Marrying The Rival: My Ex-Husband's Despair

I was smoothing the red silk of my dress over a baby bump only I knew existed, preparing to tell my husband, the ruthless King of Chicago, that he was finally going to be a father. But before I could share the news, the ballroom fell silent. A woman walked in wearing a gold dress that was barely legal. It was Serena, the woman from the photos I had received just hours ago. She walked right up to us and handed Michael a silver tie clip. "You left this in the suite, Michael," she purred in front of the entire city's elite. When I demanded she leave, she smirked and threw her glass of red wine all over me. The liquid soaked into my dress, looking like a gunshot wound right over my womb. I waited for Michael to defend me. To throw her out. Instead, he looked at the crowd, terrified of a scandal. "Don't make a scene, Liv," he hissed, his eyes cold. "Go upstairs and change. I'll handle this." He turned his back on me and walked away with his mistress, leaving me dripping in crimson and humiliation. My mother found me sobbing in the bedroom and slapped me sober. "Tears are for the weak," she said. "Tonight, Michael Thorne loses everything." We froze his assets. We destroyed his reputation. But that wasn't enough. I wanted to break his soul. I looked down at my stomach. I would protect this child, but his father would never know he existed. "Tell him I lost the baby," I whispered to the butler, my voice trembling with rage. "Tell him the stress caused a miscarriage. Tell him he killed his heir." Tonight, the golden cage opens. And Michael Thorne is about to find out that even a canary has claws.

WARNING This book contains mature scenes, explicit content, and potentially triggering themes. It is rated 18+ and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Reader discretion is advised. Claude Adams never wanted a mate-especially not her. As the Beta and son to the Alpha of the Rising Moon Pack, he knows fate isn't something to fight. But when he meets the she-wolf destined to be his, the bond feels all wrong. Suffocating. A trap he can't escape. So when a cryptic message meant for a human draws him onto a luxury cruise liner, he takes it as the perfect excuse to run. What he doesn't expect is Nikolai Vladimirovich-a ruthless Russian Mafia boss with a dangerous aura and a stare that strips Claude down to something raw. What starts as a reckless, meaningless fling turns into something neither of them can walk away from. But Claude isn't human. He was never meant to belong to Nikolai. And when the truth comes out, there will be no mercy. Because Nikolai doesn't share. And fate? It doesn't make mistakes.

Meet Two different Families. They are the two most dangerous Mafias in the whole of Italy, across Sicily and to this day, no other clan stands a chance against them. First Family. Name: Cactus Clan Name: Nightshade Clan Godmother, Serena, the head of the clan. A woman who is feared even by powerful men. She's a definition of craziness. She's well know for being a crazy witch that nobody wants to mess with. Erica, 25 years old, the first daughter, another witch who took after their mother without any single difference in character. She is very obedient to the core as she follows whatever their mother says without bothering to think about it. She's a badass fighter and can't go a day without spilling blood. Venetta, 23 years old. Second daughter and the craziest girl you might ever encounter. You can never understand her mood. It fluctuates... one minute she's smiling, the next second she's something else...and the reason is she's a drug addict. She sniffs like her life depends on it. Jazzlyn, 21 years old. She has no single similarity to her other siblings. Not like she was hated but she wasn't loved like the others. She was not allowed to go to any mission because she wasn't trained and was regarded as weakling. Her offense was that she had a weak heart. She had never gotten things right. She has badly wanted to train, wanted to go to mission but it was basically her fault and nobody's that she wasn't good. She keeps on trying and still can't. She can't even handle a gun. She was always left out during missions. One crazy thing she enjoys doing is cutting herself. She loves making herself bleed. * Second Family. Name: Truce. Clan Name: Hades fruit Clan Godfather, Padrino. The only one who's not scared of Serena. Instead he's also feared by everyone and every other clan in Italy, except Serena's though. Renzo, First Son, 25 years old. A playboy, bully and a dangerous killer. Padrino trust him more than anyone in the world cos he does not believe in love. Ace, second son, 24 years old. He's a playboy also and a drug addict. He went schooling in the states and ended up making a transfer back to Italy. He's a nice person and at the same time cold. And then we have, Glacier. 24 years old. He is merely a tool. Crazy, right? The son of Padrino, a tool? He's the most hated one in the family and clan. Even though he's one of them. He was never trained, not even how to defend himself but surprisingly, he had his first kill at the age of ten. He gets beaten up even when Renzo and Ace makes the mistakes. He gets beaten like a thief and he was used to the countless and ugly bruises all over his body. He doesn't talk, always alone, a weirdo. Amidst all this, Glacier is a strikingly handsome young man. He is the very definition of what it means to be devoid of mercy. He has no heart....he has been taught never to smile, laugh or frown. His expression is always unreadable. No one can decrypt his thoughts. After his first kill at the age of ten which was a shock to Padrino, he started leading every mission and decides who will accompany him. Everyone knows better to avoid his wrath, except for Renzo, who never backs down, though he is no match for Glacier. * Everything is all about competition to both families. Both families are sworn enemies for reasons unknown and they succeeded in passing the hatred on and on to their children. In a single word, they are bloody enemies and there's even a rule guiding that. A Nightshade must not be seen getting intimate with an Hades fruit and vice versa. They shouldn't be seen talking or chitchatting. They should keep hating on each other. Now let's talk about the school they all attend... Acme University. The school popular slogan which was common among the students is if you can't beat the rich, melt away. Acme University is an institution where the sons and daughters of the wealthy and powerful Mafia families ruled the halls. This elite school was notorious for its lax academic standards And rampant bullying, where family connections and social hierarchy dictated the pecking order there. At the top of the food chain were the *Capi*, the heirs to the most powerful Mafia families[Hades fruit Clan and Nightshade Clan] Below the Capi were the *Sottocapi*, the children of mid-level Mafia families, who aspired to climb the ranks and gain favor with the Capi. The *Bourgeoisie*, the offspring of wealthy business families, often caught between loyalty to their families and the allure of Mafia power. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the *Plebeians* Let's stop here.... A war begins. But what happens when this war transforms into something unexpected, something forbidden? What dark secrets will be revealed? Curious to find out where the dark forbidden romance comes from. You can't miss this book for anything.

