Introduction
Fernanda seems to live a perfect life: she is the wife of a powerful real estate mogul. But when he is brutally murdered, she becomes the prime suspect.
The detective assigned to the case?
Hermes—her unforgettable, passionate love from the past.
They once shared an intense romance that neither could forget. But fate tore them apart. Now, they meet again under the shadow of a crime with dark motives and buried secrets.
Is Fernanda a cold-blooded killer, capable of eliminating her own husband?
Or is she the victim of a cruel conspiracy?
Amid twists, long-hidden truths, and desires that never died, Hermes will have to face both his feelings—and the truth.
Chapter 1
CURRENT DAYS – HERMES
The phone alarm rang, waking me from a dreamless sleep. On impulse, I immediately turned it off. I didn’t need to check the time—I knew it was 6 a.m., as it was every day.
Silently, I gathered the strength to get up and sat at the edge of the bed, my head pounding with an irritating pain, as if a fine needle was lodged in my temples—a result of last night’s whiskey.
I turned to the side to look at the woman lying in the spacious bed, wrapped in fine Egyptian cotton sheets. Her right thigh was exposed, barely covered by the bedding, and her reddish-brown hair was spread over the pillow. She was around thirty, about five foot seven, with a body clearly shaped by long hours at the gym. I remembered her expressive brown eyes.
"It was a mistake," I thought to myself as I headed toward the bathroom of the luxurious suite.
After closing the door quietly, seeking a bit of privacy, I turned on the shower. The cold water hit my body, relieving the headache caused by the hangover.
As I scrubbed myself vigorously with a sponge, my thoughts turned to Ivone, the owner of the apartment, a real estate businesswoman. Her brother, Jonathan, had gone missing about four months earlier, and I, as Chief Inspector of the Alpha Team of the Homicide and Personal Protection Division of the São Paulo Civil Police—commonly known as the DHPP—was assigned to the case.
Initial investigations revealed that Jonathan was a drug user and in debt to traffickers from a community nestled in the middle of the upscale Morumbi neighborhood. After two difficult months, we located his body in a shallow grave on the outskirts of the city.
Two men were identified and arrested for the crime. They confessed that, due to Jonathan’s long-standing drug debt, they had kidnapped and killed him after draining his bank account. Unsatisfied, they had dismantled his car to sell the parts, stolen his expensive cellphone, and even taken his designer clothes.
During the investigation, Ivone visited the station weekly for updates. When I told her we had found the body and solved the crime, she broke down in my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her brother was her only living relative. Their parents were deceased, and as the youngest in the family, she had always cared for him. Maybe all the pampering had pushed him toward drugs. It wouldn’t be the first case like that I'd seen.
Digging deeper into his lifestyle, we found he lived like a playboy, burning through the inheritance their parents had left—money Ivone had worked hard to multiply.
The day before, she had called to invite me to dinner as a way of thanking me and my team for everything we had done, even though I insisted we were just doing our job. Still, she was persistent, and I finally agreed. Why not? I was single, she was too, and the case had been closed. There was nothing unethical about the invitation.
We arranged that I’d pick her up at her apartment, where I left my motorcycle, and we took her luxurious sedan to a well-known restaurant. Even though I wanted to pay, she wouldn’t let me. In the end, we agreed to split the bill.
After dinner, I took her back to her apartment and accepted her offer for one last drink.
It didn’t take long before we were wrapped up on her couch in a long kiss. Her lips still tasted like the expensive red wine she’d had. Boldly and eagerly, she removed my cream dress shirt and began unbuttoning my jeans after I took off the holster and pistol I always carried.
I helped her quickly slip out of her knee-length blue dress with silver details, while kicking off my loafers.
Still wrapped in each other’s arms, hands exploring, tongues tangled in a deep kiss, we stood up—both aware that sex was inevitable. She led me to her bedroom, where I laid her down on the bed, positioning myself over her body, now clad only in cobalt-blue lace lingerie.
I buried my face in her breasts, inhaling her light perfume as I ran my hands along her thighs, feeling her scratch my back and press me closer.
I caressed her nipples through the fabric, drawing a deep moan from her, while squeezing her breasts alternately with one hand.
I moved down, kissing her stomach until I reached her inner thighs, exploring every inch of the lace with my tongue, slipping beneath it to reach her already wet core—its salty, delicious taste filling my mouth.
Her body arched as I moved the fabric aside and enclosed my mouth around her intimacy, exploring her soaked entrance with my tongue, alternating with teasing her clit, sucking and pressing it with my lips. I focused on her for several minutes, until I felt her body tense and her moans grow louder.
I paused, reached into my jeans pocket for my wallet, and pulled out a condom. Quickly, I slipped it onto my hard, pulsing erection.
