Emma thought she had escaped the city that broke her, but when her family’s business teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, she is pulled back into the orbit of the one person she vowed never to see again. Zane Mendoza. Now the heir to a billion-dollar fintech empire and the boss of a secret mafia dynasty where Emma’s parents work as underdogs, Zane holds all the cards. For years, he had been searching for Emma, who had disappeared without a trace after their divorce. When Zane discovers that Emma is the daughter of the family who now owes him everything, he makes a ruthless proposition. An arranged marriage. In exchange, he will wipe away her family’s crushing debts. Desperate to save her parents, Emma agrees to Zane’s conditions but negotiates a deal of her own. Their marriage will last one year, and if she is not happy in the marriage, she will leave. Zane agrees, but with a twist. If she falls for him again before the year is up, she will remain his forever. But Zane doesn’t just want Emma as his wife. He wants her in every way. His obsession with her runs deeper than she realizes, and he is ready to eliminate anyone just to have her forever. With a jealous best friend that wants to take everything she loves, an ex boyfriend who wants her back, betrayal lurking at every corner, a secret daughter that Zane doesn’t know is his, and a love that refuses to die, Emma must navigate this web of lies and emotions. Can she resist Zane’s magnetic pull, or will she be caught up in his game for good?
View MoreEmmaFor the first hour since we got to the party, I had tried to make eye contact with Rachel from where she was standing with Asher, but it seemed to be futile. I could swear that she was intentionally avoiding my eyes. Once our eyes finally met, a small crossed my face and I waved at her but she barely spared me a glance before looking away. Sighing in defeat from the sharp stinging pain of her rejection, I dropped my hand. Again, I blamed Zane for all of this. What reason did he have for embarrassing her the way he did?Still, I expected her to at least give me a chance to clear thing. None of what happened was my fault. Why was she being so hard on me? As I tried to look away and refocus my gaze to the rest of the party, my gaze met with Asher who was standing right beside Rachel. He offered me a faint smile from the distance and a tentative wave. I only gave a closed mouthed smile in return.He had been staring at me ever since I stepped foot into this party, while I had tri
ZaneStanding in the living room, I adjusted the cuffs of my tailored suit for the third time. Blowing an exhale out of my mouth, I glanced at my wristwatch. My parents’ anniversary dinner party would have begun by now. Yet, here I still was, their only child, waiting for Emma to finish dressing up and meet me downstairs. Not like I was complaining. I was patient as ever. A minute later, the light sound of heels softly descending the staircase broke through my thoughts and I lifted my gaze to see her.My breath hitched at once as I watched her gracefully advance towards me, dressed in a stunning gown that hugged her figure perfectly. It was a floor-length, off-the-shoulder shimmery dress in a deep rich royal blue color. Her hair auburn red hair was styled in a loose, romantic style that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of silk. I felt my chest tighten and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe, how to think. She was the only woman who could do that to me. The strong urge t
Emma’s POVI dipped an extra crispy chicken into the honey mustard sauce in the bowl in front of me, before adding it into Isla’s plate.She did a small, happy dance on her seat before digging into the mustard covered chicken. I laughed at her cuteness.“This breakfast tastes so delicious, Emma.” She complimented me. “You are an amazing cook!”Truth was, I had little cooking skills and Tatiana had helped me prepare this. In fact, she had done seventy percent of the work.But I didn’t tell Isla this. Instead, I brought my hand to her hair, patting it gently as she enjoyed her meal. Again, it felt so surreal that this was the same little girl I had given birth to eight years ago. The overwhelming urge to protect her from the cold world suddenly enveloped me“Did you enjoy Paris?” I asked and Isla nodded her head at my question.“Yes, I did. It was wholesome! I wish you had come with us, Emma.”“Next time, sweetie.” I offered her another smile.“By the way,” Isla raised her head from her
ZaneI stood barefoot on the cold gravel outside my parents’ mansion. A once grand and beautiful house now engulfed in angry, roaring flames.The acrid smell of burning wood and the deafening crackle of fire filled my lungs and ears. Shaky from the trauma before me, I tried to move my feet but they felt like they were stuck to the ground. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t scream.The horrified cries of my little brother from inside the burning building caused more tears to stream down my face as I watched helplessly. Around me, firefighters ran around to quench the fire.Through the orange haze, I saw my parents being pulled out of the house. Their faces were streaked in black smudges and their bodies covered in ash and sweat.My mother was crying and struggling hysterically from the grips of the firefighters.“Russel is still in there! Our boy is still inside! Please let me go! I need to get him! Please!”“Please calm down, ma’am.” I heard the firefighters try to c
Zane“This is getting out of hand, boss. Missing funds don’t just vanish into thin air.” Miguel, my loyal right hand man said to me from where he was seated on the other side of my desk, while I sat opposite him.We were in my study, discussing the recent disappearance of funds in our secret vault. From the look of things, there was a betrayer among us. Worse, maybe someone even planted by our enemies.“The accountant has been on my back about it. He says there’s a significant amount gone again. More than just a mistake in the books.”My jaw tightened and I kept my gaze lingering on Miguel. His left eye was covered by an eye patch that hid his missing eye had lost during a gunfire fight three years ago. For someone who had gone such risky lengths while working for me, it was obvious that he was forever loyal and wasn’t the vault thief. Miguel had worked for me ever since I assumed my role as the mafia boss and even my family could vouch for him. “This is the last thing we should be
Emma“Your joy is contagious today, ma’am.” Tatiana, one of our househelps remarked with a small smile on her face as we set the table. Eleanor and Isla were back from Paris and had just informed me that they were on their way to the mansion now.With Tatiana’s help, I had prepared their favorites to welcome them. I was more than excited to have them over. Especially Isla. “I know, right?” I chuckled softly as I briefly lifted my gaze to Tatiana before returning my attention back to the table again. “I can’t help it. My cousin and daught…”I froze, catching myself instantl as the word threatened to slip out of my mouth. Getting myself together again, I pasted a smile on my face and continued.“My cousin and little sister are back from Paris and will be coming over to visit me. I’ve missed them so much.”“I know exactly how you feel.” Tatiana folded the napkins in neat triangles and arranged them neatly on the table. “That’s how I feel whenever my son comes to visit for the holidays.”
