Underneath The Mango Tree

“I am betrothed to marry you…” Esmé mumbled, shivering from her shoulders down her spine. Maybe it was because her clothes were soaked from the rain or the cold stare that the man was grazing towards her—piercing, cold, and judging. "You’re sexy underneath those already-drenched clothes. I could understand if you wanted to tempt me. But you’re crazy enough to tell me you’re marrying me,” he said with a smirk. She never thought she’d be on her knees in front of any man, crying and begging for him to take her in. Left with no options but to beg for shelter at the hands of the most dangerous mafia in their city, Esmé lets go of shame and pride just to talk to the man who is promised to her. With no parents to support her claim that she is betrothed to the billionaire mafia praised by many, she only has her words which he labeled as lies. But Esmé won’t give up that easily, especially when she has dedicated her life to honor her parent’s words before they were assassinated. It was then that Esmé knew she had to stay alive to avenge her parent’s death. But nothing comes easy, especially when it’s a forced marriage to a man who doesn’t want her. By virtue of courage, trust, and seduction—Esmé will go to the depths of hell just so she’ll get his attention, devotion, love... and never let her go.

Four years ago, Harper Lane swore she’d never fall for a hockey player—especially not him. Logan Shaw was everything she promised herself to avoid: arrogant, talented, and allergic to anything resembling feelings. Back in freshman year, he was the rising star of Hartwell University’s hockey team. She was the quiet girl who saw through the charm and walked away before he could bruise her pride. Now it’s senior year, and Logan is co-captain of the team, living in the infamous Ice House where parties, hookups, and rivalry rule. He’s got NHL scouts watching, his best friend as captain, and a reputation that keeps him safely unattached. He likes it that way—until Harper steps back into his world, no longer the shy girl he remembers. She’s confident, smart, and infuriatingly composed—President of her sorority and laser-focused on grad school. Harper doesn’t have time for Logan’s games. But when campus tradition forces their worlds to collide, the line between old tension and new desire starts to melt. What begins as banter and rivalry turns into something that neither of them planned—and something Logan isn’t sure he deserves. Because breaking the ice between them means letting her see the cracks underneath the surface. And Harper knows that once she lets him in, there’s no going back. It’s the last year, the last chance, and maybe, just maybe, the last time they can pretend not to care.

Amelia, a struggling single mother, dreams of providing a better life for herself and her 4-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Unbeknownst to Amelia, Phoebe carries the blood of a unique creature inherited from her gay father, Dave. Haunted by nightmares featuring werewolves and other underworld creatures, Amelia longs to escape the city and find solace in her own home. One serene Sunday afternoon, Amelia finds herself drifting to sleep beneath the shade of a magnificent tree near her dream house. Little does she know that Martin, the charismatic leader of the Tikaluna Tribe and a werewolf with a romantic soul, is about to enter her life. Martin is instantly captivated by Amelia's beauty and falls deeply in love with her. As their bond grows stronger, Martin presents Amelia with an enticing offer - a life filled with wealth, power, and love. However, there is a condition: she must leave her daughter behind. Determined to stay with Phoebe, Amelia challenges Martin to abandon his tribe and undergo a ritual that would strip him of his immortality, allowing them to live as mortals together. Meanwhile, the townspeople desperately seek Martin's aid in protecting them from the relentless attacks orchestrated by his rival beast clan. Martin finds himself torn between his duty to his tribe and his love for Amelia. Will Martin sacrifice his immortality for the sake of love? And will Amelia prioritize wealth and power over her daughter's happiness?

