
Introduction
To the world, Cassius is a broken heir… a powerless joke hidden behind inherited wealth.
To Marionette’s family, he is the safest place to dispose of the daughter they never valued.
But Marionette quickly learns that rumors are the most dangerous lies ever told.
Behind Cassius’s cold composure hides secrets powerful enough to shake the underworld itself. And Marionette soon realizes she wasn’t chosen by accident. She carries a forgotten medical legacy tied to a legend the world believes is dead.
Their marriage is meant to be a transaction, a calculated alliance between two people bound by necessity.
Instead, it becomes something neither of them planned.
Cassius needs her because of the legacy he believes she carries.
Marionette needs him as leverage against the life that tried to bury her.
As enemies close in and buried truths begin to surface, Marionette finds herself drawn to the only man who sees her strength without pity. And Cassius begins to realize that the woman he married out of strategy may be the only person capable of saving him in ways neither power nor medicine ever could.
But love built on secrets is fragile.
And trust is far more dangerous than betrayal.
Chapter 1
Marionette Vale knew something was wrong the moment she stepped into the banquet hall.
Her family was smiling at her.
Her father, stepmother, and stepsister stood near the center of the room, watching her approach with identical warm expressions.
For a brief moment, Marionette considered turning around and walking straight back out.
They had never smiled at her before.
Not in private.
Not in public.
Not once in the ten years since her mother died.
Her mother had been the only person in the Vale household who had ever treated her like family. When she died, warmth disappeared from the mansion like the last candle being extinguished in a dark room.
Eleanor Vale approached her first, elegant in a cream-colored gown that probably cost more than most people earned in a year.
She took Marionette’s hands with practiced affection.
“There you are, my dear,” Eleanor said sweetly. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Marionette forced a polite smile even though every instinct in her body warned her that something was wrong.
Earlier that afternoon, Eleanor had personally delivered the gown Marionette was wearing.
That alone had been shocking.
Not because the dress was beautiful, but because Eleanor had never bought her anything before.
The gown had been labeled custom couture, but Marionette recognized it immediately.
It was one of Vivian’s discarded dresses.
Still, she had accepted it.
She had nothing else to wear.
What Marionette did not understand was why this banquet was happening at all.
Vale Group was collapsing. Their stock prices had crashed, creditors were circling like vultures, and the banks were already beginning to close in.
Yet tonight, the hall overflowed with Monaco’s wealthiest families.
Before Marionette could think further, Vivian appeared beside her and linked their arms together as if they were loving sisters.
“You were late,” Vivian said with a smirk disguised as sweetness. “Father was starting to worry.”
That alone was disturbing.
Richard Vale had never worried about her a single day in his life.
“I’m here now,” Marionette replied calmly.
Across the room, Richard lifted his champagne glass.
The music softened.
Conversations gradually died away as dozens of curious eyes turned toward the Vale family.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Richard began smoothly, “thank you all for attending the thirteenth anniversary celebration of Vale Group.”
Polite applause followed.
Then his hand settled heavily on Marionette’s shoulder.
“There is another joyful announcement I would like to make tonight.”
Eleanor’s grip tightened around Marionette’s hand.
Vivian’s smile widened.
A sudden sense of dread crawled slowly down Marionette’s spine.
“My daughter, Marionette Vale,” Richard continued proudly, “will be getting married.”
A ripple of surprise moved through the hall.
Marionette went completely still.
Her blood turned cold.
Married?
To who?
Richard raised his glass higher.
“And not just to anyone,” he added. “My daughter will be marrying Cassius Volkov.”
The reaction was immediate.
The name struck the room like a gunshot.
Even the musicians hesitated.
Whispers erupted across the hall.
“Cassius Volkov?”
“The cripple?”
“The one in the wheelchair?”
“They say he’s insane.”
“I heard he’s dangerous.”
“They say he never leaves the estate.”
Marionette stood frozen while the murmurs spread around her like wildfire.
Then something strange happened.
One of the television screens mounted near the bar flickered briefly.
For half a second, she thought she saw the outline of a man seated in a chair.
Watching her.
Then the image vanished.
When she looked again, the screen had gone black.
No one else seemed to notice.
And in that moment, Marionette understood everything.
She had not been invited to this banquet.
She had been displayed.
Presented and sold like an asset placed before potential investors.
Something inside her went frighteningly quiet.
The applause that followed sounded distant and uneven.
Marionette could feel people staring at her, their curiosity crawling across her skin.
“Smile,” Eleanor whispered beside her.
“You’re a bride now.”
Marionette turned slowly and glared at her.
The rest of the evening blurred together after that.
Marionette stood near the tall windows with a champagne glass in her hand, barely aware of the conversations around her.
Something about this arrangement did not make sense.
Richard Vale was laughing comfortably with a group of investors, looking more relaxed than he had in months.
Like a man who had just closed the most profitable deal of his life.
Exactly.
This was not charity.
It was a transaction.
Which meant Cassius Volkov wanted something in return.
And if there was one thing Marionette had learned growing up in the Vale household, it was that people never spent that much money on something they did not intend to use.
The ride back to the Vale mansion was silent.
The moment the car stopped, Marionette stepped out without waiting for permission and stormed toward the staircase.
“Marionette!” her father barked behind her.
“Get back here!”
She ignored him.
“Marionette, I said come back here!”
Her hands trembled with rage as she reached her bedroom door and shoved it open.
Then she froze.
