𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧. Her ambition runs too thick and her patience stretches too thin. She disappears when the pressure builds, returns polished and untouchable, like she wasn't just clawing for air in the dark. She was only supposed to steal a few files-files she knows too well. Just enough to secure her place at the top. Instead, she captures the attention of a man who built his empire from ruin. A man who doesn't forgive betrayal. He wants control. He wants obsession. He wants to ruin her. And she might just ruin him right back.

Ayana Zuri does not lose. Not because she's lucky or untouchable. But because she learned a long time ago that if she worked harder than everyone else, if she thought faster, if she stayed colder, then nobody would ever get close enough to hurt her again. Five years ago, she decided she was done being the girl who trusted too easily. Done with distractions. Done with relationships. Done with confusing attention for love. So she rebuilt herself into someone unreachable. Law school. Discipline. Structure. No drinking. No dating. No unnecessary attachments. Success became the only thing she allowed herself to want. And it worked. Now she's exactly where she's supposed to be-top of her class, impossible to ignore, and now standing in a courtroom for the first case of her career. Her first chance to prove she belongs. It should've been a simple win. And yet... unbeknownst to her, she's walked into the circle of a man who has never once trusted chance to deliver what he could take for himself. _______ Some men are born powerful. Van Seo de Montclair was born inevitable. Raised between Monaco's old stone buildings, private terraces, and conversations held behind closed doors, Van grew up in a world where influence never announced itself-it simply reigned. From an early age, he learned that attention was expensive and mistakes were remembered. He grew into the kind of man who understood outcomes before conversations happened. A strategist by instinct. So why... No... how did this lawyer with a sharp mouth and an inability to leave things unfinished manage to force a result he never intended? To Van, people had always been pawns-pieces moved by desire, fear, ambition, and timing. And so was she. Until she wasn't. Until she looked at a finished game and chose not to play by his rules. And now... until he gets what he wants, he'll make sure she has no choice but to look back. Prosecutor X Predator. May the hunt begin.

Malika Danai is pressure. Friendly, social, and loved by all, Malika thrives in college and is often seen as a mirage - seemingly real and attainable but disappears when approached. She's a party girl to the core. Loves to drink, flirt, and explore with her best friends, Ayana and Isabella. Her beauty is undeniable. With curly black hair cascading over her shoulders and golden-brown skin that glows no matter where she's at, Malika's presence is impossible to ignore. Her dark brown eyes often sparks with mischief, and her full two-toned lips often curves into teasing grins that hints at secrets she rarely shares. Malika excels at a lot of things but she was never the study type. She prayed the night before exams and hoped that her grades would at least give her a passing score and somehow, that always worked. Until now... Her grades are barely holding on- good enough to pass, but not good enough for a sorority like the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). She wants to join. No she needs to. It's the only way she can prove to her mother that she's worth it. And she'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means casting her pride aside to get help from the boy who loathes her existence. Meanwhile... Theo Sinclair is a weapon. A robotic academic weapon that nobody can beat. Coming from an old money family where the expectations and bars are set high, Theo surpasses them all and is often pushed towards greatness by his family. Yet he has a big flaw: boredom Because of his uncaring attitude towards everything and everyone around him, Theo is often alone. Deliberately avoiding attention and validation from peers; he thrives in the silence and rhythm of his own scheduled routines. He has only one rule; 'Never let myself feel things I can't control.' To him, parties are vile. An enigma vastly contrasting his reverence for solitude, silence, and carefully ordered thoughts. So when he's pushed into an unwanted arrangement, he resents the intrusion because slowly, his rule...

𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐌'𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍 𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱 She's the city's top model. Seen by everyone. Known by no one. She survives by keeping her past sealed tight- every bruise, every secret, every ugly truth locked behind elegance and restraint. Her life is a performance, and she never misses a step. Until she slips... ...and falls straight into the orbit of the man she was taught to despise most. One reckless act- done under the guise of a false persona- sets something irreversible in motion. A line is crossed. A fire is sparked. And the illusion of distance between them shatters. That night leaves her with a hangover, and a realization she can't escape. You don't have to die to go to hell. Some men bring it right to you. He is power without conscience. A presence felt more than seen. The devil everyone fears. She is a mess dressed in designer. A voice that refuses to be silenced. The angel everyone envies. Logic says they should never align. That their worlds, their loyalties, and their sins are fundamentally opposed. Nexum says there couldn't be a better fit. 𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐱 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 @xplicitlyvenus 2025, all rights reserved

Revenge. I'm familiar with it. You have to be when you're the firstborn son of a notorious mafia leader. Death and vengeance have been the very foundations of my life. So who in their fucking mind would be stupid enough to cross me? My brother and I have been wrongfully convicted of a crime we didn't commit. We know who is behind this. We bid our time behind bars, planned and prepared for the day we got out. Now we're free and hungry for redemption. I know what must be done. I know whose blood will be spilled. But before I go after him, I'll go after his daughter. I never said I play fair. *Book one in the Marino Brothers Duet. Rated 18+ due to explicit language, sex, and violence.*

