SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON

The silence stretched between us, heavy and cold. My heart was beating so loudly it felt like he could hear it. I kept my eyes on his, waiting for him to get angry, waiting for him to do something worse.

To my surprise, he leaned away

But then, he leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "Don't think this is over," he whispered, his voice low and menacing. "You may have gotten lucky this time, but mark my words, Denise - I will fuck you soon. Hard. Whenever and however I like. And you will enjoy it because you belong to me. Every part of you. Your mouth. Your pussy. Your ass."

Dahlia Rivera has spent her life in her twin sister’s shadow. But when Denise vanishes on the night of her arranged marriage to ruthless mafia don Luca Romano, Dahlia is forced to walk down the aisle in her place.

What begins as a sacrifice soon turns into a prison. Cold and unforgiving, Luca reveals she was given to him not for love, but as payment for her father’s debts. Trapped in his mansion, Dahlia braces herself for a loveless marriage—until she glimpses the man behind the don.

As danger closes in and passion ignites, Dahlia finds herself falling for the husband she was never meant to have. But Luca doesn’t believe in love—and his silence could break her more than any enemy’s bullet.

And when Denise returns, demanding to reclaim what was “hers,” Dahlia must risk everything—not only for Luca’s love, but for her very life.

Dahlia’s POV

“Denise is gone!”

The scream ripped through my sleep like a sharp blade. My eyes flew open and my heart started pounding so hard it hurt. For a moment, I didn’t understand anything. The room was still dark, the weak morning light barely slipping through the curtains. Everything was quiet except for the sound of my breathing.

Then I heard it again. Mum’s voice.

I threw the blanket off me and jumped out of bed. The floor was cold under my bare feet, and I shivered as I hurried to the door. My hands were shaking so bad I could hardly grab the handle. The sound had come from across the hallway—Denise’s room. My twin sister’s room.

I rushed out, nearly tripping on the edge of the rug. My nightdress brushed against my legs as I ran, my hair messy and my eyes still blurry with sleep. But fear kept me moving. Something deep inside me already knew—something was very, very wrong.

When I pushed open Denise’s door, I stopped dead.

Mum was sitting on Denise’s bed, clutching a piece of paper in her hand. Her hair had fallen loose from its bun, and her face was wet with tears. She was shaking all over, whispering something under her breath that didn’t make sense. She looked… broken, like a piece of her had just been ripped away.

Father was pacing across the room like he couldn’t stand still.