EmmaAs I stepped into the kitchen carefully, my fingers fidgeted with the sash of the silky robe that was draped around my body, pulling it tighter against my waist.The air was thick with the aroma of fresh coffee, butter and something savory. My heart thudded as I walked into the kitchen. But it wasn’t the aroma that made my heartbeat thud in my chest. It was him.Standing at the stove was a shirtless Zane, his broad back turned against me as he made breakfast and his gray sweatpants hanging low on his hip. My teeth subconsciously bit my bottom lip as I watched his muscles shifting beneath the ink that curled up his spine and across his shoulders. The tattoos looked like pieces of art, but to him, I was certain that they were more than art.They were warnings. Declarations of power and that he was the most dangerous man in the city. One who shouldn’t be messed with. Breaking out of my trance, I cleared my throat to alert him of my presence.He glanced over at his shoulder to see m
Emma“Lie down on the bed.” Zane’s first words hit me just as we stepped into my bedroom. I frowned, feeling completely lost.Throughout the ride back to the mansion, he hadn’t said a single word. And now, he was asking me to lie down on the bed? What did he even mean by that?“Excuse me?” I asked him, raising an inquiring brow. But Zane did not look like he was in for a joke. His eyes were dark and cold, and his jaw was set like a stone.That was enough to let me know that arguing was the last thing I should do at this moment.“Don’t make me repeat myself, Em. Just do like I said.” His voice was low and dangerous as he replied to me, his fingers unfastening the cuffs off his sleeves.My heart thudded in my chest and I swallowed hard. “But why?” I managed to ask. I could hear the vulnerability in my voice and I hated that he made me feel so small and confused like a little child.“Fucking lie on the goddamed bed, or I swear to God, I’m going to scoop you into my arms and set you on
EmmaThe next morning, I got an unexpected call from my best friend, Rachel and I picked it without any hesitation.“Emma! Guess where I am!” She squealed before I could even say hello. “Where?” I asked, chuckling slightly as I sat up. Rachel had always had this uplifting energy around her that could make a person’s mood go from a zero to a ten in the snap of a finger.“New York City!” She squealed again and I joined her in squealing this time. We agreed to meet at a quaint cafe she had picked out in Greenwich Village. Without wasting any more time I got dressed in casual jeans and a tee shirt. As I was about to leave the mansion, I met Zane at the foyer, seated as hot and handsome as always and casually going through his phone. “Where are you headed to, Mi Reina?” He asked me without even lifting his gaze to glance at me. I pursed my lips and replied.“Out. With my friend from Boston.”“Male or female?”I quirked my brow and scoffed in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”“A
Emma“Do you, Emma Ramirez, take Zane Mendoza as your lawfully wedded husband?” As the words sliced through the stillness of the chapel, my lips parted, but no sound came. I stood there, frozen, feeling the weight of my wedding dress suffocating me as my heart beat wildly in my chest. How the hell had I ended up here again? My gaze drifted to the man standing before me, tall and commanding in his custom black suit. Zane Mendoza. The man who once held my heart in the palm of his hand only to crush it five years ago. His dark, cold eyes bored into mine. He looked as infuriatingly handsome as ever with a sharp jawline, perfectly tousled dark wilt cut hair, and lips that had once whispered promises I was naive enough to believe. I couldn’t decide what was worse —the fact that I was marrying the same man who had handed me a divorce paper five years ago or the fact that he knew exactly how trapped I felt and seemed to be enjoying it. Back to the first time I had stood across from Z...
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