the study of vanitas

"Lift your hand," I said looking at how he held onto his bicep with a tight grip. "Let me take a look at the bullet wound." "No tesoro. I can do this myself," Vittore grumbled and I gave him incredulous look. "Don't start that bullshit with me Vittore. Remove your arm and let me help you or..." I trailed off, not able to say more. I was still in shock but I could do this. "Just... just let me help." "No." I glared at Vittore. "Why are you being so damn egotistic?! Let me help you! Do you know what it was like to find you like... and to..." I couldn't even get all the words out. "Let me help you. Please." Begging wasn't something I'd ever do but I just needed him to let me help him. "No-" "Why?!" I suddenly exploded. "Why won't you just let me help you?!" "Because I don't know how to handle it ok?!" Vittore suddenly exploded, his dark eyes glaring at me. "I don't know how to handle these... feelings. Fuck tesoro you drive me crazy! Don't you see that? You make me question everything I've ever known and... I can't..." I watched Vittore as his expression turned determined. "Fuck it." He leaned forward and pressed his lips on mine.

Aria Anastasia was working under Zaiden Storm for two years. One day when she was given to work overtime, she got into the cabin of her boss only to find him sitting on a chair while two other men were taking a dead body. Zaiden had a gun in his hand and Aria learned that he was in the mafia. Zaiden threatened her to keep it a secret, which she found hard since she never hid anything from her mother or her best friend. She tried to keep the secret of her boss, and later starts to know Zaiden personally, learning more of his secrets, including his donation to the orphanage, old-aged homes, and hospitals built where free treatments were provided. He was a nice person under the facade of his cold, mysterious self. She started to fall in love with Zaiden while he also started liking her, realizing he was habituated with her presence. Soon, a villain entered, who would try to harm Zaiden in the office, but Aria would save him every time. Zaiden learned that the person he killed for the mafia purpose, Jack Levi, his father Luke Levi was trying to kill Zaiden and an office employee was helping him. Later Luke tried to harm Aria, but he felt a fatherly affection for her. When he implanted a bomb to kill Aria, Luke saw Amora, Aria’s mother, and realized that Aria was his daughter. He felt guilty and tried to stop the bomb along with Zaiden. Aria was rescued by Zaiden and they express their love for each other. Amongst the cute love scenes between Aria and Zaiden, one-day Zaiden proposed to Aria, and she accepted his proposal and they live happily ever after.

“Are you being nice because of the pup?” I asked. He breathed out. “I’m sorry how I acted before, no words can justify what I did. I just want to be there for my pup,” he said. “What about me?” I asked, looking down at the food. “I am not promising you anything Maeve, let’s just live peacefully while taking care of the thing that joins us together, I promise to be your friend, probably a shoulder for you to lie on,” he said and immediately he said that I burst out in loud laughter. After her family and pack died the night before her 18th birthday, Maeve is thrown into a world filled with confusion, anxiety, a world filled with guilt. Her mate rejecting the bond and getting pregnant for him. Maeve's life is an absolute mess but she will do anything to get her mate back and make him accept the bond. What Maeve didn’t know is her life was just about to become more confusing, a world full of betrayals, unexpecting attacks, full of mysteries, will Maeve survive or will she go down just like her parents?

Mia broke up with Trace when she discovered that she is pregnant by her long-time boyfriend. Mia didn't hesitate to break up with him because of the pressure from Trace's family who didn't like her for Trace. Their break up happened most tragically, and after 5 years, Trace become a successful businessman, become a billionaire, and engaged with the highest-paid model. One day, Trace is knocking at the door of Mia's house, and says that Trace owned the apartment where Mia is living. How long Mia can take the wrath of the billionaire, and hide the son of the billionaire? "You broke up with me at an unexpected time, leaving me at the moment that I needed you the most, and you deserve my wrath for hurting me for 5 years, I owned you I brought your existence, now watch me become happy, while you stays the same, miserable and unhappy."

Yan Zi, a botanist and author, accidentally transmigrated into her own historical novel as the notorious villainess. She meets Xu Kai, the handsome Co-Commander of the Imperial Military Guards, who is attracted to her during their dangerous missions together. However, knowing that she will not have a happy ending as a villainess, Yan Zi refuses to fall in love with Xu Kai. But somehow after escaping an unexpected intruder attack, watching the stars under the waxing moon, and spending a sweet and sweaty night together, everything starts to change..

