Ban X Jericho Novels & Stories

**Evelyn Karamazov** I’ve spent all twenty-three years of my life immersed in the world of the mafia, groomed to rule with an iron fist. But power in our world doesn’t come without a price, and that price is marriage—a union built on strategy rather than so-called love. It’s the last thing I want, but in this life, sacrifices are the currency we trade in. And if I have to choose, I’ll sacrifice to the devil I know rather than the angel I don’t. But make no mistake, a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, and it demands its due. **Killian Bandini** Sixteen years—that’s how long I’ve waited to exact my revenge. Sixteen years to drown in nightmares, consumed by guilt and the unyielding desire to set things right. My father is dead, and now the Bandini empire is mine. The time has come to collect what is owed, and God help those who wronged me, because they will pay with blood. ★ What happens when the most lethal, most infuriating man to ever walk the earth crashes your wedding, puts a bullet in your would-be husband’s head, and holds everyone at gunpoint just to ensure you marry him instead? Killian Bandini doesn’t ask; he takes. But if he thinks I’m some meek bride to be bartered and controlled, he’s dead wrong. I may have to marry him, but I sure as hell won’t make it easy. He’s come for blood and power, but he doesn’t know that I’m not just a pawn—I’m a queen, and this game has only just begun.

After I switched from a private company to a foreign enterprise, my salary rose accordingly. My husband, who was always frugal, suggested that I hand over my entire salary to him. He claimed it would be used for daily household expenses. Watching him calculate the numbers, I asked, “What about your salary?” He said casually, “I’m saving it for our retirement.” I said nothing and followed his instructions. I spent my entire salary within a month. My husband finally felt uneasy when he saw how many packages kept showing up at our home. Seeing his doubts, I happily said, “You’re the one who said to use my whole salary for household expenses.” He exclaimed, “What are we, the Rockefellers?! How can one month cost this much?” That was funny. It turned out that he knew that a normal family’s expenses would never take my entire salary.

What happens when the man you married isn't the man who truly sees you? Cassie Everly thought she had everything she ever wanted. A powerful husband. A prestigious family name. A future most women could only dream of. The reality is far less perfect. For five years, David Jeffson has put business before marriage, leaving Cassie alone in a mansion that feels more like a prison than a home. Every promise is postponed. Every anniversary forgotten. Every attempt to save their relationship met with another excuse. Then Mark Jeffson comes home. David's twin brother. The black sheep of the family. The man who built his own empire while the Jeffsons handed everything to David. The man who looks at Cassie as though she's the only person in the room. Mark was never supposed to be part of her story. But the more her marriage falls apart, the harder it becomes to ignore the one man who always seems to be there when she needs him. The one man who remembers every detail her husband forgets. The one man who makes her question whether she chose the wrong brother all those years ago. As family secrets unravel and a bitter battle for the Jeffson empire begins, Cassie finds herself trapped between loyalty and desire, duty and happiness. Because loving her husband's twin could destroy everything. But walking away from him might destroy her even more.

"You want revenge? I can help you with that, but you have to marry me." Trapped in a nightmare marriage, Selena Brown's world shatters when she discovers her husband’s affair with her best friend for years, who’s now carrying his child. Desperate for answers, she tracks down her best friend’s alleged fiancé, only to find Henry Scott, a ruthless billionaire, who claims he’s never even met her best friend before. Driven by betrayal, Selena and Henry strike a dangerous deal: a marriage of convenience to take down their enemies. But as sparks ignite and secrets unravel, their revenge pact becomes something far more dangerous, an irresistible passion neither of them can deny. When love and vengeance collide, can they trust each other or will betrayal destroy them both? “You can have my husband, Sandra. But don’t worry, I married yours. And unlike you, I don't cheat. I upgrade.”

