dress

Book One: Protecting My Mafia Princess "I promise you if Trinity gives me the slip, then I am pinning her to a tree." Just thinking of her sends shivers up my spine and belief me that they're not the good shivering kind. I love a beautiful woman in my bed and to look at. To be surrounded by ugly for almost a full day is seriously going to put a damper on my ego. But time to push that thought to the side, for our location has just come up on the right. We slowly cruise up the driveway… But as we step through the doorway… And we turn the corner… There is a tall brunette in what could possibly be the tightest dress I have ever seen. But what strikes me the most is her long slender legs that are held up by deep blood red stilettos. Her long locks of hair fall like waterfalls over her shoulders. Just looking at those plump lips is enough to send me raging. I don't know who she is... Colton Cruz is the best of the best, an ex-Marine, now bodyguard to the Mafia world’s elite. He is a man that lives for the rush and danger that his lifestyle brings. You might find yourself on his speed dial, but you will not be the one that will capture his heart. Trinity Stone is a spoilt brat that becomes Colton's next assignment. She's a pleasure on the eye but an absolute nightmare to be around. This lonely and misunderstood girl is the heir to the Stone Crime Family. And that's where the problem begins… Colton soon finds him desiring what he cannot have, the daughter of a Mafia Boss. How far will he go to get what he desires the most?

“Your name?” a woman who’s wearing a dress, has pale lips and short hair asked me. I stuttered. “L-Livia Washington, ma’am,” I answered. “My husband and I can’t produce a child. I need your help and in exchange, I will reward you with money at your price. Just help me…” she said, her face screaming desperation and almost pleading. Without further hesitation, I nodded my head. “Just tell me what you want me to do, Ma’am…” I didn’t know that an offer I would be accepting would ruin the pipe dream I yearned for. Money. I need money. Surrogacy is the only quick way to get a billion dollars just like what they offered. However, things didn’t go the way I liked. “You came out with a woman again?” I busted out in anger after waiting for Archer to come home. He only scoffed, he was supposed to come upstairs yet I held his hand. “Just to remind you, Archer, you still have a wife waiting for you!” His jaw clenched then took his arms roughly. “Then you should have thought of your husband before cheating on me, and bearing someone else’s child, then, Livia!” he backfired, critically narrowing his eyes on mine. Being married to Archer for five years never became easy. I’m tired of it and was tormented with the punishment he had given to me. “A divorce won’t happen, Livia. I won’t give you the freedom you want. This is your punishment,” he narrowed his rough, stoic voice before coming to his room directly.

"I'm willing to marry you." Jared Brooks and his brother, Shiloh, turned their heads. Standing before them was a woman in a wedding dress, but this was no ordinary bride. Her gown was stained with dirt and blood, her mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her makeup a ruined mess. Today was supposed to be Julia Watson's wedding day. She was set to marry her fiancé, Carter Ross, until her so-called best friend, Vivien Smith, announced to everyone that she and Carter were expecting a baby—and were in love. Shattered by the betrayal of her fiancé and best friend, Julia was ready to give up. That was until she spotted Jared Brooks, the CEO of Brooks Corporation, at the courthouse. "Who are you?" Jared asked, puzzled by the stranger's proposal. Jared had no intention of marrying a stranger, and even his brother found the idea absurd. He was about to leave when Julia made an irresistible promise: she could cure his brother's legs. "I'm Julia Watson of the Watson family," she introduced herself. Jared assumed Julia sought revenge against her ex-fiancé by marrying him. Little did he know, Julia harbored two dark secrets. First, she had a mission to complete. Second, she wasn't really Julia Watson.

