Underground

Meet Esmerelda Sleuth. Sleuth is her name and investigating is her game. (Paranormal Investigating, that is.) Esmerelda makes a good living as an investigator in a rather progressive firm. She lives a stable and sensible life until she meets Lance; an old money "hottie" who works for a real estate firm next to her building. After accepting an invitation for a weekend getaway party, she quickly discovers that Lance has a secret. He is wealthy. That part is true. And, yes, he's procured a job as a realtor in the building next door. His secret is that he belongs to an underground society of humans who didn't abandon their connection to magic centuries ago when religion declared it evil and he has traveled through time specifically to find her and bring her back to his time to marry him. If that isn't enough of a far fetched tale to absorb, he informs her that she was born in his time to a family belonging to that same secret society and was promised in marriage to him as an infant. When enemies who didn't want to see the union of families take place made attempts on her life, her parents sent her into the future and erased her memories of them as a precaution. Possessing virtually no belief in magic, ghosts, psychics, time travel, etc., it takes some doing on Lance's part to convince her to believe his story and go back with him. When she does, the lies, deceit and attempts on her life start all over again. Will she escape emotionally and physically unscathed? "The Other Side Of the Mirror" is a steamy-paranormal-romance- mystery-thriller and book one of the Esmerelda Sleuth series.

She was auctioned like an object, bought like a secret, and caged like a sin. After a brutal betrayal by the people she trusted most, Seraphina Vale is left drowning in debt and despair—until she’s sold at an underground auction to the one man every criminal fears: Lucien Marchesi, the ruthless head of a powerful mafia empire. Cold. Controlled. Deadly. The world assumes she’ll be discarded like the others who came before her. But Seraphina isn't a lamb sent to slaughter. She’s a lioness in velvet chains—calm, calculating, and waiting for her moment. Lucien didn’t expect her fire. She didn’t expect his scars. What begins as a twisted game of control and survival becomes something far more dangerous: emotion. As secrets unravel and obsession burns into something deeper, Seraphina edges dangerously close to what she swore she’d never feel again—trust. Love. Want. But she hasn’t forgotten her mission. Lucien was supposed to be her weapon, not her salvation. And when her revenge explodes into reality, both hearts will shatter under the weight of betrayal. Until he asks the one question that changes everything: “Have you ever loved me?” Chains of Velvet, Heart of Fire is a gripping dark mafia romance about love born from power, loyalty forged in fire, and two broken souls who dared to rewrite their fate. Perfect for fans of morally gray heroes, twist-filled emotional sagas, and heroines who take their power back—beautifully, mercilessly, and on their own terms.

“You're nothing different from a rotten corpse if you don't have anything to prove." Origin Laurier is a young girl who was once an ally of an underground criminal organization called the Westside Dragons. She is hailed as the mafia’s killing machine, the Scarlet Beast, who only knew how to live as a tool for the mafia boss. Because of her deadly talisman ability, she never fails all of her missions. But the tables started to turn when she suddenly lost her ability and was kicked out of the mafia believing that she is not useful anymore. Origin is left homeless and scattered as she wonders how to regain her power and approval of the mafia boss she admires the most. On her path back to power, she stumbled upon a good-looking, yet emotionless guy who knew everything about her past, and stepped on her pride as a legendary assassin. He is W, the Student Council President of Greendale University, a school founded to protect the new generation of talisman users from being hunted down by scientists and evil organizations. W offered to help get Origin’s abilities back in exchange for forging an alliance with the Student Council who turns out to be members of a military agency called FEAR, Westside Dragon’s sworn enemy, secretly protecting and recruiting talisman users to Greendale. Upon joining the Student Council affairs, Origin will learn that there is more to humanity than she thinks. As her fate interconnects with the Student Council President who has a hobby of stalking her, how can she handle this new everyday life and her future that is uncertain of her relationship with the Mafia she grew up into?