I positioned myself between Ivone’s legs. She looked up at me with half-lidded eyes and parted lips. As I pressed the tip of my cock at her entrance, she wrapped her toned legs around my waist and pulled me inside her, hard, clutching the back of my neck.
I plunged into her, hearing her moan in pleasure. With one hand, I massaged her breasts; with the other, I gripped her thigh and buttocks, thrusting slowly and in sync with her hips.
I kissed her neck, breasts, and lips, feeling her pull me closer, her nails once again digging into my back—and boldly, into my ass.
After several minutes of this back-and-forth, I increased the pace, her thighs trembling, moans more intense, her teeth gently biting my shoulders and then my lips.
"Fuck me harder," she moaned into my ear.
Without hesitation, I pounded into her, the wet sound of our bodies crashing echoing through the room, until she screamed, her legs tightening around my waist as if trying to draw me deeper into her soul.
I couldn’t hold back. I came hard, still thrusting, until I collapsed on top of her, burying my face in her hair.
She stroked the back of my neck as our breathing and heartbeats slowly calmed. Soon, she was asleep, wrapped around me.
For a few minutes, I debated whether to leave or not. But in the end, I resigned myself—nothing would change what had already happened. Not wanting to wake her, I decided to stay. After all, there was no one waiting for me at home—not even a pet. I lived alone in a small apartment near Aclimação Park, where I liked to go running whenever I could.
Now, as I rinsed off, I thought about the night before. It wasn’t that it hadn’t been pleasant—it had. But clearly, we were two lonely people finding solace in each other.
I turned off the shower and dried off with a fluffy towel, lost in thought.
I was 27 years old, in great shape—my body muscular and toned, thanks to countless hours at the gym near the DHPP headquarters in downtown São Paulo.
When I finished, I leaned both hands on the marble sink and looked into the large round mirror on the wall. A man with short black hair—buzzed military-style—stared back at me with brown eyes. A few wrinkles had begun to appear at the corners of my eyes and mouth, along with some gray strands.
“This is my job,” I thought.
I had been in the Civil Police for years—over two as an investigator, four as a chief inspector. I’d seen too much—a true parade of human tragedy. Should I have stayed in law?
I joined the force at 21. By the time I graduated law school, I already had two years of service. I passed the bar exam on my first try. Three months later, Fernanda—my girlfriend at the time—encouraged me to accept an offer from a top corporate law firm in the Pacaembu neighborhood.
I gave in to her request, even though being a cop had always been my dream. What wouldn’t I have done for her back then? I barely practiced law before secretly applying for the police chief exam.
When I got the acceptance letter to the academy, we had a huge fight. But I stood firm. And she—apparently out of love—reluctantly accepted.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, feeling the familiar surge of anger and sorrow.
During my time at the police academy, she ended our relationship. We were practically engaged, and I was devastated. If I hadn’t thrown myself into my studies, I might’ve gone mad. At least I graduated top of my class. As a result, I was invited to join the Homicide Division—one of São Paulo’s most elite police units.
Had I chosen the right path?
My thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone of my phone, which sat on the bathroom counter. The grim memories of my past faded into the background.
“Hello? Dr. Paranhos,” I answered after checking the caller ID—my direct superior, the DHPP Director.
“Inspector Hermes, gather your team and head to the address I’m sending you,” he said, naming a street inside a gated community in the upscale Alphaville neighborhood of Barueri. “Probable homicide. Maintain discretion and keep the press away.”
“On my way, sir,” I replied before the call ended.
Immediately, I called my team leader and ordered everyone to the scene. Only then did I get dressed, leaving the bathroom to retrieve my .40 caliber pistol from the bedside drawer—where I found Ivone awake, watching me closely.
“Leaving already?” she asked sleepily, her body barely covered by the sheets.
“Unfortunately,” I sighed, averting my gaze as I holstered the pistol on my jeans. “Duty calls.”
“Will I see you again?” she asked, sitting up.
“Of course. I’ll call you,” I said, giving her a quick kiss.
Then I left the apartment, heading down to the basement where I’d left my motorcycle—a Harley Davidson 880R.
Always prepared for emergencies, I took a black polo shirt embroidered with the Civil Police emblem from the saddlebag and swapped it for my dress shirt. On the right side, it read "Chief Inspector" in white letters.
After putting on my helmet and a simple black leather jacket, I set the GPS on the handlebars with the address the director had sent me. I started the engine, smiling at the deep growl of the motor, and hit the busy streets of Latin America’s largest metropolis.
“Another day beginning with the end of a human life,” I thought as I rode.
