• This story is Book III of The Heir's Secrets [Mafia Games 1] • Ready to take on the world of medicine, Mykaela is forced to confront the secrets of her past while fearing the possibility of losing her best friend Miles, the heir to a wealthy and secretive Italian vampire clan. To keep Mykaela safe, Miles Falco must choose his future and risk it all with the Falcos or find a one-way ticket out of the perilous mafia life he's always hated. Lorenzio Tomassini is a shrewd, wealthy businessman with ties to the Italian mafia. After a death in their clan, he pursues a quiet life in America as his brother faces prison time for orchestrating heinous crimes in Italy. When a public health crisis hits major cities, Mykaela and Lorenzio struggle with the demands of their careers as the wrath of the Italian and Russian mob lurks in the shadows. Will their families' ongoing turf war tear them apart? Or will their love turn into nothing but a marriage of convenience? × GENRES: Contemporary Romance / Mafia / Vampire × MATURE readers only! ◆ cover design: mxian [DISCLAIMER: The original images on the cover are not mine.]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2022
by M Xian
Scenes, characters, dialogues and events in this story are all invented.
This story contains mature themes, profanity, graphic violence and graphic sexual content not intended for young readers.
Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this story or plagiarism of any kind is prohibited by the law.
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This is the first draft of Book III of The Heir's Secrets, my first mafia romance story.
Like the sequel, this is also written in 1st person narrative. If you've come this far and have read Book I and Book II, thanks a million!
❤ Your continued support and interest in my stories is what keeps me going.
For the new readers' sake, the first few chapters (all free!) contain scenes from the first two books in this mafia romance series to provide some context and background info on the main characters' relationships.
Some chapters in this book contain Italian dialogue [but not pivotal to the plot]. Translations are written inside brackets [ ].
Buckle up, friends! Enjoy Book III!
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Main Characters
• • • • • • • •
• Mykaela "Kel" Leviste Nielsen
• Lorenzio "Enzo" Russo Tomassini
• Maximiliano "Miles" / "Maxim" Cruza Falco
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P R E V I E W
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• E N Z O •
After decades of living with my family's dark secrets, I settled with the fact that a future with her just isn't possible. Nothing but a selfish wish.
Yet I held onto hope. No matter what they all thought, no one else in this world could fill this dull, hopeless void I've tried to accept as my fate for being a Tomassini.
The first time we kissed, I knew I was done for. She's my kryptonite.
It's almost insane. How much I want her. How much I miss her. How much she makes me wish for a better future for us.
I knew forever was too much to ask--I didn't need to hear why. Besides her stubborn feelings for her best friend, I always knew she wouldn't stay. And I don't blame her.
It just pains me to think that the only woman I ever wanted this much is the one who could tear my whole family apart.
Falling for the enemy's daughter...
Putting my own brother in prison...
Betraying my flesh and blood...
I broke every single one of the clan's rules.
They all think I'm just a self-centered bastard and Mykaela should keep out of my chaotic life. But I don't care anymore. I just want her.
I would give up everything. Do anything it takes. I'll make her believe in us again. Make her see the whole picture.
I need to make her choose me.
•
• K E L •
We're just not meant to be.
The quiet, normal, happy life I wanted and dreamed for us... It was just that. A dream. Too good to be true.
It's not entirely his fault. My life and priorities were to blame, too. The fact that monogamy wasn't his thing didn't help, either.
Then again I always knew. I should've known better than to give it my all.
My dreams. My heart. My soul. For him, I would've done anything. I was about to put my entire career on hold just to make him happy.
Then other things got in the way. Bigger, messier, life-threatening circumstances. Now it's all clear as day: a real marriage with him--just out of the question.
Yet my broken heart still wants to try. Give it another shot. Test fate and everything else. Idiotic, but, my heart never really listened to logic and common sense. It's no longer a matter of right or wrong.
It's crazy and stupid to take such a huge risk. To challenge everyone and everything telling me to face reality and move on... But I just can't imagine a life without him.
I want Enzo back. I miss him. I need him. Our love deserves another chance.
