Novels by Maria-Grace

MARCO MARTINS The slim blonde at the counter eyed the bottle in my hand. “Is that all?” She asked, judging me with her eyes. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Judging a man for alcohol?” I questioned her. I held the bottle and checked the price tag. Sixty nine dollars and ninety nine cents. “I’m not,” she said. “But its ten o’clock in the morning,” she said like it was nothing. The blonde haired took my bottle and the computer beeped. Bright eyed, she turned to me. “Sixty nine dollars and ninety nine cents.” I pulled out a hundred dollar note and paid. From the corner of my eyes, someone got my attention. She looked slightly different but I couldn't make a mistake of who she was. It was Cleo Garcia. Her hair was parked in a bun. Her sharp chin leaned forward. “Keep the change,” I said and walked out of the line. “I need to put that in a ba—” The blonde called out to me. She stopped and sighed, accepting that I didn't need a bag. I heard her acknowledge the n

ISABELLA GARCIA I was getting used to holding the gun. But I still didn't know how to use it. “Who taught you how to shoot?” I asked Enzo as I turned the cold metal in my hands. We had taken a new exit. It led us to the backyard of his house. There was a range at the south corner of the grounds. “Uncle Emilio. Marco’s dad,” Enzo simply said. “How old were you?” I asked. I wanted to get to know him better. Enzo shifted from behind me. He would study the target, then shift his eyes back to me. “Ten,” Enzo answered curtly. He brought his hands to his waist and walked back to me. “Let me see what you can do?” Enzo said. I could feel his body behind me. Too damn close. “I can't…” I started stammering. I couldn't just shoot a gun. He had to teach me something for me to know anything. “I don’t even know what to do,” I said and wiped my face. The moon was out, the temperature was moderately chill. Yet, I was sweating. Enzo was surprised. “Haven’t you se

ENZO MORETTII was standing outside Ethan’s room, watching Isa tell him good night. The day had come to an end. Everything and everyone had turned out fine. Isa and Ethan had dinner a while ago. Now Ethan was about to fall into a sound slumber.Isa had spent the better part of her afternoon playing with her son. I had decided that giving them some space would be the best thing for them.I wanted Isa and Ethan to settle into my home. For them to be comfortable. But now, I couldn't help but miss her.Isa kissed Ethan’s forehead and turned off the bedside lamp. She was going to turn around soon and I still stood where I was. Isa soon whirled around. The room was dark so I couldn't see her well but she paused and it was too obvious to miss. Fear. Isa was still scared of me.That should have made me happy. Actually, that was the typical most fulfilling thing for Enzo Moretti. But when it came to Isa, I was a different version of myself. I wasn't the kingpin who terrorized gangs an

I was losing my mind but Enzo’s kiss brought me to peace. I felt it in an instant. The goosebumps traveled from my neck to my back. His hands cupped my face and his chest pressed down on my breasts. It was wrong for a kiss to feel this good. It was wrong for Enzo Moretti to kiss me and bring me to my knees. The kiss didn't last forever. It didn't even come close though I would have preferred that. “You said you wouldn't hurt me,” I said as my forehead touched Enzo’s. I had to be away from this man and yet, touching him felt divine. I found myself closing my eyes and recalling the beautiful parts of last night. His thick musk of cologne. I touched his jaw and it was sharp against my fingers. So sharp it felt like I had been cut. “And I meant it,” Enzo said in the calm voice only he could muster. I envied him for that. I also feared him for that. How can the thing you love about someone be the same thing that gets you scared of them? How can Enzo be at my house if he did

CLEO GARCIAKnock. Knock. Knock.Isa was scaring me so bad. My heart leaped out of me as soon as I heard the knock.My demeanor sank away and it only got worse when I faced Isa.We both heard the knock. It had come out fast and loud. It was the type of sound you cannot deny hearing even if you tried.“Do you think she came back?” Isa asked. Her eyes were wide with fear. It was clear that she was clinging on to that hope just as I was.She glanced around and I heard her heart beating from this side of the room. I shook my head but I wasn’t disagreeing with Isa.I wanted it—needed it to be Ethan’s home teacher. If it wasn’t her, then I couldn’t guess who it would be.Maybe a friend from work but I don’t exactly have ‘friends’ that would visit my home without telling me.I wondered if they were Isa’s friends from school but that didn’t make sense too.Isa left school a long time ago. She was in med school and had to give up her dreams of being a doctor to take care of Ethan.If no one