Last Chapters
#18 Nanda
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#17 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#16 Nanda
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#15 Hermes Part 2
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#14 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#13 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#12 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#11 Hermes Part 2
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#10 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#9 Hermes
Last Updated: 1/23/2026
You Might Like 😍
Ignition And Ice; A Racer's Forbidden Blueprint
The first? Becoming an architect worthy of finally making her mark.
The second?
Convincing herself that one day, Hayes Gallagher–NHL superstar, lifelong best friend, and the man she’s secretly loved for years–will finally see her as more than the girl who’s always there when he needs her.
He doesn’t.
So when Hayes abandons her for yet another girl, Merritt decides she’s done waiting.
One reckless night later, she ends up in the arms of a stranger whose touch makes forgetting Hayes dangerously easy.
She never expects to see him again. Until that stranger turns out to be Stellan Mercer.
Formula One’s most infamous golden boy. And Hayes’s stepbrother who is the one man Hayes would rather destroy than share a room with.
When Stellan uses his influence to make Merritt lead designer on his luxury penthouse project, staying away from him becomes impossible.
Working behind closed doors quickly turns into a secret neither of them can afford. Because the more Merritt falls for the man she was never supposed to touch… the more Hayes realizes he may have lost the only girl who ever truly loved him.
And when jealousy, family rivalry, and the spotlight collide, Merritt will have to decide which dream she’s willing to lose.
Her career, her heart. Or both.
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 Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
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 Princess's Revenge
Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.
Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.
As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Dan Belinni: Pregnant by the Lethal Mafioso
Dan Belinni was raised inside violence, trained in the blood-soaked discipline of the Outfit until he became its sharpest weapon. At nineteen, he is already known for illegal fights, brutal enforcement, and a temperament that turns any challenge into punishment. He doesn’t believe in mercy. He doesn’t believe in love. He believes in control.
Milena Lima has spent her life surviving, not living. An undocumented immigrant in Chicago, she works herself to exhaustion just to stay afloat and protect the only stability she has left—her friend María. But when she loses her job and her visa expires, Milena becomes invisible to the law and vulnerable in ways she never imagined.
Desperate, she steps into a Belinni-owned nightclub, hoping to earn enough to survive another week. One stage. One performance. One decision.
That is all it takes for her to cross paths with Dan Belinni.
He is not a man who lets go.
And she is not a woman who submits.
But beneath survival and violence lies a truth neither of them is ready for—Milena is tied to a mafia legacy she never chose, one that makes her both a target and a claim in a world where women are never just women.
When their worlds collide, obsession replaces restraint, and a single night changes everything.
Because in Dan’s world, love is not given.
It is taken.
The Alpha Of The Shadow Pack And His Mute Luna
Vanessa, the mute runt of a cursed litter, has only ever known cruelty and abuse. Her voice stolen by a witch’s spell, her freedom crushed by a brutal father, she’s been promised to a monster she doesn’t want. But fate intervenes when she’s left for dead—bleeding, broken, and bound—only to be rescued by Alpha Alfred of the Shadow Pack.
Alfred, fighting against a generational curse that has doomed his brothers to remain wolves forever, never expected his fated mate to be a fragile girl on the brink of death. But the moment he breathes in her scent, everything changes.
Together, they must confront the past, survive betrayal, and uncover the true key to breaking the curses that bind them. Will their bond be strong enough to save them both?
Oops. My Boss Was Seventeen
The Execution: Perfect. I brought him coffee, cheered at his games, and basically operated as his unpaid teenage executive assistant. He’s totally buying it.
The Problem: I was trying to network my way into the C-suite. I think I just networked my way into his bed.
Human Capture (Up North #2)
Raised in a starving settlement choked by a vast, unforgiving forest, Lara learned early that survival has a price. To keep her family alive, she became a master hunter—agile, silent, and deadly with an array of mismatched blades. But the forest has eyes, and one evening, the shadows dragged her away.
Nine months later, Lara breaks free from a concrete dungeon, only to find herself stranded in the lawless, rogue-infested wilds of Avers Land alongside four captured werewolf girls. Seeking refuge in the neighboring territory of Illyen, she expects to find a way back to her human life. Instead, she is brought face-to-face with Alpha Rowan, the terrifying, ruthless ruler of the frozen North.
One look into Lara’s eyes, and the Alpha’s world shatters. His eyes turn an absolute shade of black. The bond is undeniable. She is his fated mate.
But a human cannot survive the brutal political landscape of the North, and Rowan openly rejects the bond, dragging her onto a warship bound for a kingdom that views her as a fragile liability. Trapped between a mate who refuses to love her and a court of monsters waiting for her to break, Lara must use every hunter's instinct she possesses. Because in the realm of wolves, a human must either grow claws of her own—or perish in the snow.
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.