The room was empty.
Closet doors stood wide open, shelves had been stripped bare.
Even the framed photograph of her mother that always rested beside her bed was gone.
Two suitcases stood neatly in the center of the room.
Perfectly packed.
A white tag hung from one handle.
M. VALE.
Marionette stared at it.
Then a broken, maniacal laugh tore out of her throat.
“What a loving family,” she murmured.
Still laughing, she grabbed one of the suitcases and dragged it behind her as she stormed back downstairs.
The moment she reached the bottom, her eyes were blazing.
“Why?” she demanded. “Why would you do this?”
Richard Vale stood beside the dining table.
Without answering, he slid a thick folder toward her.
“Read it.”
Marionette snatched it up and flipped it open.
Strategic Partnership Agreement.
Between Vale Group and Volkov Group.
Her eyes skimmed rapidly across the pages.
Capital injection.
Debt clearance.
Equity protection.
Board stabilization.
Then she found it.
Clause Seventeen.
In exchange for the financial rescue of Vale Group, Marionette Vale will enter into a legal marriage with Cassius Volkov.
Her chest tightened painfully.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Then she looked up at them.
“You sold me.”
“This marriage will save everything,”
Richard replied coldly.
“What about me?” Marionette demanded.
“Did any of you even consider what I wanted?”
"What you wanted?," Eleanor scoffed. “Do you have any idea how much money your marriage just brought into this family?”
Vivian smirked lazily from the sofa.
“At least you’re finally useful.”
Marionette stared at them in disbelief.
“You all are monsters."
Before anyone could respond, headlights swept across the windows.
A black car had just entered the compound.
At the same moment, her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
A message appeared.
'I apologize for your family’s lack of manners.'
Marionette’s fingers tightened around the phone.
Another message appeared.
'They were not supposed to empty your room yet.'
Her phone buzzed again.
'You are leaving with me tonight.'
'I promise you won't regret it.'
One final line appeared beneath it.
Cassius Volkov.
Marionette s
tared at the screen for several long seconds.
Then, slowly, a real smile appeared on her face for the first time that night.
Maybe this marriage would not bury her after all.
Maybe it would hand her the perfect battlefield.
And the Vale family had unknowingly given her the first weapon.
Last Chapters
#54 Chapter 54 On His Knees
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#53 Chapter 53 Restocking
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#52 Chapter 52 You've Become Troublesome
Last Updated: 7/31/2026#51 Chapter 51 Obviously
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#50 Chapter 50 A Few More Hours
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#49 Chapter 49 I'm In Trouble
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#48 Chapter 48 Tonight, Let Me
Last Updated: 7/30/2026#47 Chapter 47 Beyond Control
Last Updated: 7/25/2026#46 Chapter 46 Permission
Last Updated: 7/25/2026#45 Chapter 45 The Edge
Last Updated: 7/25/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
King of the Underworld
However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”
But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”
Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.
She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
The Alpha King's Human Mate
“I have waited nine years for you. That’s nearly a decade since I’ve felt this emptiness inside me. Part of me began to wonder if you didn’t exist or you’d already died. And then I found you, right inside my own home.”
He used one of his hands to stroke my cheek and tingles erupted everywhere.
“I’ve spent enough time without you and I will not let anything else keep us apart. Not other wolves, not my drunken father who’s barely holding himself together the past twenty years, not your family – and not even you.”
Clark Bellevue has spent her entire life as the only human in the wolf pack - literally. Eighteen years ago, Clark was the accidental result of a brief affair between one of the most powerful Alphas in the world and a human woman. Despite living with her father and her werewolf half-siblings, Clark has never felt like she really belonged in the werewolf world. But right as Clark plans to leave the werewolf world behind for good, her life gets flipped upside down by her mate: the next Alpha King, Griffin Bardot. Griffin has been waiting years for the chance to meet his mate, and he's not about to let her go anytime soon. It doesn't matter how far Clark tries to run from her destiny or her mate - Griffin intends to keep her, no matter what he has to do or who stands in his way.
A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE; BOUND TO THE ENEMY KING
I fell to my knees, the cold marble digging into my skin. I had studied for years in the flickering candlelight, memorizing every herb and poison to pass the healer's exam. I wanted freedom. I wanted to save my mother from the servant's quarters. I placed second. I thought I had won my life back.
But the King didn't give me a badge of honor. He gave me a death sentence.
"Raven Thorne shall be wed to the King of Grok," he announced, his voice echoing in the silent hall. Princess Ellie, the woman who had tormented me for years, slapped her hands over her mouth to hide her cruel laughter. She was supposed to marry the Beast. Now, I was the lamb being sent to the slaughter in her place.
They say King Liam drinks the blood of his enemies. They say he is more monster than man. And now, I have to walk into his bedroom, wearing the Princess's silk gown, and pray he doesn't tear me apart.
I looked at the King, tears streaming down my face. "I'll do it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "But my mother must be safe."
I sold my body and soul to a monster to save her. But when the carriage door opened and I finally looked into the Beast's golden eyes, I realized the terrifying truth...
He wasn't a stranger. He was the man I met in the woods.
Bella and Her Beast
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?
.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
The mafia princess return
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2
The vampire queen (Ambrosia) and Pythia will become close and discover the true origins of their pasts. They rely on each other when their mates are not around. New family is discovered and it is time they all come together to face one of the toughest moments in the dark witches history.
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?












