The Mafias Obsession Love Me Love Me Not
His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
The Mafia's Obsession: Love Me, Love Me Not
She captivated me like a storm crashing into my life, becoming the very reason I breathe. This woman who broke through my darkness and melted my soul, becomes the one woman I cannot have. Claire Santos finds herself heartbroken when she finds her boyfriend cheating. In order to get over him she go
Love Me, Hug Me
Nancy Martin was an orphan. Later she was adopted by an old woman whom she called grandmother. It can be said that her grandmother is her only family in the world. When Nancy was 18 years old. Her grandmother was in need of a large operation. In order to earn money for medical expenses, she chooses
LOVE ME
SYNOPSIS. A seventeen year old Bryan fall in love with a ten year old Michelle. Bryan came from a very rich family, Clara! Michelle's mother thought the young Bryan is trying to get close to her. "He normally bring all sort of things for Clara, Clara decided to call him to order". She is far o
Love me
PROLOGUE This is the story of Angélica, a beautiful 25-year-old Canadian woman, the only child and heiress of the most powerful family in Canada. Angélica is a top model, the most famous one in Canada since she turned 20. She's naturally cheerful, optimistic, and very sociable. I live a peaceful
Love Me Little, Love Me Long
This 1859 novel is a kind of prequel to the later Hard Cash (1863)—focusing on the banking industry instead of mental institutions. It features a romance between David Dodd, a sailor, and Lucy Fountain. Though Lucy is an independent woman who would rather be alone, David's sincerity eventually
LOVE ME OR HATE ME
"I am not my sister. And you can LOVE ME OR HATE ME for that, but you don't get to punish me for her sins." Daniel breaks. The wall doesn't just come down. It collapses. --- Aria Blackwood didn't plan to fall in love with her boss. She planned to keep her head down, do her job, and ignore the way
Tell Me You Love Me
Alexandra's fiancé is found tragically dead and leaves Alexandra wondering about the cause of Louis' death. But the more Alexandra finds out, the more she is seduced by the handsome and smart Detective Noel Simmons. Alexandra falls in love, but there's terror ahead.
Love Me Then Destroy Me
She woke up in a billionaire's arms in a penthouse with a view of the Seine. She was wearing a ring she didn't remember saying yes i do to When Lana Cruz wakes up after a terrible accident, the only person there is Adrian Black, the powerful CEO who says she is his wife. His touch is familiar, and
The Mating Love me or Kill me!
Elsie is a werewolf and who had never wanted to marry out of love. Because she was an orphan, her alpha uncle wanted to marry her out to just anybody, in order to get rid of her. On the day of her arranged marriage, she ran away because she didn't want to get married. While she was running through t
The Mafias Twisted Obsession
Coraline Abbott thought she had escaped her dark past. After her brother's mysterious death, she fled her father's estate in Florence, hoping for a fresh start in New York. She built a new life-working at a luxury hotel, engaged to a banker, and finally at peace. But everything shatters when a my
The Mafias Obsession
☠️EXCERPT☠️ "The Deadline of the Loan is today" A woman cries to her husband in fear "I will try to explain to him to give us more time" The husband bites his nails saying this "You know how ruthless the Fernandez are" The woman says hitting her husband on the head "Should we just run till we g
Love Me in the Dark
When River Rouge’s ex starts stalking her, she turns to the man she resented for years for help—a rich, powerful, and private named Krew Selik. At first, she’s just a damsel in distress, and Krew is her white knight, but their attractions are undeniably strong. She’s grown to him that she’d never be
Not Just The Love
Starting from a lie that Jules created by claiming that Matheo was his lover, Matheo's life which was originally flat turned into color. The lie created by Jules also makes a Matheo who is known to be cold and rigid, trapped in Jule's love. Love just flowed in their hearts and made them have a relat
Learning to love me
With Ciara looking ravishing beautiful, words fell out his mouth before he could control himself, "Cici..." He sighed, his breath tickling the skin of Ciara's neck. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, admiring her beauty, how beautiful she was. He then took his hand off her, suddenly aware of
Love Found Me
Impossible...that cannot be him,it was driving me crazy,I wish it was all a dream, a bad dream,that would go away..... Let's divorce,I finally said pushing him away trying so hard not to cry,I'm tired of all this,all I ever did was to love him I'll prove to him that he messed with the wrong person.
Love Fools Me Around
Her mother's scheme granted her a wild one night stand with a stranger. But as soon as the sun rose, her family's debts were paid off, and everyone disappeared on her. At that time, she found herself miserably abandoned. Five years later, she had already become a famous painter once she returned to
You Love Me?
Beep beep beep. That was my alarm, trying to wake me up. Stupid machine. "Aria, Aria, Aria wake up" urghh, who wake up early should be sued. "Aria Willson. You have exactly five minutes to get up missy or you will be Late, Again!" That totally woke me I woke up like my bum was on fire and ran in
Love Me Tenderly
Mirabel had suffered so much In her life. From being sexually abused continuously by her step father while her mother pretended not to be aware to being abused by her employer and then gang raped led by someone she thought was her friend and she could trust. 'I love you Mira. You are different from
Love Me In Darkness
Under the cover of darkness, when the night envelops the world, Pennelope Casey finds herself entangled with the man of her dreams. He exudes charisma, oozes sexiness, and what initially seemed like a fleeting encounter without introductions has now evolved into a year and a half of pure pleasure. W
You Love Me (BoyxBoy)
Jaden Cole is a eighteen year old high school basketball captain. He is loved by all for his perfect image. He doesn't do drugs or smokes but party hard just like every other kid in the block. His clean boyish attitude is like a magnet that attract all the girls around him who will stop at nothing
