She was taken as leverage. He never expected she'd become his weakness. When ballerina Sienna Rosetti is kidnapped by infamous Mafia boss Dante Moreau, she's thrust into a world of violence, secrets, and seductive danger. Held captive in his secluded Sicilian estate, Sienna fights to reclaim her freedom-but the more time she spends with her captor, the harder it is to ignore the heat between them. As hidden betrayals rise and Dante's empire teeters on the edge, they must decide: will love save them-or destroy them both?
Rain drizzled against the glass like a soft percussion, rhythmic and steady, mirroring the dull ache in Aria's temples. It had been another sleepless night-her mother's cough echoing down the narrow hall of their small apartment, the bills stacked like a silent threat on the kitchen counter, and the gnawing worry about the flower shop's rent, which was now a month overdue.
She shifted the weight of the coffee tray in her hands as she stepped into the rush of a bustling Manhattan café. The scent of roasted beans and wet pavement filled her lungs, grounding her for just a moment.
"Double espresso for... Ethan?" she called out, scanning the crowd.
No one responded.
She turned to take another step and collided-hard-into a wall of a man.
Coffee. Everywhere.
"Oh no-oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Aria gasped, her eyes wide with horror as the tray hit the floor, the ceramic cup shattering, the dark liquid blooming across an expensive charcoal-gray suit.
The man slowly looked down at his soaked jacket. Then his eyes lifted to hers.
Cold. Piercing. Unforgiving.
"Do you always walk through life blind and uncoordinated, or is today special?" he said evenly, each word sharp as glass.
Aria's face flamed. "I-I didn't see you. I was calling a name. I didn't mean-"
He cut her off with a raised hand, not in kindness, but dismissal. "Save it."
Aria blinked, stunned.
"Let me pay for the dry cleaning-"
"That won't fix the suit." His tone was clipped, final.
Then, just like that, he turned and walked out into the rain, unbothered. Unapologetic.
Aria stood frozen, staring after him, the tray still trembling in her hands.
"What a jackass," the barista muttered behind her.
"No kidding," Aria mumbled.
She didn't know it yet, but that man-Ethan Vale-was about to become the reason her entire world turned upside down.
Three days later, Aria was elbow-deep in roses when Mr. Liu, the building manager, dropped the bomb.
"They sold it," he said, not meeting her eyes. "The building. New owners taking over by end of the week."
Aria nearly dropped the garden shears.
"What? You said the lease was secure!"
"I said I thought it was," he muttered. "Turns out the previous owner took a private offer. Some development firm. Big money. Sorry, kid."
"No, no, no..." she whispered, heart racing.
The flower shop wasn't just a job-it was her lifeline. It paid for her mom's medications, kept food on their table, and gave her a purpose. It was the one place she felt like she belonged.
"Who bought it?" she asked.
He scratched his head. "Some company... Vale Enterprises, I think?"
Her blood ran cold.
It couldn't be.
The suit. The coffee. The ice stare.
No. No way.
She went home that night numb. The apartment smelled like lavender and cough drops. Her mother was already asleep, curled up beneath a pile of worn quilts, the television humming low in the background.
Aria didn't sleep. She researched. Read every article she could find on Vale Enterprises. And there he was-Ethan Vale. Billionaire CEO. Real estate tycoon. Manhattan's youngest self-made mogul.
Cold-hearted. Unreachable. Known for tearing down anything in his path if it didn't match his bottom line.
But she wasn't going to let him bulldoze her shop. Not without a fight.
The lobby of Vale Enterprises gleamed like glass and chrome heaven. Aria walked in the next morning with her heart thudding in her chest, armed only with a folder of documents and a stubborn hope that maybe-just maybe-he wasn't as heartless as he seemed.
The receptionist didn't look up from her screen. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No. But I need to speak to Mr. Vale. Please."
"Mr. Vale doesn't take walk-ins."
Aria swallowed hard. "This is urgent."
Before the receptionist could respond, a familiar figure stepped out of the glass elevator. Immaculately dressed, same unreadable expression, same presence that seemed to still the air around him.
Ethan Vale.
He stopped when he saw her. For a second, his brow twitched in recognition.
"You again," he said. "Didn't expect to see you in my building."
"I didn't come to spill coffee," she said, chin high. "I came to talk about the flower shop in Brooklyn. The one your company just bought."
He regarded her, then gestured toward the elevator. "Five minutes."
His office was everything she expected-sleek, modern, soulless. He leaned against the edge of his desk, arms folded.
"Speak."
"I've worked in that shop for four years," she began. "It supports me, my mom-she's sick. I'm studying design part-time. This isn't just a job to me. It's my entire life."
"And?"
"I'm asking for a two-month extension. Just time to figure something out. Please."
