We Own This City

Two weeks before my wedding to Alexander Hayes, he invites his friends over to our small home. During dinner, Alexander keeps groping me, whether intentionally or not. After they finish eating, I overhear their conversation as I clear the dishes and walk past the study. "Alex, Lydia's quite something. I touched her earlier, and her skin's so soft. She nearly pulled my soul out. "If you don't mind, let us guys have some fun with her once she pays off the debt for you. We'll help you cover the cost of whatever Kay wants." Alexander chuckles softly, his voice casual and careless. "Sure, I don't mind. I've been sleeping with her for so long, I'm already sick of her anyway. "Just make sure she doesn't rat us out to my grandpa... Actually, forget it. She's blind anyway, so she won't figure it out." For two years, I've devoted myself completely to taking care of Alexander, yet he's ready to throw me into other men's beds, using my body to settle his debts. I stand silently at the doorway, feeling absolutely nothing. Of course, I know that someone else has been replacing him for a year. The person who holds me close night after night isn't him, and the child in my belly isn't his either.

My grandma and I were on a perfect beach in Golden Bay. The sun warmed my skin, the sand was soft beneath my feet, and she was resting peacefully nearby. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my mind. A mind link. It was Brenda. Assistant to my mate, Gideon, the Alpha Heir. The image she sent was horrifying. An old woman in simple clothes, lying in a pool of her own blood. Deep gashes, down to the bone, from a silver-laced weapon. Brenda's voice echoed in my head, dripping with arrogance. “Cora, do you Omegas do anything but freeload?” “Gideon just bought this estate, and you’re already letting your pack-leeching relatives squat here? As the Alpha’s assistant, it's my duty to protect his land from trespassers.” “This is what happens when you trespass on an Alpha’s private property!” I froze. I looked over at the sun umbrella. My grandma, Maria, was napping peacefully. I replayed the image from the link. My blood ran cold. That face… bloody and broken, but I knew it. I would never mistake it. It wasn't my grandmother. It was Eleonora. Gideon’s grandmother. A rival pack had attacked her months ago. Her wolf was weakened. She was in a pack clinic. Her mind-link was damaged. She could only receive, not send. Today… she was supposed to come home. I pushed back against the link with all my strength. “Brenda, are you insane? Look who you hit! That's Eleonora! Gideon's grandmother!” Brenda cut the link. Her last words were cold and stupid. “Gideon made it clear. Your family is your problem. His family is his. He doesn’t claim trash like them.”

Heart pounding in trepidation, I collected the paperwork from him, and saw “Divorce Agreement” clearly written as the letterhead. “Y-You want a divorce?” I croaked out. “Did I do something wrong?” “The question you should ask is if you've ever done anything right!” Eduardo spat. “Could you at least tell me what I did?” I sniffled. “My true love is back in town, so if you know what's good for you, you’d better sign those papers and leave my house!” He barked before storming out of the room. + Three years ago, Jocelyn Roswell became Eduardo Lopez’s wife. Things go well and they live blissfully as a couple until she has a miscarriage. Eduardo changes toward her and becomes an unrecognizable brute. Upon his ex-girlfriend’s return to the country, Eduardo divorces Jocelyn and chases her out of his life. She leaves, unknowingly pregnant, heartbroken and determined to get her revenge. In a horrible twist of fate, Jocelyn has an accident and almost loses the baby. Five years later, she returns as a confident businesswoman, and Eduardo finds himself desperately yearning for her forgiveness. What happens when Eduardo finds out about their son? Will he ever get a second chance to make things right?

In the third year of our marriage, my wife, Lucy Sloan, asks me to perform a striptease in place of a nightclub host, Oscar Reilly, who loses a dare. She says, "Oscar is too timid. You do it for him!" The crowd erupts in cheers. "Lucy is so generous to let her own husband entertain us!" "I hear Garrett has eight-pack abs! Looks like we are in for a treat." As I listen to the crude remarks around me, I finally break down. In a trembling voice, I say, "Lucy, let's get a divorce..." A glass of red wine splashes straight onto my face. Lucy chuckles mockingly. "The Mueller family has already gone bankrupt. Where could you possibly go without me?" But this time, I am truly exhausted.

In the bustling heart of the city, Aaliyah Winston's life is a whirlwind of bright lights and endless possibilities. But when she crosses paths with Nicholas Walsh, the notorious mafia boss with a heart shrouded in darkness, her world takes an unexpected turn. As passion ignites and danger lurks in every shadow, Aaliyah and Nicholas find themselves caught in a web of intrigue and desire. With rival gangs closing in and secrets threatening to tear them apart, will their love survive the ultimate test?

