
Fall for the Mafia's Deception
Aurora Starling · Ongoing · 100.8k Words
Introduction
Chapter 1
Mia POV
"You should marry a foreigner who needs a green card. I can help you with that."
"What?"
"You heard me."
My mom had been in the hospital for years. It had been pure luck that the hospital found a kidney donor match recently, but we were in so much debt that getting another loan was almost impossible. I knew my best friend, Katie, was worried about us, but marrying someone who needed a green card for profit? Was she insane?
"Katie, that's-"
"What are your options?" Katie asked, leaning on the counter "The grant?"
"She's not eligible," I choked out.
"And... even if you started work tomorrow and took every shift available?" I grimaced at the thought. I didn't want to admit it, but I didn't have to. "You'd end up dead from stress in a month, and it still wouldn't be enough."
I nodded pitifully. I bit my lip. "I'm still waiting to hear back about the loan."
She lifted a shoulder. My phone buzzed, and hope filled me. I reached for it, and she placed her hand on mine.
"Before you look at... whatever that is. How are you going to pay back this loan? And all the others?"
I pulled the phone toward me. "I'll figure it out."
She rolled her eyes. "Mila, get real--"
"I am--"
"You'll be filing bankruptcy in a week, homeless soon after, and your mom will still need recovery."
"There are other ways---more legal ways, and as I said, I'll figure it out."
Katie scoffed. "At the rate you're going, you're going to end up in a bed right beside her."
I shuddered at the thought. "I... It won't come to that."
"Know any wealthy men? Got a rich uncle you can whack and get an inheritance from?"
I pulled my hand free. "You'll see. My application was stronger than a lot of people who get approved all the time."
Katie gave me a pitying look. I opened the email, and my blood ran cold.
Your loan application has been rejected.
I set my phone down, blinking back tears of frustration. I didn't even read the rest of the message. I knew what it would say. Then, I got another message from my landlord saying that my rent was going to go up when I renewed.
Mom wasn't going to make it without a new kidney. We were already drowning in debt between my student loans and all of Mom's medical bills. The time to say yes to the donor was running out.
I looked back at Katie, unsure of what to say.
"It's not the greatest path to being debt-free, but it's a path. Probably a lot faster than any other path you have."
I hesitated. Marrying someone to get them a green card was illegal. I could hear my mom telling me not to even think about it.
Crime is a slippery slope, my mom told me countless times growing up, but so was financial ruin and renal failure.
Crime was inevitable, especially in a mafia city, but her death and the suffering we'd already been enduring didn't have to be, and it didn't have to get worse either.
I was sure I would probably go to jail if I got caught, but if I didn't get caught, Mom would be okay.
I bit my lip. "Send me the information as soon as you can."
Katie whipped out her phone, dialed, and waited.
"Babe," Katie said, her voice turning flirty. "You know that favor you owe me... No, not that favor. The other one. Mm-hm. I need to cash it in... for Mia. As quick as you can."
Wait… Katie was clearly calling her new boyfriend, Ivan. She had been secretive about him.
"Thanks, babe!" She hung up and smiled at me.
“Was that Ivan? What does he do? This feels a little too convenient..."
“I was about to tell you… but you can't get mad about it."
"... and what's that?"
“Ivan is the underboss of a bratva."
"What?!"
Albert POV
"Your father is in your office, boss."
I stopped, glancing at the underling beside the door. He gave me a thin smile.
"Anyone else?"
"The underboss."
Ivan and my father in my office together? I pushed the door open to my office and scanned the room. Ivan was standing off to the side with a look on his face that said Dimitri, my father, was going to piss me off today, probably more than usual.
I didn't even glance in my father's direction. It would just play into his hand. I walked across the room and took a seat at my desk, not bothering to acknowledge him. If he was going to play power games, he was going to have to learn to lose.
I smirked at the thought. It would be good practice for the future.
"I had expected you to give in by now."
"I didn't realize that was the kind of successor you were aiming for."
