the princess in the dumpster

My father's adopted daughter was only locked in the cramped storage closet for around fifteen minutes, yet he punished me by tying me up and throwing me inside. He even sealed off the ventilation with towels. "As Wendy's older sister, if you can't take care of her, then you should also experience how scared she was," he declared coldly. He knew I was claustrophobic, but my desperate pleas for mercy, my terror, were met with nothing but heartless reprimands. "Let this be a lesson on how to be a good sister." As the last sliver of light disappeared, swallowed by the oppressive darkness, I struggled helplessly. A week passed before my father finally remembered my existence and decided it was time to end my punishment. "Let's hope this week served as a good lesson for you, Jennifer. If this happens again, you will no longer be allowed in this house." He would never know that I had already taken my last breath in that suffocating room. My body had begun to rot in the darkness.

In the small town of Eastwood, the mysterious disappearance of 12-year-old Daniel from his abusive family had left a void that no one could fill. Over a decade later, Daniel, now a suave, enigmatic billionaire arms dealer, returns to Eastwood with two purposes in mind: to reconcile with his past, particularly with his beloved younger sister, and to wage a secret war against the dangerous underbelly of the town. His first encounter in town is with Kate, a beautiful waitress with a challenging life of her own. They're immediately drawn to each other, sharing a connection that neither can explain. But with this connection come complications: Kate is tied to a world Daniel is fighting against, with a looming arranged marriage to a millionaire who has dark secrets. As Daniel delves deeper into the town's affairs, he uncovers a network of narcotics trade, child traffickers, and corrupt officials. All the while, he keeps his true identity hidden, trying to get closer to his family without revealing himself. Kate becomes both his anchor and his weakness. Her association with the town's malevolent forces, especially her fiancé, threatens to tear them apart. However, as they grow closer, their combined strength becomes a force to reckon with. Throughout their journey, they'll face intense challenges, both from external enemies and internal demons. The town of Eastwood will witness a storm of love, action, betrayal, and redemption. But the question remains: can love truly conquer all, even the shadows of a tortured past?

CASTELLO DI CARTE MAFIA CHRONICLES, BOOK 2 [Also known as POSSESSION: THE GAME OF CLUBS] 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 What is worse than being forced to marry a man you’ve never even met? Drinking with a man who’s off-limits and sleeping with him to prove a point. After one drunken mistake, I swore to never entertain him again. But the next time we met, things did not go as expected. He was the enemy, one I should've known better than to involve myself with, but I couldn’t resist his unbreakable allure. was not the only reason. It was the way he softly whispered sweet words into my ears and the way he held me. It was the intensity with which he looked at me and made me feel desired. There was one tiny problem. His marriage was in four months. To the woman who called me her friend. 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐎 They say there’s pleasure in tasting the things you cannot have. Forbidden has its own mind when deep-rooted inside someone. I never knew the depth of these words until I saw her. She was the brightest pink rose in a sea full of white ones. She was covered in thorns, a boundary only I dared to cross because I had nothing to lose. Only, she wasn’t mine, nor I, hers. Every moment we spent together reminded us of the reality meant for us. Some sacrifices are made for the greater good, but what good comes from leaving behind the one thing you never had and have finally found? She surrendered herself to me. Until the end of our agreement. So what if one of us wanted more in the end? What if the one was me?

When Sethlzaar, a child of the conisoir, is chosen by a man in a cassock, it is with a confused acceptance that he follows.A life in the priesthood, though for those considered blessed, is no life at all. However, Sethlzaar has nowhere else to be and nothing else to lose. With a new name and a new purpose, he is determined to survive the tests of the seminary as the priests forge him and his new brothers into blades destined to serve as sacrifices to the cause of Truth.In the end, choices will be made, legends born, and loyalties tested.But above all else, Sethlzaar Vi Sorlan will have to face the truth that perhaps he's not as blessed as he'd been led to believe...

Jade is the daughter of a legendary mafia boss, or so her mother has told her. All she knows is that he died when she was six years old, however, while she has moved around all her live ever since her dad died, she learns there is more to that truth than she could have imagined. While she finds out her father is still very much alive, and has raised her brother she never even knew about, she gets wrapped up in the ugly truths of being a maffia princess, she falls in love with the one person who isn't included in any of this craziness, her best friend, who is also forbidden territory since he is the ex of her BFF...

Sasha Stone has been sheltered her entire life. At the age of 18, Sasha has seen very little of the world. After convincing her overprotective parents that she needs some royal duties, she is finally allowed to leave pack lands. Sasha's tour of America's pack begins in White Crest, where her parents feel she will be the safest. Sasha soon realizes her parents were wrong. She isn't safe; her heart isn't.

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

Despised by her father, Emma Walker finds herself trapped in the net of the ruthless mafia boss in exchange for her Mother’s treatment, and revenge on her selfish father. Salvatore Barone was a nightmare everyone avoided, a man rumoured to be selfish, yet his mother was his weakness. Faced with the decision to give his dying mother, a daughter-in-law, he gets into a contract marriage with the daughter of his sworn enemy. What happens when they start to fall in love with one another? Especially when it turns out that his mother lied.

Kelsey was originally just a rogue, but she unexpectedly became the mate of Alpha Marcus of the Blade Wolf Pack. However, for three years, Alpha Marcus never acknowledged her as the Luna. Three years later, under the influence of the full moon, Alpha Marcus's wolf nature flared up, and Kelsey discovered that she was pregnant with a cub. But she was rejected by Alpha Marcus. Heartbroken, she chose to accept the rejection and then left the Blade Wolf Pack. Unexpectedly, she found her own relatives. It turned out that she was actually the princess of the Lycan King. Not only that, but she also had six powerful and handsome older brothers. And Alpha Marcus's new Luna showed off that she was a Lycan and that these six men were all her older brothers. Unexpectedly, those six powerful Lycans stated that Kelsey was their real sister. Alpha Marcus regretted it and wanted to win back Kelsey's heart. But Kelsey refused.

Caroline Brooks has spent the last few years working from home. It was easier for her. Safer for her. But everything changes when her friend asks her for a favor. "Are you going to kill me now?" Caroline looks at the twin devils in front of her, half scared and half turned on. She could feel her throbbing with need. "And why would we do that to our wife?" Nicholas smirks at her as Antonio reaches for his belt.