C O M P L E T E D : 24/02/22 Sienna Callum was popular - scratch that - she was the queen of high school. She had tons of gorgeous friends wishing to be her, smoking hot flings, and an unbelievably trendy fashion sense. But, she needed one more thing. Decent grades to graduate. Roman Lawrence was a nerd - scratch that - THE nerd of high school. Yet, his exceptional intelligence made him stand out among those seeking to learn. He had one problem though, the girl he'd been crushing on since kindergarten didn't like him back. One of the reasons? His lack of experience.... sexually. This isn't boy meets girl. This is mouse meets vixen. This is what happens when these two opposites strike a deal and things get hot. "So, here's my offer: you tutor me in school, and I tutor you in sex." _____ W A R N I N G T H I S S T O R Y C O N T A I N S : ❤︎ sexual/mature content ❤︎ explicit language ❤︎ alcohol consumption ❤︎ mild violence _____ H I G H E S T R A N K I N G S : 1 #virginboy 1 #goodboybadgirl 1 #nerdboy 1 #scandalous 1 #populargirl 1 #tutor 1 #badgirlgoodboy 2 #forbidden 2 #eroticromance 3 #sexy _____ S T A R T E D - 05/03/2021 C O M P L E T E D - 24/02/2022 (word count: 200,000 - 250,000)

Forced into a marriage neither of them wanted, a fierce Greek mafia princess and a ruthless Sicilian underboss must navigate a storm of power, passion, and betrayal - only to discover that their greatest battle might be against their own hearts. *** They hated each other from the moment they met, but little did they know, they were destined to be together. Millicent Rhea Darmos: Princess of the Greek Mafia. At 25 years old she's running her own publishing company. But now it's time she fulfils her duty to her family's organisation. It's time she gets married. Costantino Salvatore Accardi: Underboss and Heir to the Sicilian Mafia. At 28 years old, he has no interest in settling down-he already has it all. He believes in family above all, so why bring in an outsider? Yet, after a strange string of events, the two of them find themselves thrust into married life. It's full of chaos, drama and all kinds of tension. The question is, how do they survive their marriage and the storm that follows? *** "I've never kissed anyone." My voice trembled with a tinge of vulnerability - something I hated. But Costa didn't seem to mind that I was nervous or anxious. "Good. You're mine." He spoke so seriously, without a flicker of doubt as he took my hand in his. "So you want it be special, principessa?" "Every girl's first kiss is special." I whispered, watching as he brought my hand up to his lips. "I only care about yours."

She's a wild, free spirit who sees the good in everyone, and he's the hardened, bad-tempered loner who wants nothing to do with her-yet no matter how hard he tries to push her away, she's the one temptation he can't escape. *** He's never met someone with such a bubbly personality. Not to mention the wildness and odd phrases she says every five minutes. He hates it. He hates how he can't stay away from it. He hates what she does to him; it's not like him to chase after some girl. She gets under his skin like no other. She's never met someone with such a bad attitude. He's ill-mannered and menacing. The glare never seems to leave his face. Considering it all, she can't help but feel the attraction toward him. Dangerous attraction toward a seemingly dangerous man. Maybe it's the tattoos on his arm that gets her attention. Or maybe it's because she can tell there's hope for good under his rough exterior. And she's about to find it, whether he likes it or not. It's no secret that the two of them are complete and total opposites. *** "You like being called Sugar, don't you?" I tease, placing my toothbrush back after finishing. He does the same and gives me a side-eyed scowl. He grips my chin harshly and kisses me. My body temperature raises a good ten degrees and my right leg goes all wiggly. He pulls away. "You like it when I kiss you, don't you?" He teases the same way I did to him and I'm left blubbering. "I think both of our questions are rhetorical," I lower my voice up at him. His lip curls up into a smirk. *** #1 in Young Adult #9 in Badboy #1 in Cold #3 in Goodgirl #1 in Sweetheart #14 in Love *** *Warning* This story contains mature themes (language, scenes)

Dominic Romanov, a mafia boss who spends the night with a beautiful woman who leaves him wanting more than what he bargained for. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯. "𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘊𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯." 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 - 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. "𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵."

Running from hell isnʼt easy. Especially when someoneʼs dragging you back down into it. Belligerent, brash and always in shades of black, Freya is hardly a lady. Hidden away by her father, sheʼs lived a normal life despite being born into the dark waters of New Yorkʼs underworld. Heʼs cold, cruel and calculating, with a proclivity for destruction. Feared by even Made Men, Torren is the boss of the stateʼs most leachorous crime syndicate. Freya hates his crudity and possessiveness, but she canʼt deny the way her breath hitches at his rough touch, the deep timbre of his voice, and his dark, heated gaze. Torren hates her disobedience, her recklessness, and her chaos. To him, sheʼs only something to be tamed. And after he slips a ring on her hand, snatching away her future, she makes only one vow---to become his biggest torment.