Sold to the Mafia king
His eyes returned to me-slow, assessing. Then, without warning, his hands shot up and clamped around my throat.
I gasped, instinctively clawing at his arms. He didn't move. "Disobey me again," he said, voice low, stripped of warmth, "and we won't be counting next time."
Even shaking, I lifted my chin. "Then don't mistake silence for obedience," I said hoarsely.
Carlino's voice followed-calm, absolute, as if nothing had happened. "Lock her floor tonight."
That was when it settled. There was no mercy here. No exaggeration. Every word, every threat-he meant them.
He wasn't pretending to be the devil. He simply didn't bother hiding it.
---
She hates him.
He refuses to let himself want her.
Lina Gray never thought love would betray her. Until the man she trusted, traded her life to pay his debts. Delivered into the hands of Carlino Lacentra, the Mafia king whose name ends conversations. Lina is stripped of choice and crowned Donna to secure a throne she never asked for. In his world, power is law, loyalty is currency, and a woman beside the king is never just a woman.
Chapters
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Chapter 1
Lina’s POV
The first time Ruciano hit me, I told myself it was a mistake.
The second time… I learned how to stay quiet.
“Don’t you fucking say that, Lina. You’re the one who always acts impulsive,” Ruciano snapped. “You nag about one thing or the other. What do you even gain from getting me this worked up, huh? Tell me.”
His voice cut through the room. Sharp. Unforgiving. Like it could slice through anything else in here. He paced, fingers dragging through his hair, teeth clenched, like he was the one losing control, and I was supposed to be the storm.
And somehow… that broke something in me.
I opened my mouth. Ready to fire back. Ready to defend myself. But the words got stuck. Somewhere between my chest and throat. If I spoke… I’d cry. And I refused. Refused to let him see it.
“Say something,” he pressed, stopping right in front of me. “You always have something to say.”
I inhaled. Slowly. My hands stayed at my sides, stiff and cold.
“What exactly do you want from me, Ruciano?” My voice barely above a whisper, steadier than I felt. “Tell me. Because I’ve done everything. Everything. I’ve defended you, stayed quiet when I shouldn’t have, bent myself into someone I don’t even recognize anymore.”
He scoffed. “Oh, here we go.”
“No,” I snapped, something sharp cutting through finally. “Don’t dismiss me. Not this time.”
His jaw tightened, but I didn’t stop.
“I won’t keep destroying myself just because I love you,” I continued. My voice trembling, despite all I’d done to hold it together. “I won’t kill myself trying to be the girlfriend you—”
The slap came out of nowhere.
Not just a sound. A shock. Loud. Sudden. Final.
My head snapped to the side. Pain bloomed. Hot. Immediate. But the real damage… it settled somewhere quieter. Somewhere deeper.
For a second, I didn’t see the man in front of me.
I saw the boy who used to look at me like I mattered.
I didn’t know when he disappeared.
I tasted blood.
Silence followed. Thick. Suffocating.
He stepped back. Like he hadn’t meant it. Like his own hands had betrayed him. Like this wasn’t the second time.
I let out a soft laugh. One which didn't sound like me.
“You hit me,” I whispered. Barely above a whisper. “Again.”
“Lina, I—”
“You hit me. Again,” I repeated. My voice shaking. Despite everything. And you know what? His silence hurt more than the slap.
I turned and left. Before he could say anything else. Before he could apologize. Before he could explain. Before I could forgive him out of habit.
Why was I still in this relationship?
All I ever got lately were insults, outbursts, ungrateful remarks… and now this. It hadn’t always been like this. In the beginning—laughters, long calls, stupid plans about the future. Somewhere along the way, without warning, he changed. Completely.
And I stayed.
The night air hit differently outside. Colder. Heavier. Or maybe… just me.
I walked. No direction. My thoughts were loud. Messy. Unbearable. Part of me—some fragile, stupid part, waited for footsteps behind me.
For him to call my name.
For him to choose me.
He didn’t.
I stopped at the corner. Wiped my face roughly. Couldn’t go home like this. Mom would see everything. And her worry… would break me in ways I couldn’t fix.
I reached for my phone—
Then something shifted.
Not loud. Not obvious.
Just… wrong.
I froze. Breath caught. Eyes scanning the street.
Three… maybe four men in black. Moving fast.
Not running. Hunting.
Chest tight. I ducked behind a tree. Bark rough against my skin. Boots hitting pavement. Heavy. Deliberate.
There was someone ahead. Running. Not screaming. The silence—worse than any shout.
My phone vibrated.
Ruciano.
My thumb hovered. Locked the phone. Pocketed it. I had nowhere else to go.
Then I remembered… Cathy. She might… accommodate me.
Rang her bell once. Twice. Nothing.
