Watching Arcane Ao3

In the gritty heart of Duskville, where shadows hide the crimes no one wants to see, Detective Jackson Reyes works like a ghost—unflinching, relentless, and alone. Scarred by a childhood spent watching his mother suffer at the hands of a cruel man, Reyes learned early that justice doesn’t come easily. So he became it. When Lena, a young woman trapped in a world of coercion and violence, walks into his station and tells the truth no one else will hear, something shifts. As Reyes digs deeper into the criminal underworld controlled by Riko and his men, Lena becomes more than a witness—she becomes a reason. A reason to keep fighting. A reason to believe healing might be possible, even for someone like him. ______ Content Warning: This story contains themes and depictions of sxual assult, r*pe, non-consensual acts, gr*oming, sx traffcking, and dr*g use. Reader discretion is strongly advised. These topics are part of the narrative and may be distressing or triggering for some individuals. Please take care while reading.

She thought he was a spoiled, cold billionaire. He thought she was just a waitress. Neither of them expected the chaos that would follow. When tough, independent Lena Carter crosses paths with Rafael Blackthorne—an infuriatingly arrogant billionaire known for his playboy reputation—sparks fly, tempers flare… and everything changes. After offering her a job that pulls her into his elite world, Rafael quickly realizes Lena is unlike anyone he’s ever met. She challenges him, grounds him, and sees through the walls he’s built. But behind his wealth and power lies a man scarred by a distant family and buried secrets. And behind her strength, Lena hides a past that refuses to stay buried—especially when a dangerous ex resurfaces, watching from the shadows. As the two fall into a whirlwind of passion, luxury, and vulnerability, they’ll have to decide: will love be enough to protect them from what’s coming? Because in Rafael’s world, trust is currency… And someone’s about to cash it in.

I was the prime suspect in the notorious murder of my parents-in-law in Cardinal City. The one who arrested me was my wife—Linda Reese, the police chief. While the verdict was still pending, the killer struck again. The new victim was murdered with the same savage cruelty. Linda knelt before me, begging me to tell her the truth. I told her I didn’t know. The victims’ families screamed, demanding that I be carved into pieces. Three months later, Linda found me beside a garbage bin, bringing with her a memory-decoding device. Her hands trembled as she pressed two thin needles into my temples. “I’m sorry, Finn. I know you’re not the killer. I just want this slaughter to end. I don’t want anyone else to die. Let everyone see your memories—let them see what really happened back then.” But when she finished watching my memories, she collapsed to the ground, utterly broken, and fell to her knees.

Serena Miller is a young capable woman who strives to be something but is haunted by past. Raised by an adopted family who sees her as nothing but a tool, Selena views the world as a reflection of her past, beneath every smile is an agenda and behind every helping hand comes a chain. By fate, she saves a dying old man, Duncan Tate who is the patriarch of one of the most powerful elite families. He names her as his granddaughter Selena Tate bringing Selena into a world she could only dream about. Selena must learn to survive the world of the elite, amongst filial betrayals, masked enemies, schemes and even terrors from her past. And watching closely from the shadows is a cold and ruthless heir, Damian Montalvo, with ties to Selena than she could ever imagine. When long buried truths begin to surface, betrayals strike from within and forbidden feelings develop between two heirs, will Selena choose love and survival or will she choose to bring it all down?

“Louder,” he said while watching me like a predator ready to strike, “I-I belong to you,” I stuttered while swallowing the lump formed in my throat. “To?” he gritted his teeth, “Nikolai Vasiliev,” *** Nikolai Vasiliev, the most feared and respected don of the Russian mafia. He was known as the ruthless king of the mafia whose world revolves around blood and lust. Love is forbidden to him as he promised himself not to love again. Juliana Mitchell, a brave, stubborn, hardworking and beautiful woman leaving her normal life, dreaming to find her happily ever after. All her life she was constantly reminded that she’s useless and ugly compared to her younger sister which made her doubt herself all the time. One encounter with the Russian don changed her life completely, pulling her into a web of lies, manipulation and pure torture. She’s ready to do anything to get away from his clutches but the question is, Will he let someone walk away from him the second time?