North Harper, a brilliant yet unassuming third-year college student, finds solace in her books and late-night visits to her mother’s grave, escaping the torment of bullies who call her “turtle girl.” One night, she encounters Valentine, a mysterious Vampire Prince. Their connection deepens, but her life takes a dark turn when a rogue vampire attacks her on campus. To save her, Valentine turns her into a vampire, unknowingly creating a rare hybrid. North awakens with enhanced abilities and newfound confidence, but her unstable powers and hybrid nature put her in danger. Valentine becomes her guide, helping her navigate her new existence, but their growing bond defies ancient vampire laws. As the Vampire Council deems her a threat, a human faction called The Ascendants, an underground organisation bent on taking out Vampires, target her, seeking to use her blood to create superhuman soldiers. Amid rising tensions, The Ascendants infiltrate her college and attempt to abduct her. Forced to confront her dual identity, North must embrace her hybrid powers to protect herself and those she loves. In a climactic battle, North destroys the Ascendants' leader and their serum, saving both vampires and humans. Gravely injured, Valentine’s fate compels her to make a choice: she asks him to transform her into a full-blooded vampire to secure her place in his world. Though the Vampire Council allows her to live, they keep her existence under strict watch, marking the beginning of her journey as a powerful anomaly in both worlds.

Everyone in New York knew that Don Lorenzo Capone loved his wife dearly. At the height of our love, he shielded me from a bullet that went straight through his chest. The hospital issued eleven critical condition notices. I cried myself hoarse at the door of the emergency room. "Lorenzo, don't you dare die on me, or I'll instantly find a pretty boy to marry and have children with!" He survived the ordeal, and the first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to marry me. After the marriage, he ruled over New York's largest underground empire with an iron fist, but never allowed any woman to get close to him. On our third wedding anniversary, I went to his private dock to give him a surprise. There, I saw him holding a pair of twins, teaching them how to shoot. The man who could kill without batting an eye was looking at the children with eyes full of affection. The children's mother was Elena Tribbiani, the daughter of an arms dealer who was his equal. "Lorenzo, what if Vivian finds out?" Lorenzo dismissed it casually. "A fragile porcelain doll like her is only fit to be displayed in a glass case. Only a she-wolf like you is worthy of bearing my family's cubs." It turned out, what I thought was true love was merely a carefully-woven lie. I did not confront him. Instead, I sent a text message to an FBI special agent. "Agent Smith, I have a list of the arms deal you’re investigating."

"W-What do you want?" "I want to see the girl who saved me. Do you know who I am?" James sharply gazed up at Delilah's blue eyes. Delilah innocently shook her head at him. "From now on, call me, Mr. J." James Harristian, aka James Belgenza, is the mafia leader of Daga Nero, a splinter group of one of the oldest famous mafia families in Naples. Apart from his powerful ruler of the town who controlled the underground weapon industry in Europe, James was also a successful owner of a high-tech motor company. One day, James was deceived into a scam dinner by his mistress. It strived to kill him, but somehow, he escaped. Being trapped in gunshots with his enemy, a flower girl saves James' life from his shameful miserable death. Delilah is a flower girl who runs a small flower shop in an alley in Naples. She thought innocently helping James to get to the hospital without wondering who the man was. When James has another chance to breathe, he does not feel grateful to his savior unless to kidnaps her. Unfortunately, Delilah turns out to be a collateral of her father's debt, which ran off unable to pay. Therefore, he intentionally kept Delilah in his mansion and added more debts to confine her forever. What will happen when the debt is only a scheme to kill James and Delilah is a pawn? Meanwhile, James falls for Delilah, who tries hard to pay her unpaid debt.

Scarlett Louise Santillan, a.k.a. "Red," is the best and most famous assassin of the Wolfgang Creed Organization. She's the rank one. She lived just like a normal businesswoman by day, but by night, she was a dangerous, powerful, badass, fearless, smart, and bravely beautiful woman. No one can match her. She's ruthless and brutal when killing. She kills anyone who gets in her way without mercy. ——————— Lucien Aziel Savedra is a multi-billionaire. He is the owner of Savedra Oil Company, the richest company in the country and Asia. He is known as an arrogant, cold, and heartless man. That's what most people know because that's what they see in him, but the truth is, Lucien doesn't want to show his true self to others. That was his father's order. Moreover, they are a rich family in all of Asia. They have many enemies, and they should not be seen as weak. Not only that, Lucien didn't know that his father was a member of the underground society. ——————— After Red accomplished her mission, her boss called her for the next job. She thought her mission would follow the same routine, but she was wrong. His boss gives her a new assignment. A mission she never thought would be given to her will be accepted. Her mission is to protect and be the maid of an arrogant billionaire. What happened to Red when she was with the man? How will she protect the man when a lot happens that she didn't expect? Will she be able to survive the mission to protect and guard him? Or, for the first time, will she give up on her mission?