Noah Stark was supposed to marry Genevieve’s cousin but was forced into the arms of Genevieve because his future wife's family treated him awfully, like a criminal, and looked down on him as the dirt underneath their boots until they found out who he was. For a moment, Mr. Cornell stared at Noah, and then he looked down at the resume in his hand, it took him a while before the light bulb spiked in his head, and he shouted, “Cease him!” Immediately, a guard fist slammed into Noah's jaw, and another struck him in the face, gashing his lip and causing Leo to scream and cry louder. ‘Glenn,’ Noah thought as his jaw tightened at the sight of his future wife, sensing his only emotion for her was a feeling of annoyance. “A house help… Cousin, your standard has dropped after your husband's death… How can you degrade from a CEO and governor's nephew to this thing right here.” Glenn said, her tone full of disgust. “Can you please stop, Glenn!” Genevieve snapped at her, tired of the constant smug remark from her cousin. “Watch it, Genevieve.” Mrs. Carnell warned her coldly. “My daughter is right. While Glenn is about to get married to the only heir of the Stark family, you are here fooling around with an idler. If word gets out about this, who would want to marry you again? You are already a widow, and now you are sleeping around with a ‘nobody! You should get remarried quickly to save face before any more scandals appear in the press and ruin this family!’”

She was backed up against the tree and I took a branch, breaking it in half to reveal a sharp end, and going straight for his neck. It might not do much, or at least that's what I thought, but it should be enough to get him away from her.To my surprise, he plummeted to the floor. I looked at Illyria and walked towards her like a predator. With my bloodied hands, not sure if it was mine or his blood, I put them on Illyria's collarbone while dragging it up to her neck and ending up in her face, painting it just like the red rose in her hand, while she looked at me with panic in her eyes.“Don't fear me, little rose. I won't hurt you, but next time you decide to run away, make sure you do it without anyone noticing. I have eyes everywhere” I said in a low growl, that sounded even more dangerous than what I usually sound. ~~~~~~Illyria Abbot was meant to choose a husband on her 21st birthday. When her mansion is attacked by rebellious vampires, she barely escapes with her life. Lost in the woods she’s found by Kieran Moore, a brute vampire who will make her life hard while falling in love with her. But there are secrets who will keep testing them and their love. Will they be able to overcome it, or will it be their doom? Author’s Note: This story contains Latin Language. I am using a program that might not be accurate on the translation, so I apologize in advance if the translation is wrong. Thank you for reading this story and enjoy.

A doomsday blizzard hit just before Christmas. The zombie virus exploded. Our fortress was a top-tier ski resort. Now, it was about to fall. My husband, Ethan, was a former Navy SEAL. Our head of security. He swore his defense system was foolproof. The blizzard knocked out the power. But he’d sent all the backup generator fuel to the summit. Just to light up a Christmas tree for Chloe. He even had a few guards up there with them, throwing a party. In my last life, I fought him. I herded everyone into the last bunker. But Chloe whined. A crowded Christmas was boring, she said. She stormed out of the safe room and ran right into the jaws of the horde. Ethan carved a path through the horde to secure the walls. Then he sat in silence, cradling Chloe’s bones. He pretended he wanted to start over with me. He let me get pregnant with his child. The day I gave birth, he knocked me unconscious and dumped me into a nearby zombie nest. He always rescued me just before I died. He’d inject me with a serum that kept me from turning. Nineteen times, he threw me to the zombies. I died in agony as they tore the flesh from my bones. "If you hadn't sabotaged my defenses," he’d hissed, "if you hadn't crashed our party and led the horde right to us, Chloe would still be alive!" I opened my eyes. I was back. Christmas Eve.

Ava Williams has fallen head over heels over her charming prince and best friend, Axel. So imagine her disappointment when she realizes her fated mate isn't Axel, but that one playboy in her school named Hunter Ysrael, the future alpha of a rival pack! 19 year old Hunter Ysrael had always looked down on wolves of her rank. When he discovers his mate was none other than an omega from his rival pack, he couldn't wait to get rid of her. But when Ava proposed to be the first to reject the breathtakingly handsome, god-like future alpha Hunter, he is filled with an unyielding determination and desire to turn the tables and make Ava fall in love with him no matter what. However, it turns out that Ava has other dreams of her own. The night brings surprises not only for Ava but her family tree as well as the structure of the wolves' societal order. As she struggles with finding her true identity and dealing with unexpected extraordinary powers, an evil force from the past comes back to haunt the wolves and to seek vengeance from the werewolf kind. It is said that only a white can save them from those corrosive, dark magic wielding demons, but until now the prophesized white has yet to be found. Everything changes for Ava when she learns her true identity, and the purpose she was made to serve in this cruel world. She has a lot to lose if she does fight but a lot more if she doesn't. A story of divided loyalties, love, magic, and survival.