I turned to leave, and the door burst open.
“Lina?” Cathy blinked. Eyes wide. “What are you doing here so late? Oh my God—come in. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to talk,” I said. “Please. I just need to sleep.”
She stepped aside. Quiet. Immediate.
I collapsed on the couch. Mind fading. Sleep dragging me under.
~~~
“You didn’t get back home last night, Lina,” Mom snapped. “And now you’re standing here telling us you were fired?” her voice was rising. “I am sure it’s because of that Ruciano boy. Directly or indirectly. I warned you. Told you to leave him alone. He’ll be the end of you one day—mark my words.”
She stormed out. Anger trailing like smoke.
She wasn't wrong. At all
Dad stayed. Silent. Watching. Something unfixable in his gaze.
“When your mother said Ruciano was behind you losing your job—indirectly—you didn’t deny it,” he said, calm, heavy. “That tells me enough.”
I swallowed.
“That man has nothing good to offer besides pain,” he continued. “Let this unhealthy relationship leave your life. And let yourself grow—mentally, emotionally, in every way. Or else… he truly might be the end of you.”
Disappointment cut deeper than anger ever could in Dad's voice.
“Okay, Dad,” I whispered.
He shook his head. Walking away. Silence settled dangerously, it was heavier than shouting.
I sank into it. Needed to leave Ruciano. I didn't even know why I stayed. All he gave me lately was… chaos. Bruised emotions. Fear. Love? Sure. But not returned. Not the way that matters.
I went upstairs. Shut my bedroom door. Dropped my bag. Collapsed onto bed. Exhaustion pressed against my chest. Breathing felt like work. Sleep was the only escape.
When I woke, my vision blurred. Head heavy. Sun dipping toward its horizon. Light soft through the window.
I exhaled.
I need to see Ruciano today.
I need to end this.
I quickly freshened up. Changed. Stepped outside. Night already settled. Mom was still in the kitchen. Tina and Romy were laughing. No one noticed me leave.
I called Ruciano as I walked, telling him I’d be there in a few minutes.
Fortunately, he was at home. That was a relief—one less excuse, one less delay.
But something about the night felt wrong. Since I stepped out, I've been feeling it. The unease that settled in my chest.
The street was usually quiet. Too still. Maybe I was the one overthinking it.
I was halfway down the street when a white van pulled up beside me. So fast and close to me.
My body reacted before my mind did, a sharp spike of fear shooting through me, but it was already too late.
The doors slid open. Four men stepped out. Black masks. Dark clothes. Movements precise. It was as if they had practiced it.
They surrounded me in seconds.
One behind me.
Two at my sides.
One in front.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs. I opened my mouth to scream—
A hand clamped over my face. The smell hit instantly. Sharp. Chemical.
“No—!”
Panic exploded through me as I struggled, my fingers clawing at the arm around me, nails digging into fabric, into skin—anything. My body twisted, kicked, fought—
But they were stronger.
Everything started slipping.
My lungs burned. My vision blurred at the edges.
A voice leaned close to my ear, calm… almost bored.
“You should have stayed home.”
My movements slowed despite me. My strength drained like something was pulling it out of me piece by piece.
“Too late,” he added softly.
Almost immediately, my body went limp but my mind was still awake long enough to realize one thing. This wasn’t random.
“Loved, betrayed… and delivered,” one of them commented and the rest laughed. Then everything went blank.
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8.7
Alessia Marino is a regular nanny until she is hired to care for the Mafia King's children.
Enzo Rossi is the stunningly attractive King of Mafia, but his ex-wife cheated on him. He would have murdered her, but he does not want his children to know he killed their mother.
He has no time for children, and every nanny that comes along tries to cling to him rather than the children; this is his final straw, and maybe his second love.
What if they become entangled in a love that refuses to end?
8.9
Isabella Romano is the neglected princess of her family, casted away unknowingly by her father, she has lived with her mother all her life, seeking some fatherly love but she learnt to stop caring. Now after a reckless night she finds herself tangled in the sheets of a man she was told to always hate. Vladimir Volkov. A man far more scary that what she has been told, he is not just the boogeyman he is the one you send to kill the boogeyman. Imagine her shock when she finds out she hasn't just gotten the attention of The Russian Don but is also carrying his child
Follow the hate to love relationship of isabella and Vladimir and watch how they navigate their life in his dark world that he dragged her to, making her and his unborn child a target to the new arising enemy that aims to destroy both the Italians and the Russians.
9.3
She's sin wrapped in a nun habit.
He is the devil who makes her want to confess.
Luciano Moretti, the mafia's most feared enforcer, kills without hesitation, prays to no god, and bleeds for the Cosa Nostra.
