"Did you think you could run from me, doll? Or is this just your way of testing me?" After being abandoned by her family, being sold by her godmother was the last thing Iris Paulman expected. Raised in a church in a small town, Iris's world was one filled with faith and innocence. But when her godmother put her up for sale to clear her pending debt, Irish life takes a drastic turn. What happens when ruthless mafia lord Damon Vyon decides to buy her?
Iris's POV
I always knew that Mimi Teresa liked me. Not loved, no, no. Just liked me, liked having me around and passing me off like one of her shiny little trinkets. That weird but fascinating thing she owned.
Yes, that's how my godmother always saw me.
Teresa Paulman or Mimi Teresa as I called her, mostly because she didn't want me to call her Mom as she believed she was still too young to be a mom-she's 53, and I couldn't call her Aunt because, well I just never did. Well, she has been my godmother since I was six years old when my parents decided to abandon me on her doorstep.
I can't remember why as it's been 13 years since then and I've been living with her ever since then. My name is Iris, Iris Paulman, I took Mimi's last name.
Life wasn't always great or horrible either growing up with her. We lived in this fairly large but very old and somewhat empty apartment, in the slightly better part of Harlem. It had three rooms, all of them old and falling apart.
One was mine, one was Mimi's, and the other was a room she kept all her treasures. 80s stuff; old paintings, old flashy clothes, letters, perfume bottles, and a slipping memory of being once famous, that's if the stories she constantly bragged off to me were real.
Mimi wasn't very present in my life, I mean she was there because she had nowhere else to be. Spending her days smoking pot and watching reality TV but she did give me what she could, though I never knew how. Mimi never worked.
I always wondered why but she never told me. Well, today I found out.
You see, living with Mimi was like living with walking bipolar. You couldn't predict what would happen each day, just like today.
I couldn't predict that after living with her as basically my only family for all my life, something like this would happen. I couldn't predict that ever.
"You did....what?"
"Seriously Iris, If you can just understand you'd be able to know why I'm doing this."
"I can't believe this," I said. I couldn't. Was this a joke? Did she forget to take her pills again? "You can't be serious."
"I don't know why you're acting like this-"
"You're selling me off! What...what the hell, Mimi? You can't do that!"
It was a random and cold afternoon in Harlem, New York. I did not expect to come back from my below-minimum-wage job, tired and hungry only for this always half-drunk woman to tell me that I was...she was...
"Jesus.."
"Don't call him into this, he blessed this decision."
"Why would you do this?" My eyes were getting itchy at this point.
She just straight-up told me she was selling me off to pay her debt. Not just that, she was selling me off into a mafia.
What mafia? How did she get affiliated with the mafia?
"It's going to favor you if you look at it the right way," she said, walking over to me, her beads and old jewelry jingling as she came closer, "Imagine turning out to be the mafia lord's favorite girl. Think of all the good stuff you'll get."
"Mimi...what are you even saying?" My green gaze traveled to her wrinkled face. I know she wasn't joking, she made the phone call in front of me. Telling a certain 'Mickey' that I was ready for pick up.
"Irine..." Her hand traveled to my face as she looked at me. Irine. She sometimes calls me when she's drunk or a little high. Maybe, she was and this was just a misunderstanding-
"You owe me."
"What?"
"You owe me, Pretty girl."
"What.. what do you mean-"
"Oh come off it," her hands went to my hair and the grip became tighter. "I took you in and for all these years, I took care of you."
She seemed to hold it tighter.
"I gave you food, clothing, and a roof over your pretty head. I asked for nothing in return.
I mean, did you think I was Mother Theresa or something?" She chuckled, "You owe me this, okay?" She was nodding now like she wanted me to follow, to understand that she had a right to do this.
"You're not going to do this to me." I yanked myself away from her. "You don't want me to do this."
She shrugged, running her wrinkled hand through her bleached wispy hair. "You wanna run away? Go ahead." She smirked, "It's the fucking Mafia, sweetie. They know you're my payment for all my debt, they're gonna find you. You're their property now."
...What?
****
It didn't take up to an hour for me to realize that I wasn't daydreaming and Mimi wasn't high or just joking. An hour later there was a knock on our door, it was sharp, it was abrupt, and just twice.
Mimi hurriedly opened the door and in came two men, dressed in black and with stoic expressions on their handsome faces. They didn't even bother to greet Mimi who was smiling awkwardly.
"Iris Paulman?"
"There she is." Mimi immediately gestured to me and I stood there, the tears I held in already spilling down my cheeks. I trembled under the gaze of the men as they approached me, they stopped right in front of me, went to my side, and gestured for me to walk out of the house.
I did, not looking back at Mimi, not daring to.