"I desire you now, beautiful Latifah". The King stated in what I might have thought as a calm but rumbling tone. "Your Grace!". I said, avoiding his gaze,  sobbing in a low, whining, and broken voice. "Look at me!". He ordered, in a husky voice, but I quietly declined, looking elsewhere but his face. "Latifah". He called out, sounding rather agitated this time. "Your Majesty..I fear for my life, should the queen walk in and meet us in this compromising position-". I asked, barely whispering. "I do not give a damn fvck what she thinks or feels". He said, in a rather calm tone, yet so firm it scared me to death. "I want you in my bed withering underneath me as you moan my name". He added. ************ Latifah Lakewood had never known life outside of the palace. Although privileged to have been born in the palace. She was however, raised to serve in the palace all her life, thus, making her life nothing short of sighs, sorrow and sadness.  Over the last century, the evil beast had possessed and dominated the human race, totally annihilating the majority of the population, and enslaving the remnant.  Sadly enough for her, her parents had been counted among the enslaved humans. With the advice of the wise, she must now do everything possible not to draw unnecessary attention to herself, or risk being noticed.  This she ensured until an unfortunate incident happened, altering the course of her life forever. Join me in this ride as we journey into the world of intrigues, suspense and dilemma.

Chloe Salvador a very arrogant and bitchy woman, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Chloe thought that everything will always revolve around her, till she got betrayed by her fiancé Kelvin. He cheated on her with her best friend, out of rage Chloe ran out of the mansion with a broken heart the day she found out about his betrayal and Chloe was met with an accident and lost her life then and there. Chloe transmigrated into a book titled The Alpha is obsessed with his Luna. She can’t believe her luck as she got the role of the villainess who bears the same name as hers. Life truly sucks as destiny isn’t on her side either as Chloe realized that the villainess of the story is wolfless. In the story the villainess is jealous of the Luna. We all know that villainesses are met with a terrible misfortune. The villainess died a miserable death in the hands of the Alpha of the silver moon pack at the end of the story. After reviewing the memories of the previous host Chloe muttered “What the heck? Is he the only man alive? Why do all the bastards think too highly of themselves? he isn’t even my type.” she sneered in distaste. While struggling to survive in an unknown world she met a Lycan Alpha, A rumored killing machine. who won’t leave her alone… (sneak peak) Devin Asgard : “keep dreaming Chloe, I will make you submit to me, I will bend you and wreck your insides till you cry out my name, shivering all over, I will make you squirm underneath me!”

"Are you nervous, Miss Bologna?" What the fuck? Did he just read me? I shifted slightly in my seat. "Detective Gunner, you seem to think you know me. But let me assure you, you don't." He shook his head, an inky black curl moving down his forehead. "I might not know you, Miss Bologna, but all one point two million followers don't know you either." A cocky grin crossed his face, drawing my attention to those damn dimples again. I uncrossed my legs and then crossed them again. "It's a necessary precaution." He held his arms up and shrugged. "And I get that. Being the daughter of the wealthy, powerful, notorious Wall Street guru, Dante Bologna has its downsides, I suppose." I glowered at him from underneath my lashes. "Tell me what you want, Detective Gunner." He tucked his phone back into his pants pocket. "I want you to tell me what the fuck is happening in this city." * * * To Love A Bologna is a four-volume series about the trials, temptations, and heart-burning romance of the Bologna family. | This first volume is focused on Nessa, the last and only daughter of the renowned mafia lord, Dante Bologna, and her love interest, Detective James Gunner who is on a quest to catch and destroy the Bologna family. When detective Gunner discovers the truth about the Bolognas, will he be able to go through with his plans? Or will his stolen heart make the choice for him?