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• M I L E S •
This world deserves to go down in flames.
I'm no hero by any means. My crimes warrant lifelong punishment, in fact. But these idiots had it coming. There's just one too many selfish, corrupt bastards who refuse to acknowledge right from wrong. Including my family of wealthy crooks.
So I pushed my best friend away. For good. It's time I learned to live without her.
Kel doesn't need me anyway. Not anymore. She needs a better future. A better life. Somewhere far and quieter than mine.
I'm nothing but a disappointment and years of baggage she can do without. A quiet, normal married life in New York suits her better. Being with someone like me would only get her and her family killed.
Or I just need a better shrink to "fix" me and my brain, like Mamma said.
Removing the Tomassinis from the face of the Earth remains one of my priorities. But for Kel's safety and happiness, Lorenzio can stay off my hitlist.
Unless he makes her cry. Or he does some stupid shit that puts her and her family at risk.
We made a deal. I've given him enough chances.
If he breaks his word or her heart, I'd gladly introduce him to his God. My guns won't be necessary. Won't be the first time, either.
I got nothing left to lose. I already sold my soul.
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"He's the love of my life. My white knight. My savior. Until he wasn't anymore." • "I still want her. I can't keep living in this cruel, ruthless world if I can't have her. I'll do anything to get her back." • • • Erian Božic is a successful businessman and underboss wrestling with the demons of his past and living a double life since losing his wife. After spiraling into depression, he meets Dayn, a compassionate young woman who sees him at his worst. Unable to forget Dayn, Erian tracks her down years later, convinced that she's his only chance at a real future. But Dayn knows Erian is a menacing, broken man with ties to violence. When family problems force her to seek help from him, Dayn agrees to give Erian the future he's always wanted. A passionate night together sparks something new, and Dayn agrees to be his wife. But their marriage isn't smooth-sailing at all. A recovering addict, Erian has been busy making money all year, completely oblivious to her plans. He's always ignored their issues. Until one fateful night when Dayn musters up the courage to tell him she wants a divorce. She walks out on him, leaving him shocked to his core. They're better off without each other. They're just not meant to be. She will be safer if she stayed away from him and his wealthy, influential family. Before she could welcome in a new day without him, something forces her back to Erian's house, where Dayn finds him drowning to death in their pool. Is it suicide? Or murder? [ TW: This book includes descriptions of coercion, domestic abuse & violence, and other NSFW content not intended for young readers. ]
He is the son of a mafia boss. She is someone he never expected to meet and fall for, but she complicates his life when her existence becomes a threat to his family's empire. . . . 24-year-old receptionist and college dropout Seraphine "Sephie" Azur meets Dominico Tomassini on her boss' superyacht. Dominico is her secret crush, the heir of an Italian banker and real estate mogul. During a party thrown by the Tomassinis, a violent incident thrusts Seraphine into his family's web of secrets. When Dominico is forced to take Seraphine to Florence to keep an eye on her, he ensures her safety and lends her money while they live together as part of a clandestine agreement. After long, painful months of pining for his love, Seraphine abandons her end of the deal, desperate to find freedom and true love. Will she escape the Tomassini heir's tenacious grip and get her own life back? Or will her stubborn feelings for Dominico keep her trapped in his messy, dangerous life? [Crime / Romance]
• BILLIONAIRE / ROMANCE / MAFIA • 18+ ONLY • They say "Home is where the heart is". Eilyn Han, heiress to a billionaire's empire, would beg to differ. Her artistic, free-spirited nature wouldn't let her fall prey to the allure of corporate greed. But she is still a Han. And no matter what, family comes first. Unfortunate news about her brother forces Eilyn back to Manila. When Axell—her mysterious new escort—decides to take over, his choices thrust her into a perilous web of vengeful mobsters and clan secrets. • A bodyguard by profession, Axell seeks new opportunities as he rebuilds his life in Manila after a messy past. To support his family, he cuts a deal with Mr. Han, a billionaire—a deal that threatens Axell's life and could endanger his family in Britain. When Axell meets the billionaire's daughter for the first time, fate tests their strengths and entwines their paths with a group of thugs out for blood. Will Axell keep her safe? Or will his dark secrets lead to their doom?