Ethan studied her with the same expression he'd use to examine a spreadsheet. "The shop will be demolished in thirty days. That's already generous."
Her jaw clenched. "Don't you care about the people behind your decisions?"
"No," he said simply.
She blinked.
"Business is not about feelings, Miss..."
"Bennett."
"Miss Bennett. I make decisions based on value. Sentiment doesn't factor in."
She rose to leave, furious and humiliated, but something stopped him.
A photograph had slid from the folder she'd brought. A shot of her floral work-a wedding arch she'd designed last summer, lush with peonies and eucalyptus, backlit by twilight.
He picked it up. Looked at it again.
"You did this?"
"Yes," she said warily.
He glanced at her. "My company is launching a hotel in SoHo. We need a floral designer for the interiors and launch events. Your style fits the brand."
Her eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"
"I'll offer you a contract. You handle all floral installations for the hotel. In return, I delay the building's demolition."
Her chest tightened. "So I work for you, or I lose everything?"
"I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial agreement," he said.
She stared at him. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're running out of options."
She hated him for being right.
But more than that, she hated how, despite everything-his coldness, his arrogance-part of her was intrigued.
She'd never met someone like Ethan Vale. And she had a feeling he'd never met someone like her, either.
"Fine," she said finally. "But don't think for a second I'm impressed by you."
He almost smiled.
"Noted."
Ethan Vale is the cold, calculating CEO who doesn't believe in love, only leverage. Aria Bennett is a struggling florist who spills coffee on his designer suit and ends up in his billion-dollar world. When her flower shop faces demolition, Ethan makes her a ruthless offer-design for his luxury hotel, or lose everything. But the deeper Aria is pulled into his icy world, the more she begins to thaw something buried beneath his perfect suits and brutal ambition. She's the warmth he never expected. He's the storm she never saw coming. This is not just a deal. It's the beginning of a love that could shatter them both-or finally set them free.
Isla Hemsworth is a pure, innocent, kind, and a loving daughter to her mother. She spent almost half of her life taking care of her sickly mother. She was deeply heartbroken when her mother suddenly passed away, living her all alone. She had a surprise of her life when she learned that her mother left her an island as part of her inheritance. Getting tired of the hustle and bustle of the big city, she decided to sell everything, and she isolates herself to Risona Island. As years goes by, Isla is now accustomed to living alone in the island. Her peaceful and quiet world suddenly turned upside down when an unconscious and helpless man has been washed ashore towards Risona Island. The big question is, who is this handsome stranger and why are they destined to meet each other?
Clarisse Marshall is a pretty and simple convenience store employee. She works hard for the money, and she has a pure and gentle heart, and she is more than willing to help anyone, and Michele Montserrat is just one of them. She saved Michele Montserrat's life, and as a result, the man fell inlove with her, fast and hard. Michele is a sweet, warm, kind and a gentle man, however, there's only one problem. He is the future "Godfather" of an organized mafia group which is called the "La Famiglia" which deals with drugs and weapons. Would she be able to set herself free from Michele's romantic pursuit towards her?
Serena Montana is a career woman who's working as a signed writer for a big publishing company in Brisbane, Australia. She received a great news from her Boss that her manuscript was handpicked by a famous production company, and they will have a television adaptation of her novel. Since 50% of the scenes from the novel is back in Walnut Creek, a small countryside area where she grew up, she needs to go back their and relieve the past with her first love, Paolo. Can she successfully finish her work without leaving her heart in Walnut Creek?
Lara Smith is a 30-year-old woman who has been living a dull and lonely life. She doesn't have a family of her own, she doesn't have her own savings, and she is working hard like a dog, just to make ends meet. She wished to be like Amanda Montserrat, a beautiful, rich and a powerful woman who owns Etoile Cosmetics company. The world is her oyster, and she lives a perfect live. She's a trillionaire, she's a genius woman running a cosmetic empire on her own and she is engaged to be married to Emmett Albreicht, who is an extremely famous hotel magnate. While on a company field trip, Lara was involved in a tragic accident, and she was in a comatose state for a year. As she wakes up from her slumber, she realized in horror that she is she's been trapped into a different body! She is now living the life of Amanda Montserrat and she doesn't have any choice but to live a different life while thinking on how to get back to her original body!
Dana Montecarlo woke up from a 5-year coma due to a severe traffic accident. She woke up from her hospital bed, with her loving husband on her side, Garrett Montecarlo. Dana was happy and relieved to know that her husband survived the car crash, and he's alive and well. But there seems to be something different about her husband, especially with his kiss. It wasn't that passionate as it used to be. She's wondering why her husband can't look at her straight in the eye. He's acting aloof and distant towards her, as if they were total strangers. What could've happened to her husband after the car crash?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”