THE DON'S BEAUTIFUL RUIN

THE DON'S BEAUTIFUL RUIN

Zipporah Greg · Ongoing · 169.9k Words

1.1k
Hot
1.4k
Views
72
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

"Tell me to stop." His mouth grazed her throat, unhurried, deliberate. "Say it, and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

Elena didn't say it.

She was sent to Chicago to destroy Luca Moretti, the Devil King who rebuilt his empire on blood and grief and the ghost of a dead wife. She was trained for this. Weaponized for this. She knows exactly how obsession looks when it wears the mask of devotion.

The problem? She's wearing his dead wife's face.

And the longer she stays inside his penthouse, his bed, his hands, his dangerous, devastating tenderness, the harder it becomes to remember which part of this is the mission and which part is something she's never been allowed to have.

She came here to kill him.

He knows.

He's keeping her anyway.

And somewhere in Viktor's buried files is a secret that won't just shatter their future, it will rewrite everything Elena believes she survived

Chapter 1

I sat across from Captain Marco Santini with a calm expression on my face, my fingers wrapped lightly around the stem of a wine glass as if I had nothing in the world to worry about.

The red dress I was wearing clung to my body perfectly, expensive and carefully chosen, a gift from Viktor that I never asked for but always wore when he told me to.

He liked me looking a certain way, polished, desirable, unforgettable, and I had learned long ago not to question his reasons even when I knew there was always something darker beneath them.

Marco leaned back in his seat like he owned the world, his voice loud enough to compete with the music vibrating through the walls of the club as he talked endlessly about power, money, and influence.

He told me Inferno belonged to him, that everything I saw around me existed because of him, and I nodded at the right moments, letting my lips curve into a small, interested smile as if I believed every word he said.

I knew he was lying.

Inferno did not belong to him, and men like Marco were always eager to inflate their importance when they thought a woman was impressed by them.

I let him talk anyway because it made things easier. It always did.

“You’re quiet,” he said, leaning forward slightly as his eyes dragged over me in a way that would have made most women uncomfortable. “Most women ask questions when they hear what I do.”

“I prefer to listen,” I replied softly, taking a slow sip of my wine. “It’s more interesting that way.”

He grinned, clearly pleased with my answer, and I could see the moment he decided I was exactly the kind of woman he wanted for the night. That was how it always worked.

Men like him did not notice danger when it was sitting right in front of them. They only saw what they wanted to see. “And what do you think of me so far?” he asked.

I tilted my head slightly, letting my gaze linger on him just long enough to make it believable. “I think you’re impressive,” I said.

It was a lie, but he did not hear it. He laughed, satisfied, and raised his glass in a careless toast before finishing the rest of his drink.

I watched him for a moment, memorising the rhythm of his movements, the slight delay in his reactions, the way his guard had completely dropped.

He was relaxed, comfortable, and most importantly, alone. Perfect. “Let’s get out of here,” he said suddenly, standing up and offering me his hand. “Somewhere more private.”

I let my fingers slip into his without hesitation and allowed him to lead me through the club.

The music grew louder as we passed through the crowd, bodies moving around us in a blur of light and shadows, and then it faded the moment we stepped into the VIP hallway.

The silence there was different, controlled, and expensive.

He pushed open the door to one of the private rooms and pulled me inside, closing it behind us with a soft click that sounded final in a way he did not understand.

Marco turned to me immediately, his hands finding my waist as he backed me against the wall. I let him, my body relaxing under his touch as if I welcomed it, even though my mind was already moving ahead, calculating every second.

“You’re even more beautiful up close,” he murmured, his breath warm against my skin.

I gave him a faint smile, one that he mistook for interest.

His hands began to wander, growing bolder as he leaned in, and I let my head tilt slightly to the side as if I was giving him access, as if I was surrendering to the moment he thought he was creating.

Then I moved.

The blade slid into my hand smoothly, hidden until the exact moment I needed it, and before he could react, I drove it upward under his jaw with precise force.

The steel cut through soft tissue and into his brain in one clean motion, my grip steady, my expression unchanged. His body jerked once. Then it went still.

Marco Santini died without making a sound.

I pulled the blade out just as quickly and stepped away, letting his body collapse to the floor. There was no hesitation, no second glance, no emotion attached to what I had just done.

I wiped the blade clean on his shirt before slipping it back into place and adjusted my dress as if nothing had happened. Then I walked out.

The club swallowed me the moment I stepped back into it, the music loud again, the lights flashing, the crowd moving without awareness of what had just happened behind a closed door.

I moved through them with steady steps, my face calm, my breathing even, already anticipating the chaos that would follow when Marco was found.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

Until it wasn’t.

I slowed slightly as I reached the center of the club, a strange feeling settling over me, sharp and unexpected, like instinct trying to warn me of something I had not yet seen. My gaze lifted, scanning the room, and then it stopped.