Sister Elizabeth has spent her life behind church walls, burying her desires under layers of penance and prayer. She is supposed to be untouchable-a quiet, secluded nun devoted to faith.
But when she finds him bleeding on the altar one night, their worlds collide in a sin neither heaven nor hell can cleanse.
He's meant to marry her sister to seal a deal between two mafia empires.
She's meant to keep her vows and distance.
But temptation has a cruel sense of humour...
Because he's the last man she should want.
She's the only woman he can't have.
But one touch, one look, and everything sacred begins to crumble.
Luciano does not seek salvation. Instead, he lures her into a dangerous path, one that includes everything she is meant to avoid, and everytime she whispers "forgive me, Father," her soul sinks deeper into him.
As bloodlines clash and loyalty turns to betrayal, Elizabeth learns that the war outside the chapel isn't the only one she must survive. Because Luciano's world is built on violence and secrets, one of which binds her fate to his in ways neither of them saw coming.
Desire clashes with devotion.
Duty turns to betrayal.
And when they're both drowning in a love so forbidden, not even God can save them.
7.7
My husband, Hudson Higgins, used my dowry to buy his way into the Chicago underworld while his family treated me like a servant in my own home. I endured their insults for the sake of my five-year-old daughter, Josie.
But then, the unthinkable happened. I found Josie's small, lifeless body by the garden fountain, while my sister-in-law Karly and mother-in-law Eleanor stood by, complaining about their party plans.
"She was just too naughty," Karly sneered, adjusting her pearls over my dead child.
When I turned to Hudson for help, he looked at me with dead eyes and told me it was just her fate. In that moment of absolute grief, I remembered the words of the ruthless Don Damien Falcone: "Your husband is a man who knows how to close a deal."
The truth sliced through me like a blade. Hudson hadn't just ignored the Don's interest in me; he had actively sold me to the Devil of Chicago to buy his seat at the table. He let his family punish me for the very sin he committed.
I had lost everything-my dignity, my mother, and now my baby-all sacrificed for a man who traded his wife's body for power. The sorrow in my chest evaporated, replaced by a scorching, blinding thirst for a blood vendetta.
After lunging at Hudson and feeling the world explode into white, I opened my eyes to find myself back in the winter of 1928. It was the exact night the nightmare began, and Don Damien Falcone was walking toward me in his penthouse.
This time, I won't be the broken bird in his gilded cage. If Hudson wants to use me to climb the ranks, I will use the Don's dark obsession to burn the Higgins family to the ground.
8.9
I spent five years protecting Grafton Mcleod, the ruthless King of Chicago. Not because I loved him, but because I swore a blood oath to his dying brother to keep him alive.
On the day my contract ended, I placed my resignation on his desk.
Grafton didn't just refuse it; he laughed.
"You don't resign, Cayla. You belong to me."
He thought I was a jealous, obsessed assistant in love with him. He let his cruel fiancée, Cherrelle, torment me daily.
He forced me to drain my own blood to save her after she faked an accident.
He threw me into a freezing fountain when she lied about me pushing her.
But the final straw came when he dragged me to a syndicate gala. He didn't take me as a guest. He put me on stage, in a silk dress and a collar, and sold me to his enemy for five million dollars.
"This is what happens to property that misbehaves," he sneered as the gavel came down.
I escaped that night, but I didn't run away. I drove to the bridge where his brother died.
I left my phone on the railing and let the icy water take me, finally free of my debt.
It was only when Grafton stood on that bridge, holding my cracked phone, that he learned the truth.
He unlocked it and saw my wallpaper. It wasn't him. It was his dead brother.
And the diary inside revealed that the woman he was about to marry was the one who had ordered the hit that killed him.
7.1
"You broke the first rule, Princess. That means I get to take something from you. I'll start with this," he said, tugging at my panties and a needy throb ran straight through my core.
"Kyren, don't," I tried but it was to no avail.
He roughly pulled at the flimsy material, covering my most intimate part. The sound of lace ripping, filled the room. And the cool air from the AC bit into my exposed skin.
His hands slid up my back. He unclasped my bra with ease and it soundlessly dropped to the floor. His gaze raked over my trembling form with a satisfied hunger.
"You're not a cheerleader tonight. You're just mine. And I'm going to spend the next few hours showing you exactly what happens when you break my rules," he stated, before pushing my legs wide open with his knee.
××
Hailey thought she could handle the "Ice King." She thought she could seduce him, win the bet, and walk away with her heart intact. But Kyren sees right through her games. He doesn't want her seduction, he wants her submission.
As the lines between a dare and reality blur, Hailey finds herself trapped between her father's expectations and a man who wants to claim every inch of her. In a game where the rules keep changing, Hailey is about to learn that the Ice King doesn't just freeze people out... he burns them down.