In just one day, Gemma Braun finds out her entire life has been built on lies and deception. From finding her younger sister in bed with her husband to being killed by her own brother. On her death bed, Gemma begs the universe for a chance to deal with everyone who exploited her. When a second chance is granted to her, Gemma vows to deal with all that has hurt her, with Atlanta's wealthiest billionaire by her side, she will bring everyone to their knees before her. ****** “Why are you doing this?” She asked. “Well, let's say we’ll be doing a trade by barter. You give me what I want, I'll give you what you want…” “And what do you have that I want?” the lady before him asked. “Money, power, connection… I've been watching you for a while, Miss Braun. I thought you were docile and gullible and only does what that messed up family of yours asks you to. But after witnessing what you pulled today, my view about you changed…” “What does all these have to do with what I want?” “You want revenge, you want to deal with your sister and that prick for messing with you, you want to deal with that thing you call a brother for everything he has done to you, and your parents, they deserve a share of your rage too, for neglecting you…” “Get married to me, and I'll give you the money and power to get back at them." “What do you gain from this, Mr. Ferguson?” Gemma asked. “A wife…..What do you say to a two year marriage contract. Once the contract ends, you can do what you want with your life, no strings attached,” Derek proposed.

Mother-in-law: “You shall leave my daughter immediately, you’re a complete piece of trash who isn’t worthy of her.”Three days later, the son-in-law drives up in a luxurious car.Mother-in-law: “Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave my daughter.”

She was the perfect mafia wife until her husband demanded an open marriage like it was another business deal. He expected her to break Instead, she reached for revenge by committing the ultimate sin in their world, she chooses her own desire. One night. One call boy. One sin she thought she could bury. But the man she paid wasn’t a call boy at all he was Cassian Moretti, the most dangerous Mafia Don in the city… and her husband’s worst enemy. Their night together should’ve ruined her Instead, it awakened something feral. Weeks later, a missed cycle exposes the truth and Cassian finds her again, cornering her with a smile sharp enough to cut wind. “A call boy, huh? Sweetheart… you bought the wrong man.” Now she’s trapped between a husband who wants control and a ruthless Don who wants obsession. Forbidden. Explosive. Unhinged. Some affairs start wars. This one may end a marriage… and ignite a bloodline.

When my husband from the arranged marriage lost his memory, I couldn't resist messing with him. “Adrian. Say 'Boss.'“ The man in the hospital bed hugged his pillow and looked up at me like a good little boy. “Boss.” I nodded, satisfied. Perfect. A whole year of marriage, and he never once called me his wife. One car crash, and he'd been demoted to calling me Boss. Adrian and I had an arranged marriage. I did it for my family's dying factory. After the wedding he was colder than the fridge. We slept in separate rooms. He wouldn't eat my cooking and wouldn't take my calls. He even saved my number in his phone as “the Bell girl.” I lived in the Crane house more carefully than the hired help. His mother thought I was poor. His aunt thought I was trash. Adrian thought I was an eyesore. Then came the crash. A clot pressing on the nerves in his brain. The doctor said his mind had rolled back to about six years old. I looked at the man in the bed, clutching my sleeve and refusing to let go, and on the inside, I was glowing. Payback. My moment had finally come. I wanted money. I wanted revenge. I wanted a divorce and a clean getaway.

My stepdaughter, Alana Greenwood, brought me some abortion medicine on her Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Everyone around knew of her little "prank", but none came to stop her. Even my husband just stood and watched. I smiled bitterly as I took the medicine and drank it in one go. I immediately felt the pain in my lower abdomen. My head began to spin, but I could still hear the harsh tone in Alana’s voice. "Well, did you think you could replace my mother after giving birth to your child? Let me tell you this, Dad agreed to marry you back then because I was young and was in need of a free nanny! If you dare think about replacing my mother, you will be kicked out of the Greenwood family!" I covered my stomach and took a deep breath. "There's no need for the trouble. You're an adult now and I've completed my task. I'll leave... tomorrow."

Nessa once helped a stranger, and one unexpected night changed her life forever. By morning, the man was gone—leaving no name, no explanation, and no way to find him. The only thing he left behind was the child growing inside her. For five years, Nessa raised her son alone, working hard and trying to forget the man who abandoned her. But fate had other plans. At a grand gala, she comes face to face with him again—Nathaniel Harrington, a powerful billionaire CEO feared and respected by everyone. The moment their eyes meet, the past comes crashing back. Now that Nathaniel knows the truth, he wants his child. But Nessa will do everything to protect her son—even if it means running from the man who once owned her, and the dangerous world he belongs to.