Outside the house was a jet-black SUV already waiting. I gestured inside and they did this without touching me again.
As I settled into the plush seats, the thought of escaping crossed my mind again. I kept thinking about how I could just jump out of the car or trick them or something. Those thoughts however stopped when I looked down in front of me.
Guns. Guns of different sizes Arranged in the back of the driver seats and passenger seats, in front of me.
"Oh..my God.." were they going to kill me?
My heart jumped as the car started moving, the windows closing and the two just sat at my side, not saying anything.
"Where...where are you taking me?"
They didn't answer.
"Are you going to kill me?"
That's when one of them turned. "You're now the property of Don Damon Vyon. If we so much as touch you, we'll be dead."
I tried to process the words they said, but they sounded distant and muffled. "Property of Don Damon Vyon?" What did that even mean?
Whatever it meant, I didn't like it one bit.
The guns, the silence, the ominous tone, all screamed danger.
As the SUV navigated through the darkening streets, my mind began racing.
I thought of escape plans, but each of them formed in my head dissolved as I noticed each of the windows was tinted, and the doors seemed to be locked from the outside.
One of the men, his face expressionless, turned to me. "We will be arriving soon. I suggest you make peace with whatever demons haunt you. Because your life will never be the same." He announced.
Ava Grayson and Luke Carter get thrown together by a marriage of convenience schemed by their parents. What happens when Ava finds out that her one-night stand is her soon-to-be husband's cousin and Luke's Ex showing up with twin babies on his wedding day? Find out in the book...
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
"I, Erika Blackwood, stand before you, Alexander Robertson, with a heavy heart. I hereby reject you as my mate. The bond we once shared has grown fragile, and my soul yearns for a different path. May you find solace in the love of another, and may we both find the happiness we seek." Alexander didn't say a word and looked at me. But he refused to accept. *********** Erika Blackwood is the next Alpha in line of the Ironclaw Pack. She hides her identity and gets mated to the Alpha of the Moonforest Pack, Alexander Robertson. Three years passed, but Alexander is still unwilling to let go of his childhood sweetheart. Erika is mistreated and eventually framed by the same childhood sweetheart. Now she leaves with that humiliation, and goes back to her pack, swearing vengeance on those who hurt her. They all waited for her to return and beg, but what happens when they realize that the famous Ironclaw Pack that was going to help in the rogue war, was ruled by a woman named, Erika Blackwood. Now her Ex mates want her back. Other Alphas want this woman.. But will she accept any of them? Or will she stay independent forever?...
Caught in a web of betrayal, Nicole's life shatters in a single evening when her mother-in-law, Veronica, sets her up in an elaborate scheme. Blindsided, Nicole faces her husband Taylor's cold rage as he casts her out of his life and home, accusing her of infidelity and theft. As she tries to defend herself, her best friend, Sarah, adds another blow by denying their loyalty. "Please, Taylor, you have to believe me!" Nicole pleads, her voice breaking, but his icy response is a dagger to her heart. "I don't hate you, Nicole," he sneers. "I despise you." When Nicole reveals she's pregnant, she hopes for compassion, but it only fuels Veronica's determination to rid the family of her. After signing the divorce papers, a dejected Nicole wanders alone, where a brutal attack leaves her bleeding, helpless, and desperate to protect her unborn child. Six years later, Nicole returns from the ashes to inflict seven times the pains upon those who humiliated her and left her to die. "I'll make them pay so dearly that they'd regret ever been born!" She declares. This is a story of romance and revenge you don't want to miss!
My marriage to Mathias was supposed to make me the happiest woman in the world. Although I knew he didn't love me, I thought he would fall for me once I showered him with all the love I had to give. Five years passed and Mathias still didn't give a damn about me. Instead, he met his true love and cut all ties with me because of her. He showed her off; something he never did for me. His abandonment pushed me into depression. I was broken in every sense of the word. Even on my deathbed, my so-called husband didn't come to say goodbye to me. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn. I was still Mathias's wife and it was two months before he met his true love. In this life, I refused to be hurt by him again. After talking some sense into my head, I asked him for a divorce in other to escape being heartbroken like I was previously. Mathias tore up the divorce papers time and time again while also shutting me down. "Rylie, stop all this nonsense! Playing hard to get doesn't work anymore!" To show him that I was dead serious, I went ahead to file for divorce. Only then did he panic. He abandoned the "woman of his dreams" and came to my side. "Please give me a second chance, Rylie. I promise to do right by you. You'll be the only woman in my heart from now on. Don't leave me, okay?" A war broke out in my mind after this apology. On one hand, I didn't want to be hurt again. And on the other, I didn't want to let go of the man I loved so dearly. What should I do?!
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!