After moving back to New York to pursue her medical degree, Mykaela navigates her way through a dangerous web of lies and family secrets while contemplating a long-distance relationship with Miles, her best friend. Maximiliano “Miles” Falco, an artist turned corporate drone, wants a quiet life away from his family of big-time criminals planning to reign all of Italy. He wants the best for Mykaela—but that means pushing her away so he can deal with his own demons and envious mobsters awaiting his family's downfall. Enzo Tomassini is a businessman whose family of billionaires has teamed up with the Falcos to dominate organized crime in Europe. On the verge of death, he meets Mykaela who changes his perspective on where his life is headed, burdening him with a moral dilemma that leaves him questioning his family's choices. Will their chosen paths grant the desires of their hearts? • Genres: Contemporary Romance, Billionaire, Crime, LGBTQIA+ • Rating: 18+ • This story is the sequel to The Heir's Secrets [Mafia Games XI] •
After moving to Italy, Mykaela pursues a modeling career with Miles Falco's help and a newfound sense of normalcy. All seems well and routine until unforeseen circumstances ruin the illusion and force her back to New York. Miles Falco, an artist enjoying the Italian countryside, must choose between the simple life he loves and being successor to a clan of influential businessmen contending for power in all of Europe. Can he escape his predetermined fate? A life of deceit, chaos, and deadly encounters with the mafia? ◆ PG-15 ◆ Genres: Mafia, Romance, Crime, Mystery ◆ cover design: mxian
Jessiah is a make-up artist aspiring to break into the modeling and beauty industry. She moves to LA when she lands a job at one of the biggest production companies in Hollywood. On her first week on the job, she meets Jenson Ross, a big-deal actor and director with a dark secret only a privileged few know about. × Genres: Contemporary Romance, Werewolf, Crime, Drama × Rating: PG-15 EXCERPT: EXCERPT from BOOK I _ _ _ "Dollface," he murmured with a little smirk. Now his hand gripped her forearm. He snickered when she only kept staring, then pulled her closer to hug her. "You're like an antidepressant, in human form." The utter surprise paused her breathing. She couldn't pull away. Her heartbeat sped up when he hugged her tighter. His warm face pressed onto the side of her neck, his hand lightly squeezing her hip. His beard scraped her skin, his thighs touched hers, and she felt like he was kissing her neck. Shit. He was no longer thinking straight. Perhaps unaware of the consequences of his actions. It was moments like this that worsened her intense attraction to him. The flirty jokes, the easy conversations, the small smiles, his furtive glances, and his unusually sweet gestures lately just convinced her she was definitely in deep trouble. Amid her loud thoughts, he pulled her closer whenever she pulled away. Her breathing grew shallow while she stared into his eyes. "Dammit," he sighed while he gripped her arms. Then his thumb traced the curve of her neck and shoulder, his touch both gentle and eager. "Why are you always so f-cking beautiful?" "Joss—" "What?" he muttered while stroking her cheek. He wasn't acting drunk or just playing with her. Otherwise he wouldn't let it get this far. "You want me to stop?" _
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Veronica is an eighteen-year-old omega who falls into an emotional breakdown when her Mate, who was soon to be the Alpha of the Sun crest pack, turns against her, hurls hurtful words at her, and rejects her on the night of the full moon festival because he and everyone in the pack, including her, thinks she is an omega. As if the pain of rejection, helplessness, and worthlessness wasn't enough, she lost her best and only friend to the cold hands of death when rogue wolves attacked their pack. Right in the presence of her mate, she was tagged as someone who always attracted problems and calamities anywhere she went and he turned a blind eye and watched as she was banished from the pack. With hatred for her life, she runs deep into the woods that were off-limits and jumps off to end her life, but in a turn of events, something else happens. What would her mate do when he finds out that Veronica is not who he thinks she is? Will she be able to forgive him? What fate lies ahead for them?
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.