edwardsauthorsally

Sold to the highest bidder to pay off a blood feud, I never imagined I would be the pawn in my father's fatal game. Still, here I am before Enzo De Luca, the most vicious mafia leader in the city. Though appealing, he is cold, deliberate, and as lethal. Though my heart races just from his proximity, it is his touch that ignites me. My body betrays me and reacts to him in ways I am powerless over. And I melt as he softly, commandingly says my name.

Enzo loves neither me nor another. In his deadly kingdom, I am only another bargain, another transaction. But every time we are alone, the conflict between us snaps—desire becomes a terrible addiction. Although I detest him for everything he stands for, I yearn for the way he consumes me, body and soul.

He has made it quite evident—our marriage is more about power than love. Still, every angry gaze and every snatched moment in the shadow reveals something different. Benevolent underneath his icy façade lies something broken that appeals to the darkest sides of me. But depending on a man like Enzo may mean losing everything.

Bound to him now, for better or worse, I am caught in a world where loyalty is brittle and treachery carries a bullet. Our friendship gets more perilous the more truths about his empire I find. And as the past calls for us, I have to question myself: will our passion be the thing that ruins us both or can I survive loving a guy like Enzo De Luca?

Burning in his arms is me. But in his universe, I could roast alive.

OWNED BY MR MAFIA

The night air is chilly, a sharp contrast to the inferno raging in my breast. The adrenaline hasn't gone off; every nerve in my body is still on edge. We've averted death once again, but it seems empty. The treachery wounds harder than any pain. I gaze at Emilia, her face pallid but resolute. There's a fire in her eyes that mirrors my own—a mix of wrath and despair.

"We need answers," I continue, my voice low and steely. "No more running blind."

Emilia nods, her jaw gritted. "Agreed. But first, we regroup. We're no good to anyone like this."

Vincent strides ahead, his movements swift and determined. He's guiding us down a succession of alleyways, his eyes scrutinizing every darkness. We don't speak. There's nothing more to say—not yet. The quiet is profound, interrupted only by the distant sounds of the city. It feels like the world is moving on, unconscious of the conflict happening in its darkest corners.

THE EDGE OF LOYALTY