TROUBLES OF THE HEART
A broken heart is the most perilous thing in the merciless realm of organized crime. Elara Vetrova never imagined that one visit would set off a sequence of betrayals that would cost her everything when she goes to the hospital to check on Leo Volkov, the strong and cold mafia kingpin and also the ex-lover of her sister. Recently involved in a near-fatal automobile accident, the volatile leader is released before she shows up and vanishes without a trace, leaving only questions and a terrible sense of abandonment.
Elara finds her boyfriend, Dmitri Baranov, locked in a private hug with her sister Mara, at home. Especially as her family ignores her suffering coldly, the betrayal cuts more deeply than she could have expected. Elara's mother leaves her feeling more alone than ever before since she values family relationships above everything else and shows no reaction to her wrath.
But when the dangerous Leo resurfaces in her life—unwillingly dragged back into a world of secrets and vengeance—Elara finds herself in the middle of a lethal game forced to face the demons of her past. Elara has to choose who she can trust between her broken family, a forbidden romance with the guy who still haunts her nightmares, and a deadly conspiracy endangering her own life—and if she is ready to risk all for a second shot at love.
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Chapter: A DANGEROUS GAME Elara’s POVBefore panic shot through me, I hardly had time to consider the stranger standing in the doorway. I shivered up my spine from the icy, mechanical glitter in his eyes. He simply stood there with the rifle in hand, pointed straight at Leo and did not talk right away. The room's thick tension was suffocating; the world outside of that moment appeared to vanish, leaving just us three imprisoned in this lethal game.My heart was loud enough in my chest to make me believe it may silence everything else. Leo's eyes flicked toward mine, and for a split second there was a flutter of something—probably concern. But it vanished as fast as it arrived. Although his body was stiff, his mouth was closed and his face showed no anxiety.He was not giving up. Not at the moment.Though I didn't know him, the man in the doorway felt like a shadow, dark and pressing. He had assured, under control posture. He exuded the appearance of a guy accustomed to leadership and situational control. And r
Last Updated: 2025-01-26
Chapter: EDGE OF TGE ABYSSElara’s POVMy breath seized in my throat as I fixed my gaze on Dmitri, the guy who had been everything, now before me brandishing a revolver. Every sound in the room was muffled save for the pounding of my heart in my ears; it felt as though the world had stopped. My chest clenched and I felt as though I may be crushed by the weight of all that had happened. The air was heavy with anxiety.Dmitri's voice sliced through the quiet like a dagger, his tone icy, but there was something more there—something more threatening. "You made a mistake."I couldn't speak or move. My head was whirling, my ideas disjointed and fractured. How had things turned around? Standing there with that lethal weapon squarely leveled at me, the man I once loved had become my prisoner.Leo was still standing next to me; his presence was like a rock, yet I could sense strain in his body. His jaw closed and his fists were curled at his sides, poised for attack. He was not slowing down. He refused to let Dmitri han
Last Updated: 2025-01-26
Chapter: INTO THE FIREElara's POVWith its chilly muzzle shining in the low light like the promise of death itself, the gun aimed squarely at Leo. Standing in the doorway, Viktor Sokolov maintained a rigid posture and his weight permeated the space. The strain nearly intolerable, the air appeared to get thicker. My legs seemed about to give way under me, my pulse thumping in my throat. I could not turn away, though.Victoria.Naturally, I had heard of him—who hadn't? He was a name murmured in the darkest recesses of the underground. a man playing the game without conscience or rules. A man who gave Dmitri toy-like boys like appearance. He ought not to be here. Not immediately. Not right in the center of all that was disintegrating.And then here he was, in front of us, his frigid stare fixated on Leo, his lips twisting into a nasty sneer."Viktor," Leo's voice matched the coldness of the rifle pointed at him. "I was wondering when you might show up."I choked hard, my mind racing, but I couldn make sense o
Last Updated: 2025-01-24
Chapter: SHATTERED TRUST Elara’s POVLike dazzling fragments of my life, the glass from the broken window strewn over the floor served as a reminder of everything I was losing. My fast breathing filled the room, and the tension there was so strong I could almost feel it bearing down on my chest. My heart was pounding, a wild thundering too loud and too inappropriate.And he was there as well.Dmitri:At first, I couldn't understand the sight—his figure framed in the broken glass, the moonlight giving his face a terrible glow. Though his eyes were hard, analytical, there was something darker—even more dangerous—behind them. His mouth closed in a grim line, his hand lay sloppily on the revolver holstered at his side. His jaw stiffened.I ought to have started to panic. I ought to have been in a sprint. Instead, though, something kept me still as if a deer caught in headlights. Once my everything, the man who claimed to love me was standing in front of me like an adversary.Though the words stuck in my throat, I
Last Updated: 2025-01-24
Chapter: BREAKING POINT Elara’s POVEvery second the weight of the phone in my hand felt increased. The message on the screen captured my attention, the words blazing into my head. "You have twenty-four hours. Everything you value will then burn." Dmitri's comments rang in my ears, and every bit of air in my lungs felt stifling.Leo was standing near, his presence like a wall separating me from the turmoil, but even his consoling silence couldn't stifle the panic developing inside me. My fingers were clammy and my pulse accelerated as I stared at the phone as though it could provide answers I wanted not to hear."Elara... Leo's voice was low and gentle, yet it was sufficient to rouse me from the trance. Not knowing what I was feeling, I jerked my hand away when he went for it. Anxiety is great. treachery? or something more complex? "Elara, talk to me."I shook my head and let sharp intakes of breath flow forth. I was surrounded by walls. Though Dmitri had always been erratic, this? I could not have predicted
Last Updated: 2025-01-24
Chapter: THE CROSSFIREElara's POVDmitri's bullet sounded sharp and deafeningly through the hall. My heart missed a beat, and everything in me stopped. Though everything around me was blurring into a haze, one thing was absolutely clear: the rifle was pointed at me.Leo yelled behind me. "El Tara!"I had no time to consider. Instinct seized, and I dove for the floor, my body skidding across the slick wood as the air seemed to crackle with tension. Though my breath was shallow and my chest was tight, I couldn't concentrate on fear—not now."Get Up!" Leo's footsteps pounded closer as his voice sliced through the anarchy.I forced myself to kneel, hardly able to control my breath, then turned back to him. The look on his face—fury, desperation—made my chest contract. But I felt more than just the wrath in his gaze. He was staring at me as though he had lost something he could not afford to lose once more.But time did not allow one to address those ideas right now. The gunshot had been rather near. Dmitri was
Last Updated: 2025-01-24
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