“We need help,” The man supporting the other up said roughly, voice strained like he’d been screaming. “Are you a doctor?.” He hefted the slumped man up and said, “He’s been shot.” “Y-yes,” Gianna managed to choke out, but she had to lean on a nearby wall as she saw the gun. And it was aimed at her. The third man, snapped out, “You save him. Now.” “The clinic isn’t--” “Now!” The man thundered, gesturing down to the gun. “Or I’m not going to be heartbroken about emptying a bullet into you.” *** *** Their worlds were never meant to collide. He was the boss of the Mariposa Mafia after all, he was ruthless, insane, cunning, the shadow king of the underground… he had no time for love. But somehow that all changes the first time Dante laid his eyes on the beautiful doctor coerced with a gun to her head to save their boss’s life. For Gianna, the rules for being a doctor in gang territory were simple: keep her clinic open at all costs, treat her patients with care, watch out for her rebellious little brother, Giovanni, and most of all, avoid the thugs. The last thing she expected was to get caught up in a gang war, or to find herself falling for Mariposa’s leader himself, Ferrari Dante. And in a world where rules are everything, sometimes breaking them can mean the end of everything, like helping Dante. That is, if her heart doesn't kill her first. Dante never fathomed he would... care, so much about her, about anyone. Or maybe it’s deeper than just caring as Gianni shows him a whole new perspective to the world. .

Tied to a chair, it scraped against the concrete as Victor struggled. "Damn it, lady, I’ll give you this—you’ve got balls that even some men lack." he smiled, blood dripping from his mouth. Celestina pulled back the slide, the metallic click echoing in the quiet room as a bullet locked into place, ready to fire. She Pressed the gun to his head, "Are those your last words?" she asked coldly. ....................... How do you find peace when you're married to chaos itself? You don't. You become chaos. What would you do if your husband who murdered you and slaughtered your family proposed marriage again, and didn't recognize you? For Aria D'Amore, the answer is simple: marry him again, and make him pay for every drop of blood. When Aria is forced into a peace-treaty marriage with her family's enemy, she believes the war is over. Instead, Dante Vallenis uses their wedding celebration to massacre every D'Amore, making her watch before ordering her execution. She survives, barely, and "dies" in the eyes of the world. Eight years later, she returns as Celestina Vale, the mysterious Mistress of The Graveyard, an underground network that controls the Italian mafia through secrets and assassinations. When she manipulates her way into marrying Dante again, he doesn't recognize the stranger he's obsessed with controlling. But as she systematically destroys his empire from within, she falls for his uncle Adrian, the one man who tried to save her that night, and the one man who harbors a secret that could shatter everything she's built. So what will it be, love or revenge?

“What could I possibly use you for?” Don Antonio asked as he walked towards her. He lifted her chin, his gray eyes staring deep staring into hers burning with a mixture of curiosity and desire. He immediately left her chin and snapped his fingers. He had an idea. “If you are willing to be my companion for three years, I'll let your father go.” Her eyes widened at the sound of the word “companion”. The word tasted like hell. “I’m willing.” Giulia knew fully well that she was walking into hell, but did she really have a choice? Her father, Ricardo Moreau, a compulsive gambler, accumulated debt after losing big in one of Antonio's underground casinos and was locked up. She couldn't bear to see her father locked up and offered herself in exchange for him. Antonio made life unbearable for her, and at some point, she felt the urge to run away, but how possible was that? Giulia decided to stay calm and constantly reminded herself that it was only for three years. She was both physically and mentally abused. At some point, Antonio begins to look at Giulia in another way; he begins to see a side of her that he had never seen before, and Giulia, on the other hand, begins to fall for a man whom she had considered her enemy. Things then begin to get complicated when the boss of a rival Mafia family asks for Giulia in exchange for a deal. Will Antonio hand Giulia over to his rival, or will he do everything within his power to keep her safe? Will they put away the hate from the past and let their love blossom? Or will they break up when the contract expires, leaving their passion behind?