers in the night she swears aren’t hers. Visions of a girl who looks just like her, begging to be remembered. As her grip on reality frays, Kylee must choose: stay hidden in the shadows of her pain, or face a truth darker than she ever imagined. Because someone is watching her. Someone who wants her to forget. But this time, Kylee won’t be anyone’s ghost. A haunting, emotional slow-burn romance with a twist of the paranormal. Because sometimes the bravest thing a girl can do is write her own heartbeat—and choose to live it out loud.

She thought she was being saved. He knew he was claiming her. But neither of them expected to fall. When Calla Moretti is torn from the quiet life she knew and dropped into the lavish, dangerous world of the man who owns the city — she learns quickly that nothing in Damien Blackthorne’s empire is simple. Especially not him. He’s older. Ruthless. Powerful. The head of a criminal syndicate with secrets stitched into every wall of his mansion. She’s the daughter of a man he was sent to destroy. And now, she belongs to him. What begins as a cold arrangement turns molten when obsession blurs the lines between punishment and pleasure. Damien is dominant, controlling, and never lets anyone close — until Calla. Her fire draws him in. Her silence speaks to the war inside him. And when she starts craving his control, he gives it… without mercy. But someone in the house is lying. Someone wants her gone. And Calla’s father? He’s alive. And coming. In a world of loyalty, betrayal, seduction, and control — love might be the most dangerous game of all.

“Maverick, you never loved me all these years, did you?” “Be good. You're just a substitute.” ___  Never did Valencia expect that what her crush thought of her was a substitute for another woman.  And never did she expect that the asshole would break the news to her after she gave herself to him a night before their wedding.  Unable to take in the heartbreak, Valencia fled on her wedding day.  Fast-forward to five years later; Valencia is now the anonymous owner of a company and the diligent mother of smart-ass quadruplets who think mom is the best and shouldn't be stressed. And the most important thing: Mom needs a capable boyfriend.  Someone dared to attack their mommy? Mom will face-slap, and if Mom can't, Quadruplet will!   A certain shameless man: ‘Darling, relax; I'll properly beat them up for you. After the beating, what do you think we should have next—a triplet or a sextuplet?’ Valencia: “….” Smartass quadruplets: Didn't you consider Mom to be a substitute? Scram. We don't recognize you!

“This marriage is nothing but a farce. The sooner you know that, the better.” “I despise you, printsessa.” “And I despise you even more.” ********** Anastasya Volkov's life is turned upside down when she has to marry the young don of the Italian cosa nostra, Massimo De Luca, a man she despises with all her heart. Massimo, a man who isn't used to letting women into his heart, also loathes the idea of having a woman so close to him. However, they have to come together to form a strong alliance between their families. In the midst of their mutual dislike for each other, the seeds of attraction starts to bloom. But a series of unexpected events start to occur, will their new found love thrive? Or will they be crushed by the weight of the lies and betrayal that surrounds them?

A promising position at a high tech dating app company brings Holly out to Colorado. But when she meets the CEO, and would be boss, she decides he can take his attitude, and the job offer, and stuff it. Holly becomes desperate for work and doesn't want to move back home with her mom and recently divorced sister. She decides to give it one last shot and is immediately hired by the COO, who is also the CEO's brother. Her project is to bring the brother's latest dating app update to life. She needs to find any issues with it, which seems to be everything. Rework the backend. And complete a beta test using employees who volunteer to be testers. What could go wrong during the office beta testing? A lot. No one on the leadership team, including Holly, the CEO, & the COO were supposed to sign up for beta testing of their app that allows people to express their desires anonymously via written messages. What happens when Holly starts messaging with her bosses without knowing who they are? Can the Billionaire heirs of Talon Industries, Noah and Adam, figure out how to charm a girl who doesn't seem to be impacted by their usual charms? Can either of them admit that lust has turned into love? Who can crack the ice cold heart of these untrusting alpha men? She can.