On him. Luca Moretti. I knew who he was the moment I saw him, even without introduction.

Power like his was not something you mistook. He sat in one of the private sections overlooking the floor, surrounded by men who carried themselves like they would kill without hesitation, yet none of them drew my attention the way he did.

He was already looking at me.

His eyes were locked onto mine with an intensity that made something inside me tighten, and for a second, everything else faded into the background. The music, the lights, the people, none of it mattered.

The way he was staring at me was wrong. It was not out of suspicion. It was not anger. It was something else entirely. He looked at me like he had seen a ghost.

My breath caught slightly, and for the first time that night, something close to unease crept in. I did not understand that look, and not understanding something was dangerous.

I needed to move.

I broke eye contact and turned, forcing my body to keep going, to blend back into the crowd and disappear the way I always did. That was the plan. It had always been the plan.

Then I felt it. Eyes on my back. Not just one set.

More. “Stop.”

The voice came from behind me, firm and commanding, cutting through the noise like it did not belong there.

I did not stop. I turned instead.

Three men were pushing through the crowd, their focus locked directly on me, their movements purposeful, controlled, and far too coordinated to be coincidence.

They knew. They had found Marco.

And now they were coming for me.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Alpha King's Human Mate

The Alpha King's Human Mate

469.9k Views · Completed · HC Dolores
“You must understand something, little mate,” Griffin said, and his face softened,

“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.
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

2.6m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

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
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha

Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha

10.7k Views · Completed · Christina
I woke up three years into a marriage I barely remembered—pregnant with twins that weren't my husband's.

Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.

Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
Rebirth Of The HighSchool Villain

Rebirth Of The HighSchool Villain

2.3k Views · Completed · Trust AW
Aurora Whitmore was the villain of Malcolm & Whitmore High. She was obsessed with her childhood love, Adrian Malcolm.
When he chose Jane Sinclair over her, Aurora lost control and on graduation night, she died after drinking a poisoned wine, not knowing who poisoned her. With her last breath, she wished for a second chance and woke up one year before her death.
This time, Aurora refuses to be the villain. She breaks off her engagement, stops chasing Adrian, and walks away with her pride intact. But the more she ignores him, the more Adrian wants her back.
And when his cold, mysterious half-brother Marcel, the one who was supposed to die, returns and begins to fall for Aurora after she saves him. Now the brothers are at war.
One wants the girl who stopped loving him. The other wants the girl who saved him. But Aurora isn’t chasing anyone anymore. She’s rewriting her fate.
Will Aurora be able to change her fate? Will she return back to Adrian or choose Marcel? Or will fate turn her into the villain again? There is only one way to find out.
Take note, that names, characters, location are all fictional.
Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

1.9k Views · Ongoing · Sherryann Martinez
R18 MATURE CONTENT

Beautiful Aubrianne Ivanov, raised by her single mom, had a tough childhood. With low self-esteem, she became an outcast and was alone one too many times for her liking. Time spent at her part time job, she eventually grew into a brave, confident, and determined young woman who walked right into an opportunity that would change her life forever.

Will Aubrianne truly feel whole? Will she find what has been missing in her life? Will she allow herself happiness and joy? Will she find love, and most importantly, will she survive what's to come?

Join Aubrianne on her journey as she discovers who/what she is and navigates all the heartbreak, betrayal, drama, and exciting and thrilling events that come her way...

Excerpt:

She lay before him in all her magnificent beauty draped across his king-size bed in the most compelling and provocative way known to man or beast. And for Alpha Zayne, it was the most captivating view he had ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.

She stared at his every movement, lips slightly parted, her stunning brown eyes scanning every inch of his gorgeously toned and glorious body while heat radiated off of hers. He was HERS.

Her body trembled in delight and anticipation; she was ready and wanted to be with him in every way.

As innocent as she was, she wanted him to...no need him to take her in the worse ways, bringing her to heights of pleasures she had never experienced before.

Fuck she is beautiful, one fine specimen, and she is all MINE, MY MATE. A wave of pure unbridled possessiveness vibrated through Alpha Zayne. He thanked the Divine Moon Goddess, for she has truly blessed him.

He drank her in, eyes trailing up her toned sexy legs spread wide for him, and she gave him that come-and-get-it look.
The Last Tribrid: Hunted & Hollow

The Last Tribrid: Hunted & Hollow

1.6k Views · Ongoing · Dancingpen
Hera is dead.
That’s what the blood in the woods says.
That’s what Astrid saw with her own eyes.
And that’s what should have ended it.
But it didn’t.
Because her death wasn’t the beginning of justice.
It was the beginning of the hunt.
As grief fractures their world, Astrid and her friends are forced to confront a terrifying truth—someone isn’t just killing.
They’re choosing.
Marking.
Watching.
And now, the circle is closing.
What started as a single investigation quickly unravels into something far more dangerous, pulling them into a web of ancient forces that have been waiting… watching… and are no longer willing to stay buried.
Enemies rise from places they never thought to look.
Allies become something else entirely.
And survival begins to demand impossible choices.
Because some lives can only be saved by sacrificing others.
As power awakens inside Astrid—wild, unstable, and willing to burn everything in its path—she’s pushed to the edge of what she can control… and what she’s willing to lose.
Even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs them.
Because this time, they aren’t just being hunted.
They’ve already been marked.