ENZO MORETTI Cole signalled for the man standing behind him to fill his glass. When he half filled it and tried to step back, Cole smacked the back of his head. His forehead hit the table and the man, one of our newest recruits, groaned. Clutching his head, he stepped back. Cole was my least liked associate. He was a loud, barking dog with no teeth. I clenched my teeth, watching in irritation as the scene unfolded. If he wasn't investing so much money from his family’s enterprise, I would have put him in his place a long time ago. My soldiers weren't servants for his use. They were noble men who worked noble jobs with me. That is until any of them decided to betray me. “Come here,” Cole motioned for the man behind him. Marco and I shared a glance. We both shared in the hatred for Cole. In this room, our joint hatred was so much I could almost touch it in the air. We also knew none of us were going to stop him. At least not now that he was rolling out some new money and co

STACYThe contractions started to roll in by noon. One after another, getting stronger with time.The day had finally arrived, a day I had both anticipated and dreaded. Labor. As I sat on the edge of the bed, a wave of excitement surged through me, mingled with a healthy dose of apprehension. It was surreal to think that soon I would hold my baby girl in my arms. She would be ours, a tangible result of the love Jerome and I had nurtured over the years.I had taken classes about this and I didn’t want to worry my husband for nothing, but when it got stronger and harder to ignore, I called for him.“Jerome!”He came rushing into the room, his hair tousled and his face slightly flushed. He must have been napping, and the worried look on his face made my heart race. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”“I think it’s time,” I said, a nervous smile breaking through. His eyes widened as he

JEROMETwo years later.Dark lashes fanned against her skin, the sun soft against her flesh, her body slowly moving upward and downward, her breathing muffled on her pillow.That was the sight i had woken up to. I was the luckiest person on earth right now.I stayed perched on the edge of the bed, watching as the soft morning light took away sleep from my eyes. The sight before me was captivating: Stacy, my beautiful Stacy, lost in a peaceful slumber, her dark hair fanned out across the pillow like a halo. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the serenity of the moment.We had come a long way since that first date, a day marked by confusion, heartache, and a beautiful, unguarded honesty that had laid the foundation for everything that followed. The journey hadn’t always been easy; there were still challenges to face and moments of vulnerability that left us both shaken. But together, we had built something extraord

STACYI still couldn’t believe I had agreed to this. A joint date with Lisa? Lisa and Kiera.The thought swirled in my mind as I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my reflection. My fingers traced the hem of the dress I had picked out—simple, yet flattering enough for what felt like one of the strangest nights of my life.Lisa had convinced me, somehow, to go along with this. I wasn’t even sure how it all happened. One minute, we were awkwardly avoiding each other, and the next, we were laughing about how ridiculous it was that we were going on this double date.I heard a knock on the door and glanced at my phone—Lisa, of course, right on time.“Come in!” I called, still fussing with my hair. The door swung open, and Lisa waltzed in, her usual confidence trailing behind her.

STACYI woke up slowly, the warmth of the blankets making it hard to tell where the bed ended and my body began. The sunlight trickled in through the thin curtains, casting soft streaks of light across the room. For a moment, everything felt serene, like I could stay in this cocoon of warmth and silence forever. Then I realized Jerome wasn’t next to me.I rolled over, blinking sleep from my eyes, and saw the empty space where he should have been. The sheets were crumpled on his side, still warm. I heard the faint sound of water running and figured he must be in the shower. I lay there for a minute, listening to the sound of the water and feeling a strange sense of distance. It was odd, waking up without him beside me. We’d spent the night together, but it hadn’t felt as close as it usually did.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and padded across the cool floor, feeling the chill against my bare feet. The bathroom door was slightly

JEROMEShooting that day had been intense. We were working on one of the final scenes, the kind that was supposed to be raw and emotional, but instead of saving it for later in the production schedule, the producers wanted to get it done early for promotional material. It was all part of the business. We had to sell the movie, and nothing sold better than a sneak peek of a climactic moment.The set was buzzing with activity. Lights were being adjusted, makeup artists hovered nearby, and the crew moved around, setting up equipment and whispering about the next shot. I felt the pressure building, but I was used to it by now. This wasn’t my first film, and it definitely wouldn’t be my last.Chase called for a break, and I seized the opportunity to step away for a bit. I’d been on set all day, and I needed a breather before getting back into the set. Besides, I had something else on my mind. I was supposed to meet up with Stacy after we

STACYLisa had been gushing for weeks about how she was excited to introduce Jerome to Kiera. The way she talked about Kiera, with that glimmer in her eyes, made it impossible not to be happy for her.Everything was going to go fine today, I could already sense it.I was on shift that afternoon, taking orders and serving trays like usual. The restaurant wasn’t too packed, which gave me time to glance around, keep an eye on the door. Part of me was hoping they’d pick another spot, or maybe decide at the last minute that a fancy café was better suited for a first meeting like this. But, of course, that wasn’t Lisa’s style. She loved the casual vibe of Burger Trio, and it was one of the few places where she and Jerome could relax.The good thing was I missed my friends and wanted to see them, the bad thing was I missed my friends and wanted to see them.They made working but hard and pleasurable.I was