I was naked in the bed of the most dangerous Capo in New York when I heard his mind whisper the name of the woman he actually wanted. It wasn't me. My husband, Dante, moved over me with cold precision, but his thoughts were screaming for Sofia, a soldier's widow he claimed to protect out of "honor." I possess a secret that makes me a freak: I can hear the thoughts of men. And Dante’s mind was a torture chamber of devotion to another woman. I found the deed to a luxury penthouse he bought for her. I watched her parade around in a dress he bought for me, hearing her mental triumph as she thought about rubbing her scent all over it. Refusing to be a placeholder in my own marriage, I left my wedding ring on his desk and fled to Las Vegas to build my own empire. I thought I had escaped. Until the divorce papers arrived in the mail, signed by him. I stood in my shop, heartbroken, believing he had finally discarded me to be with his true love. But then the phone rang. "Dante didn't sign those papers, Elena. He’s in the ICU." My blood ran cold. "He took two bullets to the chest. He started a war to distract the enemy from finding you." He hadn't chosen her. He was dying for me. I tore up the papers and booked a private jet. If the Grim Reaper wanted my husband, he would have to get through me first.

"This is wrong," I said, my voice rough and strained. "I'm your older brother... we can't do this." I tried to pull away from her, forcing some distance between us, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The pull toward her was too powerful, too deep in my bones. She didn't let go. Instead, she tugged me closer, guiding me toward the bed. One of her soft hands pressed flat against my bare chest, right over my pounding heart, while her other arm wrapped around the back of my neck, holding me there. Her eyes burned with hunger as she looked up at me. In a low, needy voice, she whispered, "Whether you believe you're my mate or not... I'm giving you my first everything tonight. All of me. Right now." The words hit me like a shockwave. Every single inch of my body-my soul, my wolf-screamed the same thing over and over in my head: Mate. Mate. Mate. The instinct roared so loud it drowned out everything else, every rational thought, every rule I'd ever lived by. I crashed my mouth against hers in a hungry, desperate kiss, claiming her completely. My hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against me as I muttered against her lips, "And I don't care anymore about morals or rules or any of that bullshit. I'm the ruler of these lands... and you're mine. All mine." I was completely crazy about her. Obsessed. Possessed. She was mine-every part of her-and nothing in the world was going to change that.

Ten years ago, I saved the life of New York’s most dangerous mob boss with a sewing kit. I gave Ethan Reed my youth, my loyalty, and my heart. But the moment his ex-girlfriend Chloe returned, I became disposable. It didn't matter that she had abandoned him. It didn't matter that she poisoned me, killing the unborn child Ethan didn't even know we had. When Chloe needed a kidney transplant due to her drug abuse, Ethan didn't protect me. He strapped me to a gurney. "It's just one kidney, Ava. You owe me." He harvested my organ to save the woman who murdered his heir. And when he was done, he decided I was a loose end. He dragged me to the edge of a bridge in the pouring rain. "This is how it ends," he said, his eyes devoid of love. "A tragic suicide." He pushed me into the freezing water, watching me drown to secure his happy ending. He thought I was dead. He thought the canary had sung its last song. But he forgot one thing. I was the chemist who built his empire. When his greatest rival pulled me out of the river, I didn't pray for salvation. I prayed for revenge. Three months later, I walked into his charity gala on the arm of his enemy, wearing a white suit and a smile sharp enough to cut glass. Ethan dropped to his knees when he saw me. But I wasn't there to forgive him. I was there to burn his house down.