Book One in the Spinelli Chronicles Fiona Higgins' life is shattered when. She uncovers the shocking truth about her family's dark legacy: she's the daughter of a ruthless Mafia king, Don Spinelli. As she fights for her freedom from the Mafia, she's drawn to Kane McGregor, the billionaire who saved her life one fateful night. But as they surrender to their forbidden love, they will risk everything to escape the deadly world that binds them. ★ ★ ★ "If you want a war, I'll give it to you," Kane's blue eyes blazed with intensity. "I won't rest until your father, your brothers, and anyone else in that gang rots in jail for the rest of their natural lives." I let out a slow sigh. "I'm not here to compare firepower; I'm just a businesswoman trying to make a deal." Kane's laughter was low and mocking. "Right, and just to be clear, you're not exactly a skilled 'businesswoman.' I almost took you to my bed, and I'm glad it didn't happen." One of my brows arched. "I'm curious, though, would you?" "Would I what?" Kane asked. I leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Would you still take me to your bed if I wasn't a Spinelli?" The silence that followed was deafening, and I knew I had my answer.
FIONA
"Who is he?" My dad barked, but I pushed my ear closer to my bedroom door. When I was younger, my parents always fought, never shy to raise their voices, but tonight, I could hear the tremble in Dad's tone.
"Lionel, I didn't-" Mom protested.
"...Tell me the truth!" He shouted, cutting her off. I flinched from the echo. "How could you do this to me?!"
I couldn't hear what Mom was saying, but the footsteps in the hallway caused my heart to race. I quickly jumped on my bed and pretended to be asleep.
The door bursts open, and I jolted up as Dad storms inside. His face is red, and tears stream down from the corners of his eyes."Fiona, pack your bags!" He ordered. "You're going to boarding school."
I sat upright, trying to process the news. "What? Why? But... Daddy?"
He pointed a hard finger at me. "Be ready, because we're leaving tomorrow morning."
Tears fell down my cheeks as I struggled to catch my breath. I realized I was being sent away, and also because my mother didn't do anything about it.
We lived in a small town outside New York City; my folks were middle-class, but they could afford to keep me away at a prep school in Boston.
Going home felt like living in hell; I remembered my mom crying after my dad hurt her. He would grab her arm and scream at her until she cried. She didn't try to leave him. She called it love; I called it madness.
Twelve years passed; I'd just graduated from the culinary institute at Boston University and was working at a five-star restaurant in Boston.
"Table nine needs more wine!" The head chef, Donald, barked. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Flinching at the tone of his voice, I nearly dropped the tray of dirty dishes in my hands."I was just returning these." I said, giving the tray to the dishwasher.
Donald's face was red as he thrust the order slip at me. "Get the wine now, Higgins!"
I took the slip and hurried to the wine locker room, and my shoulders slumped in defeat; getting a job as a chef was tougher than I imagined. So I settled for being a waitress, working two jobs and struggling to pay my bills.
I snatched the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the wine rack and hurried out of the kitchen. Tonight all the tables were filled with Boston's rich and famous chatting over dinner plates filled with vegetables and steaks; the good side was the generous tips.
The bad side, however...
"Unbelievable," one of the men at the table sneered. He had tried to cover his bald head with his hair. "The service here is so slow. I should leave a one-star review!"
I smiled sweetly as I uncorked the wine. "I'd leave your hairstylist the same review, because you aren't fooling anyone." I said innocently.
The look on his face was purely comical. His companions struggled not to laugh. The tables around us went silent. I filled the empty glasses with wine.
"Excuse me?" The man demanded in outrage.I set the bottle down with a feeling of satisfaction.
A man on the next table signaled for me.I walked towards him, my lips parted to speak, when he interrupted me.
"Is that any way to speak to a customer?" He asked, his deep blue eyes hinted with amusement. I couldn't help but notice he was attractive, with a well-cut jaw and broad shoulders from working out. I'd noticed him earlier; he'd looked at me too.
But men like him paid no attention to the help. His partner was an elegant blond woman adorned in a red dress with diamond earrings.I realized he was probably controlling when he ordered a three-course meal without asking what his date wanted.
I took a deep breath and ignored his question. "Is there anything else you'd like to order?"
"Just the bill." He replied, meanwhile his deep blue eyes drew lower. My uniform consisted of a skirt and black sheer pantyhose, so naturally, I felt disgusted by his look.
"What time do you get off your shift?" He asked. "I'll need extra company, but I think you'll probably be more exciting than her."
The blond woman drew her hand back and slapped him across the face. My jaw dropped open.
Heads swung in our direction.
"You sick bastard!" The woman hissed at Blue Eyes and charged out of the restaurant.
Blue Eyes remained calm and took out his wallet. "Bring the bill, please."A hand grabbed my arm, and I discovered it was Donald who flashed Blue Eyes a smile.
"Please excuse us." Donald practically dragged me into his office.