(this is a continuation of 'the last tribrid')
The Princess's Revenge

The Princess's Revenge

59k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
Two nations are at war. Valencia's pack is massacred by Alpha Marcus, and she is enslaved by him. When he dies, she is to be buried alive with him as a sacrifice.

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 Alpha & The Vampire Queen

The Alpha & The Vampire Queen

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Kassy Rae Wall
Ambrosia, the Vampire Queen, believed her only duty was to safeguard the hard-won peace; yet, due to her brother Xander’s descent into chaos, she finds herself once again ensnared in a vortex of destiny. Ambrosia must make one of the hardest decisions she has ever had to make before, she must hunt her brother down and get a handle on the chaos that he is so determined to create. With the help of her sister in laws and a head dive she is able to see and know that her entire life she has had forbidden magic used against her to block her memories. As her sealed memories gradually reawaken, she uncovers a history of brutal betrayal suffered in her childhood—and discovers that her true enemy is none other than her own father. She tasked herself with finding Xander and saving him, her need for vengeance grows and she makes the choice to challenge her father to the death. Rising from Queen to the ultimate Guardian, Ambrosia will exact her vengeance amidst blood and fire, undergo a rebirth to claim her true crown, and face the final battle that will determine the ultimate fate of the throne.


Whips crack against her skin, blood pooling on the cold stone floor, while her mother's pleas fade into silence, abandoning her to the monster's wrath. Xander's protective cries turn to accusations under Penny's dark spells, fracturing their sibling bond into shards of mistrust and isolation.
The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2

The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Kassy Rae Wall
Pythia comes from a long line of dark witches, she killed her mother for her reckless behavior and becomes the queen of the dark witches and teamed up with the Great White Witch and the vampire queen to fight in the battle to keep the balance in all the different worlds, she meets her mate, Tye in the great battle. Tye is the great white witches brother and a alpha. Together they will embark on a battle to correct the elders and take a step forward to peace among the dark witches, the road is long especially when they find out Pythias true royalty line. When realms collide and the moon goddess has to step in and not only aid because of the new found threat but to tell the secrets she has helped keep hidden for many years, Pythia is forced to train harder, work harder and plan for the absolute unexpected but, as she learns her true powers she starts to realize that she can handle anything that may threaten her and her family.
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.
Falling For The Playboy Billionaire

Falling For The Playboy Billionaire

926 Views · Ongoing · Ava John
A collision of two worlds brought them together. Two single parents, with different personalities and distinct parenting styles.
Henderson Bain a playboy billionaire cares about nothing else aside from his daughter, Itzel who is a spoilt brat all thanks to her father.
Lena Cohen is hunted by her past but despite that, she is an amazing mother to Trent, a sweet well well-behaved boy but life wasn't rosy for them.
Henderson Bain is having a hard time searching for a nanny for Itzel until shows up though qualified, Henderson refuses to offer her the job because of their first encounter but seeing how Lena and Itzel get along, he decides to employ her.
Lena and Henderson were two worlds apart but one thing they never saw coming was them falling for each other.
Will they finally let go of their past, and give love a chance? Or try to suppress their feelings for each other? And what if their past comes knocking at their doors once again?
Confined To The Alluring CEO

Confined To The Alluring CEO

2.4k Views · Ongoing · Ava John
Penelope is heartbroken when she gets to know that her fiance is going to get married to her step-sister Mireya who is already carrying his child.

As she tries to pick up the broken pieces of her heart and move on she is forced to make a life-changing decision in order to save her grandpa's life from the clutches of her wicked stepmother.

Tyrell Achilles is the man whom Penelope has to marry. He is rumoured to be a crippled, hot-tempered, cruel man with a damaged face and the son of the Achilles family which was once the wealthiest family in the country until they went bankrupt.

After the wedding, Penelope realised everything was not what it looked like, but one thing was sure, she was going to use this opportunity to make every single person who betrayed her pay.

She was going to ruin them till the very end but to achieve her goal, she must be able to thread through the traps and conspiracy unscathed.

When she is on the verge of giving up, a hand is stretched out to her, and it is none other than that of her alluring husband Tyrell Achilles and he says these words to her gazing into her eyes. "I never thought this would happen but I'm in love with you, Pennie."

Will she give love a chance or keep fighting the feelings she has for her enigmatic yet alluring husband?
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

934.9k Views · Completed · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!