Leah is back on the family farm in Mozambique, where she meets doctor Sergio Martinez whom she immediately feels attracted to. But Leah is certainly not happy to see that her ex-husband Ralph is also back here. Apparently to complete the dream eco-holiday destination he originally planned, when they were married to each other. What is really uncomfortable is the fact that he wants her back as his wife. He still wants to make a baby with her! Leah acquired a little bit of money after selling her grandmother's house in Pretoria. And Ralph knows about it. He is a dangerous man if he believes there is money somewhere that he can get his hands on. But for some or another reason, Ralph Jameson suddenly has money of his own as well. Did he inherit it from the much older deceased woman he briefly married, after divorcing Leah? Or did he steal it from her while she was still alive? Sergio Martinez is happy with the card life dealt him. He is a veterinarian working for an international company dealing with the relocation and breeding of wild animals for National Parks all over Africa. The lion project, wildlife sanctuary and hospital for injured animals is on a farm neighboring Hurters Retreat. He rents a flat from John Hurter, as he got himself a pet now, an African Wild cat. Gato needs to be kept away from the vet's patients and other threats in the bush. Hurters Retreat felt like a safe haven for his cat and his heart. But suddenly he is not that sure anymore. Why does it feel as if Leah was the woman he waited for all his life. And why did her ex-husband follow her there? Is this the day trouble started in his paradise?

When war orphan Alexei Volkov flees Russia to Belgium, survival means stealing scraps until a mob nearly burns him alive. Rescued by Lucien Devereux, the ruthless Capo of Brussels’ underworld, Alexei is thrust into a world of blood, secrets, and power. Trained as an assassin and spy, he becomes indispensable—until a mystical ring from his uncle in India makes every man who sees him fall hopelessly in love. Soon, the Capo, the Mayor, the Police Inspector, and even the Governor crave for him. Is it love or a curse? And in a city drowning in obsession, who will Alexei choose?

A dragging thirst and hunger for power, a desirous depraved woman, the one and only rightful heir to the throne and ruler for the people, scoundrels of vicious leaders, one crown. Who would be victorious? Fiora was only ten years old when everything was taken from her-her sovereignty, her family, her right to live. The all high and mighty Queen Helen, craftily worked her way into the life of his majesty, King Bard, alongside her twelve year old son. Months later, an unfortunate tragedy struck and claimed the life of the king, making Helen the ruler of the Central City. Her first decree as the queen commanded the banishment of poor Fiora, declaring it to be a punishment for murdering her own father, the late king Bard. The good doings of her late father attracted an uncommon favour as she finds herself in the domain of some good companions who risked their lives daily to inhabit her. Years later, she discovers there was more to her life than hiding in the corners, running from her true responsibilities. For the sake of her survival, along with everyone around her, she must find a way to break free of the invisible chains that encaged her from her true potentials.

Five days before my wedding, a group of MadeMen drag me to an underground casino. "I'm the fiancé of Lorenzo Gambino, Don of the Gambino family and Gambino Corporation! Think of the consequences you'll face if you dare touch a hair on my head!" My stern warning is met by mocking laughter. I curl up in agony under the brutal blows of their baseball bats; they pierce my ankles with sharp blades, severing my tendons. I gather the remnants of my consciousness to shield my abdomen, where my and Lorenzo's child grows. Lorenzo finally arrives with hired mercenaries. He razes the underground casino to the ground and saves me. I lie on the hospital bed and force myself to hang on. I don't want to end up in a coma. Unexpectedly, I overhear Lorenzo's conversation with a doctor. "It's not too late to operate, Boss. If we delay this any longer, Ms. Jones won't be able to stand anymore! There are many other ways for you to marry Ms. Valente—why did you have to do this to Ms. Jones?" "Being crippled is the only way Renee will obediently accept my and Kelly's child. I can keep a cripple by my side but not a troublemaker. Kelly values ceremony more than anything—I promised her I would give her a perfect wedding," Lorenzo says coldly. "But… Ms. Jones is pregnant. She's four months along…" "Make her miscarry, then." Tears stream down my face without anyone noticing. It turns out no one wants to bless the wedding I've been looking forward to. If so, any woman who wants to be Lorenzo's wife can have him. He's just a small mafia boss, anyway. I'm going back to being the heiress of the East Coast mafia's Don. I'll be the queen of my own life.

At seventeen, love feels infinite and endings feel impossible. Arielle never planned to fall in love during her final year of high school. Noah never planned to let his guard down. But when quiet glances turn into late conversations and unspoken feelings surface, they find themselves caught in a connection neither of them is ready to name or walk away from. Set against the fragile edge of senior year, Promises We Made at Seventeen is a slow-burn, dual-POV romance about first love, fear, and the weight of choices made too young to fully understand, yet too deep to ignore. As expectations, rumors, and the future press in, Arielle and Noah must decide whether honesty is worth the risk and whether promises made before adulthood can survive what comes after. Tender, dramatic, and emotionally raw, this story explores what it means to love someone while still learning who you are, and how some promises no matter how small can change the course of a lifetime.