"Nice to meet you, Raine," I forced a smile, but as soon as she was out of sight, I muttered under my breath, "Bitch." Well, it's true, she was wearing such a skimpy dress! I didn't realize that's Aiden's type now! I shook my head at Arden. "Babe, I need to use the restroom." Arden nodded. Before I could make my way to the restroom, I had to pass by the entertainment room where Aiden and his girlfriend were. Annoying! Even though I didn't glance at them, I couldn't escape their peripheral vision. Aiden had his arm around Raine, but it wasn't just a simple arm around her; his hand was inside her dress. Maniac! Isn't he afraid that our parents might catch them?! And this Raine, she's already letting Aiden touch her as his girlfriend. Where's her decency...? I splashed my face with water as soon as I entered the restroom, but my eyes widened when I saw Aiden waiting for me. I was about to avoid him when he pushed me back inside. I immediately slapped his chest. "Can't you leave me alone? What nonsense are you going to do now?" I scolded him sternly, but my voice was weak, and someone might hear us. "Get out of here! Don't block the door, and I'm leaving." I was about to push him away when he grabbed my wrists and switched our positions. Now, I was leaning against the door, and his body was pressed tightly against mine. "Aiden, what are you doing?" I reprimanded him, but he didn't listen. He grinned at me and lowered his face to meet mine, claiming my lips once again. Damn!

When my father asked me who I wanted to marry for the sake of our family alliance, I made a different choice in this life. I no longer chose Leonardo Vittorio. Instead, I chose his older brother, Ivan Vittorio. My father looked confused. After all, everyone in Chicago knew that Leonardo and I had grown up together. I had chased after him for ten years. As the eldest daughter of the Lucien family, my name had long been inscribed beside his on the list of arranged marriages. Everyone believed our union was destined. Recalling my past life, I forced a bitter smile. Back then, I had indeed married Leonardo as I had always wished. But after our wedding, he never once touched me. I thought he had some unspeakable illness and went to great lengths to cover for him. It wasn't until our sixth wedding anniversary that, by chance, I opened the safe in his study. Inside, neatly arranged, were photos of him with the orphan girl I had begged my father to adopt. In those pictures, there was also a two-year-old boy—their son. They were a happy family of three. It was at that moment that I finally understood. He wasn’t sick. He had never thought of me as his wife. To get rid of me, he and my adoptive sister plotted my murder. Now that I have been given a second chance, I chose to give them my blessing. But when I walked down the aisle in my wedding dress, my hand resting on Ivan’s arm, Leonardo burst into the church with a gun in his hand. He looked deranged and completely out of control. "Madeline!" His voice was hoarse and nearly breaking. "How dare you?"

"Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game.” I close my eyes; I am enjoying the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. The sound of my voice echoing across the fields. Then I open my eyes; I am scared out of my mind by someone standing over me. "Where did you come from?! You should not creep up on people!" "I can ask you the same thing, what the hell are you doing out here?" His eyes run over my body, and I can see amusement build in his smile. "I never thought I would see the day that I find a clearly lost woman in a wedding dress in the back seat of a car singing to Britney Spears." Tyler Moore is the Sheriff of a small town far out from the city. With a body that is carved to perfection, this soft-spoken man should not be underestimated. Even though he is elegant and yet powerful, there is far more than lives underneath the façade that he brings. Jenna Davis, a girl that decides to leave her husband at the altar, runs away to the small little town where Tyler lives. She gets stuck on the side of the road in nothing but an empty tank, a wedding dress, and singing to Britney Spears. Tyler is the one that finds the poor damsel on the side of the road. Even though he finds her situation amusing, he is immediately captivated by her. She pushes him to his limits and brings the danger that he craves, that he desires. The two soon send off on a whirlwind relationship, but there is one thing that Tyler refuses to give…his heart. Will Jenna ultimately win his heart?

“You don’t know just how long I’ve been waiting to have you…” My breathing accelerated. “What do you mean?” William moved so fast I could barely register it until he backed me up against a wall. His face was so close to mine that it was making my head spin. His hand found the hem of my dress and he started to pull it up. “Why don’t I just show you instead?” When Eliana Brown walks into her boyfriend of five years cheating on her, she doesn’t know whether to feel sad or relieved because she will finally be breaking up with the man who was living off of her. She encounters a series of bad events that result in her breaking down in front of the cold, unfeeling billionaire, Will Caddel. William Caddel has watched Eliana for longer than she knows. When he sees her relationship falling apart, he uses it as the perfect opportunity to reel her into his life and keep her there for as long as possible. She’s too young for him but he has never been the kind of man to care about the rules.

