How Does Steeling Her: A Romance Novel End?

She returned to bury her father. Instead, she was forced to marry his enemy’s son. - Rosalind Marlow returns to New York to settle her father’s affairs, once one of the city’s most feared mafia bosses, only to find he died beside his greatest rival… and left behind a contract binding her to the rival’s son. Viktor Marino is cold, calculating, and infuriatingly magnetic. Rosa has no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn, not in grief, not in business, and definitely not in bed. But Viktor plays a long game, and with every stare, every challenge, he pulls her deeper into a world of secrets, power, and heat. She was raised to be untouchable. He was born to conquer. And in the space between vengeance and desire, who is going to lose control first? (Contains mature and dark content) ***** EXCERPT ‘Why would you want to leave this behind?’ he growled in my ear, his chest rumbling against my back. Because I can’t trust you. Because I don’t know what I want. ‘Because it’s cruel,’ I whispered. And then he pulled away, leaving me trembling, desperate, and furious.” ❦

In Cordelia's marriage, she is the other woman. First, it was to the memory of her sister, Angelica, the woman who should have been his bride. And now, she is still only second best, cast aside for any pretty face that reminds him of his lost love. After five years of marriage, and one night of passion that turned into heartbreak, she gains the strength to start over on her own. But there are things about her marriage that she never knew. Strange things are happening all around her and it turns out that she has bigger skeletons in her closet than the ones she put there herself. What really happened to Angelica? And what will she do, once she learns the truth? ________ The first time our eyes met my heart stopped. “Hello,” I smiled in his direction, “My name is Cordelia Grayson.” His returning smile was hesitant, uncertain, and small. “Atlas Steele.” He was beautiful with his golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I could tell he was a little too old for me, but I have always been attracted to older boys. His age didn't discourage me, if anything I think it made him even more dashing. And from that moment on my heart was his. Utterly and completely. Unfortunately it was not my heart that he wanted to hold. When he raised his gaze to mine a second time, his eyes skipped over my face to focus on someone standing behind me. I turned to look. It was my sister. He asked me if I knew her. I could tell he was more interested in her than he was in me, and even though it hurt to do it, I nodded in confirmation. “That's my sister, Angelica.” “Angelica,” he said her name slowly, savoring each syllable.

Antonius Rockwell, the enigmatic CEO of a prestigious company, leads a life of power and influence yet feels a hollow void in his existence. That changes the day he notices Kirsten Zaldua, a diligent delivery girl whose quiet determination and sincerity intrigue him. Struggling to support her ailing mother and balance her studies, Kirsten unknowingly becomes a beacon of hope in Antonius’s sterile world. One fateful afternoon, Antonius watches her collapse from exhaustion in his company lobby. Acting on instinct, he rescues her but conceals his identity, fearing the threats surrounding his life could endanger her. Instead, he sends his brother to assist her, an act he later regrets. To Antonius’s dismay, Kirsten mistakes his brother for her savior and begins a relationship with him. From the shadows, Antonius watches as his brother manipulates her into a toxic situation, leveraging her debts and her mother’s health to control her. Powerless to intervene without revealing the truth, Antonius retreats, heartbroken by his inability to protect the woman who has unwittingly captured his heart. Months later, a chance encounter reignites his connection with Kirsten, leading to an intimate one-night love affair born of misunderstanding. Though their bond deepens, Antonius remains tormented by guilt and longing. When Kirsten discovers he was her true rescuer, a spark of hope reignites between them, but Antonius’s brother, jealous and desperate, threatens her mother’s care, forcing her to break things off. Will Antonius’s love and determination be enough to rescue Kirsten from her nightmare? Or will the weight of her sacrifices pull them apart forever? Only time will reveal if their love can triumph against all odds.

Rosemary couldn’t have expected what would happen the moment she walked into her father’s office that cold winter’s day. Standing beside her father was Justin Knight, a man known across the country for his cruelty and rage. And for Rose, a person her father promised she’d marry. Being used as her father’s pawn for greater power was a deal Rose couldn’t accept, so she did the only thing she could, she ran. Taking her chances and bolting from her guards her arranged husband ordered, Rose finds herself surrounded and trapped. Until one man appears. Taking the hand of a stranger, covered in tattoos with the brightest but most dangerous eyes she’d ever seen, Rose thought she was out of the woods, but she didn’t know what she’d just stepped into. Baxter was no hero; he was a predator, the most feared Mafia boss in the country. A man built on fear, blood and not an ounce of mercy, he had not one weakness, until Rose appeared. From that first moment, Baxter decides she was now his, and Baxter never releases the things he claims. Her father wants to sell her, her fiancé wants to own her, and the monster who saved her, wants to keep her forever. Can Rosemary escape the men who wish to control her… or has she already fallen into the hands of the one man who could fully destroy her? Read on to find out.

I stumbled over my own feet as he shoved me through the doorway, barely catching myself before I hit the polished marble floor. A gasped escaped my mouth as I straightened up, eyes wide as they scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. Or should I say - a mansion, everything about it screamed wealth, power and danger. I blinked rapidly, trying to push back those tears, smearing them away with my shoulder because my hands were bound tightly in front of me. The ropes bit into my skin, a cruel reminder that this wasn’t a nightmare. It was my new reality. “Welcome to my world, princess,” he said, voice like velvet over broken glass. ---- Lewis. The name alone makes my stomach churn. The man I once thought I loved. The one who walked into my life with a smile, too perfect and eyes too deceptive. At first, he was everything I ever wanted. Until he became everything I feared. He didn’t just hurt me, he broke me. And just when I thought there was no way out of his twisted love, his brother appeared. Like a storm. I thought I saw a savior in him. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. I never sought his attention. I never wanted his eyes on me. But he gave it anyway unrelenting, consuming, obsessive. He didn’t offer me freedom from Lewis. He offered me a different kind of captivity. One laced with soft touches and sharp edges. One that didn’t hurt my skin, but carved into my soul. He stole my sanity with his silence, my breath with his gaze, and my heart with his wickedness. I was a puppet of two devils - one who broke me openly, and the other who worshipped my broken pieces like treasures he owned.

VIOLET-He left me because of his secrets that he refused to share with me. He didn't care how he shattered already broken pieces and left a mess. My family was the one to put me back together with their love & care. And now I'm a completely different person, the girl who was abused & the woman who was left behind are nowhere to be found. Now I'm here with an armor that I'd built in his absence, with a heart incased behind walls of steel & I refused to let him fool me again. He might've been the one to heal my body with his soft touches but my heart was too tender to believe in him again despite that one dream that could be possible only with him. He says he'd his reasons, that he'll do anything for my forgiveness. But should I trust him again? Should I give him the chance he's begging for? Or should I just fool him like he did me & get what I really want? COLE-I made a mistake when I left her. But now I'm back to beg for forgiveness. The problem is My broken princess has turned into one with steel heart & ironclad armor. She doesn't care about my sweet words or tender touches anymore. She's not the woman I'd left behind. She knows how to hurt me & she hurts me where it's fucking painful. She says she won't forgive me but she'll have to because there was nothing else I wanted more than her forgiveness. I'll do anything she wants, give her everything she needs except that one thing that she really wanted from me. For the second time I'll do something she'll hate me for but at least I'll have her where I wanted her. By my side-In my heart-As my wife.