Ivan's lips twitched into a little smile. Dimitri stood, finishing his drink and turning to me. He pulled a handful of photos from his jacket pocket and dropped them on the table in front of me.
"Here are your options," Dimitri said, his eyes cold. "If you'd like to continue this way, that's fine, but do not blame me for choosing the one that suits my tastes best."
I laced my fingers together, not even bothering to glance at the photos. It had been years of him trying to get me to marry the air-headed daughter of one of his old allies or subordinates. Years of him slowly trying to pin me down to this life he'd forced upon me. I'd resisted at every turn, but for some reason, my marriage was the hill he wanted to die on.
I'd like to crucify him myself, but the problem was that Dimitri, while no longer the boss, had enough friends in the right places that my name would end up on a marriage certificate with or without my signature, and I didn't have the time to fight for a divorce. Underground politics would only throw a wrench in my plans, and I was so close to having everything go the way I wanted.
Too close to let him ruin it now. Too close to let my anger take over either.
Dimitri turned to the door. "The wedding will be held within a week. This is a decision, not a negotiation."
He left then, leaving his used glass on the edge of my desk. Ivan's phone rang as I tried to tell myself why it was a bad idea to off my father, at least for right now.
How interesting that he'd chosen a week as a deadline. For a moment, I wondered if he'd been tipped off somehow of what I planned. It just meant I needed to move faster.
"Marriage, hm?" Ivan said.
I looked up. I knew Ivan was dating, but were they already planning to get married?
"Got it. Alright." He hung up with a sigh.
"When's the date?"
He flushed. "Not ours. She's... calling in a favor for a friend. A green card exchange."
"So?"
He winced. "Her friend's not really made for the type of guys on my usual list, so it's going to take some time."
I blinked. Like lightning, it hit me: even Dimitri's friends in legal places couldn't override an already-existing marriage certificate.
"Is she affiliated?"
He frowned. "Not that I know of. Sick mom. Drowning in debt. She just graduated nursing school."
On the right side of the law, a nurse, probably not interested in putting up too much of a fight: she was perfect.
"Arrange it."
"You have someone?"
"Me, but let her think I just need a green card."
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Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
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His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Surrendering to Destiny
Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.
From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.
Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Shattered Girl
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.
“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.
Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother
who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.
When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.
On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...
Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.
George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.
His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"
Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.
When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.
"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"
George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
Goddess Of The Underworld
When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Prison Project
Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?
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Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.
Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...
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Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?
Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?
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A temperamental romance novel.
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.
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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?
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
A Lesson in Magic
Rise of the Banished She-Wolf
That roar stole my eighteenth birthday and shattered my world. My first shift should have been glory—blood turned blessing into shame. By dawn they'd branded me "cursed": cast out by my pack, abandoned by family, stripped of my nature. My father didn't defend me—he sent me to a forsaken island where wolfless outcasts were forged into weapons, forced to kill each other until only one could leave.
On that island I learned the darkest edges of humanity and how to bury terror in bone. Countless times I wanted to surrender—dive into the waves and never surface—but the accusing faces that haunted my dreams pushed me back toward something colder than survival: revenge. I escaped, and for three years I hid among humans, collecting secrets, learning to move like a shadow, sharpening patience into precision—becoming a blade.
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I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
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Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
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Enter him.
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It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
The Forbidden Throb
Mine changed in the time it took to open a door.
Behind it: my fiancé Nicholas with another woman.
Three months until our wedding. Three seconds to watch it all burn.
I should have run. Should have screamed. Should have done anything except stand there like a fool.
Instead, I heard the devil himself whisper in my ear:
"If you're willing, I could marry you."
Daniel. The brother I was warned about. The one who made Nicholas look like a choir boy.
He leaned against the wall, watching my world implode.
My pulse thundered. "What?"
"You heard me." His eyes burned into mine. "Marry me, Emma."
But as I stared into those magnetic eyes, I realized something terrifying:
I wanted to say yes to him.
Game on.