As Aki becomes an integral part of Kaye’s life, a remarkable bond forms between her and Dylan, one that challenges his feelings of loyalty. Dylan finds himself drawn to Aki’s resilience and spirit, igniting a conflict within him. Caught between the obligation to Kaye and a burgeoning love for Aki, Dylan wrestles with emotions he never anticipated. But when a night of passion unravels the careful balance, Dylan confesses his feelings to Aki, leading to an explosive encounter that changes everything. Aki’s pregnancy sends shockwaves through their lives, and Dylan is faced with an impossible choice. Kaye, unable to cope with the betrayal, vows to destroy Aki, fueling a fire of jealousy and rage that threatens to consume them all.In a world where love intertwines with betrayal, Dylan must confront the consequences of his actions. Will he remain shackled to a life devoid of true love with Kaye, or will he embrace the profound connection he shares with Aki, the woman who unexpectedly captured his heart?

"Hate was the only thing between us—until it wasn’t." -ISLA- Revenge is my birthright. Ever since the fire that claimed my brother and shattered my family, I’ve rebuilt the Moreau empire from the ashes. But every brick I’ve laid, and deal struck has come with one goal in mind: uncovering the truth behind that night. Ciaran Valente is the man I’ve hated since I learned how to hate. Infuriating, cruel, and too clever for his own good, he thrives in darkness, just like I do. But when the ghosts of my past tie his family to my brother’s death, my hatred becomes the least dangerous thing between us. Because Ciaran doesn’t just step into my world—he consumes it. He sees through my armor, breaks down my defenses, and dares to turn my pain into something far more dangerous than vengeance: desire. But love doesn’t exist for people like us. Only power. Only lies. And when the masks come off, one truth will destroy us both. -CIARAN- Isla Moreau is my personal form of torment. Sharp-tongued, calculating, and as untouchable as ice. I’ve craved breaking her for years—not just to prove I could, but because there’s nothing more tempting than watching a queen fall. But Isla isn’t a game. She’s fire wrapped in steel, and she hides secrets even darker than my own. When the past collides with the present, revealing the cracks in our perfect façades, I discover something I didn’t think I was capable of: obsession. She consumes me—mind, body, and soul. But while I want to own her, she wants vengeance. While I crave her surrender, she wants the truth. And in the end, we’re not just enemies. We’re fated to ruin each other.

In a world where love's course is never predictable, Anastasia Perry's life took a dramatic turn on her wedding day. Upon discovering her groom, Matthew Smith had been cheating on her through a video. She made a heart-wrenching decision: to run away, leaving her own wedding in chaos. Now, two years later, Anastasia returns. Anastasia is now married to Matthew's uncle, Harry Smith. Her unexpected reappearance rocks Matthew's world. Harry and Anastasia are involved in a secret contract marriage in order to save his inheritance. The question lingers: Can Anastasia prevent herself from falling for Matthew all over again? As Harry finds himself falling for Anastasia, can he convince her to make their one-year contract permanent? Will Matthew's secret plans to destroy his uncle succeed? With emotions running high and a web of complicated choices to navigate, their story unfolds in a captivating dance of secrets, forgiveness, redemption, and the ultimate question: Can love truly conquer all?

Natalie Grimaldi has always been a fighter. Rebellious, sharp-tongued, and unwilling to break under pressure, she’s spent most of her life enduring the cruelty of her uncle, Gideon Grimaldi , a greedy man who raised her only to use her as a pawn. When Gideon announces that she’s to marry Viktor Roman, a Russian billionaire twice her age, in exchange for a debt settlement, Natalie is furious, broken and frustrated. On the day of the wedding something unexpected happens she is claimed in a contract marriage by California's most feared Italian Mafia family, LORENZO DE LUCA. She finds herself being sold twice!! Lorenzo doesn't know her name, doesn't care about her except his own gains(the real reason he bought her) but something in her fire, her refusal to bow, stirred something long buried in him. He buys her for something much more deeper —nothing more. But Natalie refuses to break. Even as he claims her body, her life, she hides her heart, planning escape, revenge, and freedom. But the longer she remains under Lorenzo's roof, the more she begins to see cracks in his stone facade: his silence, his shadows, his haunting grief and most of all HIS SECRET. The real reason he bought her. And against every wall she’s built, Natalie begins to feel the tug of something she vowed never to give him—sympathy. Maybe even more. As Natalie secretly builds her own power, forging connections and learning the dark truths behind Lorenzo's empire, she must face the hardest question of all: Can she destroy the man who bought her, if he’s the first one who ever saw her? Or will she fall for the devil who was never meant to love?