Jason Derrick, a 27-year old man. Cold, dreadful and callous criminal feared by others. A high- ranked individual in his confraternity. One whose identity is hidden by all except for three people. He's known as "Black Moon" because of his unique dress code featuring the black colour throughout. His heart is hardened because of the hurtful events he has encountered. He hardly gets sentimental over anything and has nothing to do with girls. A handsome billionaire. Skilled and highly qualified in the professional field. He has two lives. A deadly killer at night and a Hardworking CEO on a blissful day. The day and night have their specific duties. He lives in an isolated region, never been traced. Having lost his family in the most traumatic way and his fiancée, Rose, in the hands of a deadly nefarious man- Stone, He has not been better. However, Stone manipulates him by blackmailing him into doing his criminal activities because of a secret which is to be concealed till death, but his life encounters a change when he met a lady known as Stacy. Stacy Torres is a 24 year old lady. A workaholic, dedicated to her job. She has won many rewards for being the best in her department and company. She lives alone and the daughter of the once-successful business man, Mr Richmond Torres. Despite being very rich, she stooped low to work in a company other than hers. She's a kind soul and naive about some essential parts of life . Everything hovering around her life made her a target for Stone. Her life is in total danger as many thugs and gangs are after her. With happenings around, Jason and Stacy had to live together. Will Stacy be of help to Jason or not? Will Jason be free of Stone?

I heard a small "come in" from the other end. Grabbing the knob, I twist it before pushing the door open. My eyes widened as I saw the scene unfold in front of me. Xavier stood there in the room along with a woman whose brown hair ruffled all over the place. Her blood-red lipstick was smudged. She was dressed in a revealing top. Her breast almost spilling out of her dress and extra tight and small skirt as if she'd just come from some club, her arms crossed and her features amused. She looked strangely familiar for some reason, and it took me a while to identify her, but I did. She was the same woman I had bumped into on the market. My eyes swiftly turned to Xavier. He was dressed in a suit identical to the one Xavier wore with the top few buttons open. What caught my eyes the most was the lipstick stain on his neck identical to the one the woman had on. My heart slumped in deep dejection. It wasn't any science- rocket to know what had occurred here before my arrival.

At the Thorn Pack banquet, Jacob Mason carefully cut the steak on my plate. His gentlemanly demeanor and meticulous attention to detail drew envious glances from those around us. "Our Alpha is so good to our Luna," a voice murmured from across the table. "You won’t find a more devoted mate in all of Southspire." I glanced at Jacob, a sweet warmth unfurled in my chest. I silently tightened my grip around the Moonstone Ring—a ring my father had left me, the symbol of power in the Lotus Pack. I had planned to give it to Jacob when the banquet ended, when we were alone. But as the evening wore on, the noise and the clinking of glasses became too much to bear. I feigned a slight dizziness, excusing myself to return to our castle ahead of him. In truth, I needed the time to prepare a surprise—something special to commemorate this night. When everything was set, I silently slipped back into the banquet hall, ready to take Jacob by the hand and whisk him away. But as I arrived, I stopped dead in my tracks. There he was, holding Hazel Rhea tightly in his arms. "Chloe is so rigid," he said. "Always clinging to the dignity of being the Lotus Pack Alpha's daughter. How could she ever compare to Hazel's passion?" "Don't worry," he added, his tone light with mock reassurance. "Hazel and I are just friends. Chloe won't feel betrayed." He laughed softly. "But don't tell her, alright? She's so old-fashioned—if she found out, she'd leave me for sure. Honestly, the thought of spending the rest of my life with such a dull partner… It's exhausting." Just friends? Is that what he called the way his hand slid beneath her dress—being "just friends"? I didn't interrupt them. There was no need to disturb their lively conversation. Instead, I slid the Moonstone Ring onto my finger. Without a word, I turned and left. In the quiet of the night, Xavier Grey—who had been following me all along—waited. Together, we set off on the journey I should have taken long ago.