"As you walk out of that door, walk out of my life as well." I told him as I looked him straight in the eye. All the love was gone. All the good memories faded. In their places were anger, hatred and disgust. He looked at me as if he couldn't believe what I was saying. "I'm sorry, please give me a chance to be a father to Dah-" "Leave!" I said in a dangerously low tone. He didn't deserve to be called a father. He didn't deserve to live at all, you know why? Because he took away everything from me. My virginity, my happiness, my education, my teenage life and my family. Everything. He was a monster and my daughter would never call him daddy.

On my eighteenth birthday, I met him. The day that was supposed to be my day felt utterly ordinary because of my parents status but fate had other plans . I met the Young Alpha Zayn, He promised to make my birthday memorable and turn my mundane birthday into a night of dreams if I agreed to go with him to his school ball. He kept his promise, The night was filled with memories together but it was short lived when he varnished with no trace leaving me alone in the ball room as a pawn for the other rich kids to play with . Now , Five years later , my destiny was sealed -I am to marry the Alpha of our park, I was going to meet him again after all these years of Admiring and Loving him from afar, He was going to be my husband, it was a dream come true but reality was far from it . Entering his world, I was met with a chilling truth:He turns out to not have a single memory of me except that I was the daughter of the poorest man in the park and the girl he was forced to marry . My marriage with him was a definition of Torment, Harsh reality and his never ending hatred for me , Soon the marriage was over and I was casted aside. I was no longer in love with him but yet my heart was filled with so much hatred for the man that I had loved so much. Years after I left the Marriage, We met again but I was no longer the weak wife he always tampered with and for some reason he no longer had so much hate for me but rather he wanted to remarry.

Madison Byers returns to the dazzling city of Los Angeles, determined to reclaim her family's legacy after the tragic loss of her father. Yet, standing in her way is a menacing uncle with ambitions to seize her father's empire. In a city where power and wealth rule, Madison's last hope for redemption takes an unexpected twist when she shares a passionate one-night encounter with Tyler Marshal, the charismatic billionaire playboy. Tyler Marshal, accustomed to a world of deceit and danger, suddenly finds himself captivated by Madison's wit and determination. Their lives collide, and a whirlwind of events propels them into an arranged marriage neither of them saw coming. As they navigate the treacherous waters of high society, deceit, and hidden agendas, the fate of their families hangs in the balance. Trusts are shattered, and long-buried secrets claw their way to the surface. In a city where destiny can change with a stolen kiss or a fleeting touch, Madison and Tyler must dance to the unpredictable tune of fate while facing relentless opposition at every turn. Sometimes, destiny also begins with the brush of lips or touch, but how well can both parties dance to its tune with the many oppositions?. In "Thorns of the Heart", a tale of love, intrigue and power, will they emerge victorious or be consumed by their demons?

Have you ever had everything you wanted, only to have it all stolen from you? Ella finds herself in this exact situation when she is finally ready to make a fresh start in life. Her bad luck sends her to the arms of a cold rescuer who gets her everything she wants except her freedom. But when she finally gets her freedom back, will the price be too high to pay? Ella discovers that the price of her freedom is much higher than she could have imagined. He independence is riddled with sadness and guilt as long as a strong sense of pride that she wears as a shield. will she ever put her shield down and let love find its way into her cold heart?

Axel’s hand shot to her throat without warning, clamping her down with brutal force, her naked breast_ hard red nipples; bared free to his hungry feral eyes. Eyes that blazed with uncontrollable hunger for her suffering. “You are my slave, my property… mine to keep. Mine to break, I protect my property from rogues and thieves even if I intend to destroy myself.” Axel growled. From that instant Ava knew there was no escape for her. — After surviving the massacre of his family and pack, Alpha Axel of Blood Claw Pack waged war against the mad king, seizing the throne and claiming the royal House of the Lycans. He captured Princess Ava, the mad king's daughter, and though she wasn't enough to atone for her father's sins, she would do just fine. Discovering she was his mate whom he hated with every fiber of his being, Axel rejected her, making her his sex slave. Framed for murder, Ava fled with Axel's unborn child, giving birth to sextuplet Lycans the first in two centuries; After Lycans extinction. Six years later, Axel learns of his heirs and captures Ava once more. Will she prove that she's not a monster like her father, or will Axel's hatred consume them both?