She was born into the mafia. He swore he’d never love anyone from it. Gild Leoni knows how to survive in a man’s world—smart, fearless, and trained by her mafia father to fight, think, and win. But when she sets eyes on Alexandro Campania, the cold, dangerously handsome heir to the most feared mafia in Italy, her heart makes a choice her head can’t stop. The problem? Alexandro has vowed to marry only a woman who knows nothing about the mafia life. So Gild does the unthinkable. She becomes someone else—sweet, innocent, ordinary. A flower girl with a fake name and a perfect smile. Now, she’s playing the most dangerous game of her life—falling for a man who can never know who she really is. But Alexandro is already watching her. Intrigued. Drawn in. Addicted. And if he finds out the truth… He won’t just walk away. He might destroy them both.

I woke up in the past, on the eve of being traded by my family to that controlling mafia Don. Last life, his suffocating “love” and rigid rules strangled me to death. This time, watching my father’s eager face, I just smiled. “The engagement? Give it to your precious illegitimate daughter.” I walked away. Using the skills he forced me to learn, I secured my escape. On the day of his wedding to my replacement, I boarded a plane far from this gilded hell. Just before leaving, I pressed a button. The family mansion—the symbol of my old prison—erupted into a fireball behind me. Now, I’m thriving under the Mediterranean sun, free and wild. The once-untouchable Don is scouring the globe for me, unraveling. He found me at an airport, fell to his knees, his eyes desperate, begging me to come back. I lowered my sunglasses and looked at this stranger, my ex-fiancé, my voice utterly calm. “Do I know you?”

Framed for her father’s murder and betrayed by the people she loved, Nina Davies loses everything: her family, her freedom, and her identity. Left for dead in a fiery explosion, she survives but is mistaken for another woman, Lauren Hilton, a wealthy lawyer with a distant husband, Drew, and a neglected child. Given a chance to reclaim her life, Nina assumes Lauren’s identity, determined to uncover the truth and take back what was stolen.   But Drew is watching her closely. His wife was once cold and indifferent, so why is she suddenly passionate, fierce, and unlike the woman he married? As their marriage rekindles with unexpected desire, Nina finds herself torn between revenge and the man whose love she was never meant to have.   With her past threatening to expose her, Nina must play the most dangerous game of all: fooling the man who now holds her heart while uncovering the truth that could set her free, or destroy her for good.  Which would she choose? Read and find out.

Twenty-one-year-old Hazel has always lived in a safe, comfortable bubble, meticulously guarded by her fiercely protective older brother. Her life is predictable, quiet, and perfectly ordinary. Until he steps into it. Silas is twenty-four, dangerously captivating, and her brother’s best friend. He brings with him an aura of dark secrets, ink-stained skin, and a predatory gaze that strips away all her carefully built defenses. He is everything she has been taught to avoid, yet living under the same roof makes him impossible to escape. What starts as a temporary living arrangement quickly spirals into a suffocating web of stolen glances, unspoken desires, and a dangerous obsession. Silas isn't just looking for a place to crash; he's looking at her. And once he pins her in his sights, the thorns of their forbidden attraction will bind them together in ways that could destroy them both. In a house where walls have ears and her brother is always watching, giving in to the madness is a risk. But Silas is a temptation she might not survive.

He killed my father. Then he married me. On our wedding night, Alessandro Romano handed me a gun. "Shoot me, or let me fuck you like you're mine.”I should have pulled the trigger. Instead, I let him tear my dress off. Let him back me against the door. Let him put his fingers inside me while he whispered every filthy thing he wanted to do to my body. I came so hard I saw stars. Then I found the police report. Proof he murdered my father when I was twelve. Proof he's been watching me ever since. I ran. Got pregnant with his baby. Hide in my stepbrother's house. Big mistake. Now the monster who gave me the best orgasm of my life is hunting me down. And my body won't stop remembering how good his hands felt on my throat.