I drew my arm away. "Thanks for getting me out of there," I spoke. "You wouldn't believe what that guy-"
"You are incompetent, lazy, slow, and always bad-mouthing customers!" Donald spat at me.
"What? That guy tried to harass me."
"You're fired!"
"But Donald, I didn't do anything-"
"Twice you've been caught in the middle of trouble tonight, Fiona. You think you can just waltz your way into being a top chef? You are nothing!"
I flinched from his cold words.
"Leave your uniform and your ID behind and get the hell out of my restaurant!" Donald barked.He didn't even give me a chance to explain myself. My heart caught in my throat, tears formed in my eyes, but I brushed them away as I left through the back door.
Rain showers poured over my head, and I wrapped my arms around my belly to keep warm. My other job at the fast food restaurant paid even less.
What am I going to do now?
As I walked down the alley with my head bent low, someone brushed past me, causing me to drop my purse.
I swung around angrily.
"Watch it!" I snapped at the person.
It was nearly dark.
Lightning struck, and I realized it was the bald man from earlier. I started to walk away, but he grabbed me by my arm.
"You think you're really funny, huh?!" He growled.I struggled against him, pounding his chest with my fist, but he was too strong.
"Let me go!"
He pushed me against a wall. "Nobody makes fun of me and gets away with it!"
Helpless, he forces me to the ground, his hand clamped over my mouth as I scream. A hard fist lands on my cheek. A wave of pain washed through me, and I saw stars.
He struck me again, and I felt myself being pulled back to the past, to the memories of my dad hurting my mom.
"No!" I wailed through the hand covering my mouth.Then he pulled away. My vision was blurry, but I see another man fighting him off, and then darkness sweeps me away.
The last time Mike and Christine saw each other, one of them walked away with a broken heart. Mike turned around to see her standing in a maroon suit, holding a briefcase, her eyes filled with hurt and exhaustion. He took a step forward. Longing swept over Mike, and he moved to draw Christine into his arms, his lips fiercely claiming hers. * * * * * * * * Mike Russo's life was perfect-until his ex-girlfriend, six teens, and a little girl moved into his mansion.The last thing Christine Frank wanted was to move in with her ex, the man who broke her heart to pieces. Christine Frank's life is turned upside down when a fire destroys the Foster home she runs, leaving her and seven kids without a place to call their own. Then, Mike Russo, her ex-boyfriend and billionaire hotel owner, offers them shelter in his estate. But Mike has a different motive: using Christine and the kids to boost his hotel's image. As they live together, sparks fly; they can't resist each other. Mike is going crazy from each kid's personality. Can Mike's deceitful plan ruin their second chance at love, or will they find redemption and forgiveness?
The last time Mike and Christine saw each other, one of them walked away with a broken heart. Mike turned around to see her standing in a maroon suit, holding a briefcase, her eyes filled with hurt and exhaustion. He took a step forward. Longing swept over Mike, and he moved to draw Christine into his arms, his lips fiercely claiming hers. * * * * * * * * Mike Russo's life was perfect-until his ex-girlfriend, six teens, and a little girl moved into his mansion.The last thing Christine Frank wanted was to move in with her ex, the man who broke her heart to pieces. Christine Frank's life is turned upside down when a fire destroys the Foster home she runs, leaving her and seven kids without a place to call their own. Then, Mike Russo, her ex-boyfriend and billionaire hotel owner, offers them shelter in his estate. But Mike has a different motive: using Christine and the kids to boost his hotel's image. As they live together, sparks fly; they can't resist each other. Mike is going crazy from each kid's personality. Can Mike's deceitful plan ruin their second chance at love, or will they find redemption and forgiveness?
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Julia and Evan were the perfect couple-or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She's fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn't deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn't listen. Now, it's time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? "We should break up," he'd said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it's Evan's turn to hear the truth-and to face his deepest regret.
Amy didn't expect that her husband whom she had loved and trusted earnestly for many years would be cheating on her by having sex with his secretary. When she confronted him, he and his secretary mocked and ridiculed her, they called her barren to her face, afterall, she had not conceived for the past three years that she had been married to her husband, Callan. Terribly Heartbroken, she filed for divorce and left to the club, she picked a random gigolo, had a hot one night stand with him, paid him and dissapeared to a small city. She came back to the country six years later with three identical cute boys and three identical cute girls of the same age. She settled and got a job but soon find out that her CEO was the gigolo she had sex with six years back at the club. Will she be able to hide her six little cuties from her CEO, who happens to be the most powerful man in NorthHill and beleived to be infertile? Can Amy and the most powerful man in NorthHill get along considering the social gap between them.
"You're pathetic!" Brenden sneered, each word cutting deep into Corinna's heart. Years of emotional wounds had drained every ounce of love she once held. "I've wasted enough time on you. If there's a next life, I hope we never meet again." Her words severed the bond between them like a blade. From that moment on, Brenden was haunted by her absence—unable to sleep, longing for the warmth he took for granted.
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.