Taming the Ruthless Don

Taming the Ruthless Don

Nyla Blakely

5.0
Comment(s)
72
View
23
Chapters

"He kissed me like he owned me, and I hated how much I let him." Ava Garzolo was never meant to be a mafia bride. She's reckless. Mouthy. A scandal wrapped in satin and sin earning a reputation that keeps her far from the marriage market. It's supposed to be business. A contract signed in blood. But Leonardo doesn't do cold. He does possessive. He does dangerous. He does whatever it takes to make the woman in his bed crave him as much as he craves her. In a family built on lies and violence, love is a risk. And loving him might be the deadliest mistake of all.

Taming the Ruthless Don Chapter 1 I'll Marry Leonardo

"SHIT,"

I mutter as I stare at the pregnancy test in Isabella's hand.

It's positive.

She's pregnant.

My sister brushes past me, looking like she might throw up, and sinks onto a chair by her bed. The test falls out of her hand.

"This is a disaster," she moans.

Disaster? No. A disaster would be spilling wine on a white designer dress you borrowed from a friend, or your phone battery dying while you're out in the middle of the woods at a rave.

This is far more than a disaster.

This is a clusterfuck. Dictionary definition.

Izzy's wedding to Leonardo Messero is in just a few days, and she's pregnant.

With another man's baby.

Ras Sorrentino loves her.

He'd do anything for her. But Izzy left him so that she could carry out her "duty to the family" by marrying Leonardo-the most dangerous mobster in New York.

I swear, our good-for-nothing father's greatest accomplishment is managing to brainwash my sister into believing his bullshit.

Papà's life hangs on this marriage. Literally. Leonardo is the only reason Papà isn't rotting in prison right now, but if he can get Papà out, he can put him back in just as easily.

The price for my father's freedom is Isabella-a daughter for Leonardo to marry so that he can be named as Papà's successor.

Leonardo is already the don of his family, but I guess it's not enough for the greedy bastard. He wants to be the don of ours too. So he needs a Garzolo wife.

And according to his ass-backward traditions, she's supposed to be a virgin.

I wince. Leonardo might've been raised in a traditional, religious family, but something tells me immaculate conception is going to seriously test any belief he has.

"What am I going to do?" Isabella whispers, her wide eyes fixated on the test lying on the ground. My sister has always been the strong one but right now she looks like she's about to collapse. "Leonardo and Papà need me. Papà will force me to get rid of the baby."

She's right. They do need her. The men in our lives are incapable of cleaning up their own messes. If it were up to Papà, Isabella would be wheeled into a clinic by the end of the night, but perhaps...

"Leonardo wouldn't do that," I say. "You know how traditional his family is."

My sister shakes her head. "Don't be naive. In our world, they only respect the traditions that serve them. Leonardo won't raise another man's baby." Her lips tremble.

"I don't know what to do. I never should have left Ras. You're right, Ava. I should have been brave and stayed. Ras loved me, and I broke his heart because I was so damn scared that one day he'd regret sacrificing so much for me. I was so insecure and worried about the future that I completely missed what was right in front of me."

My heart clenches. That's how people act when they've never been allowed to put themselves first. They self-sabotage because they believe they're not worthy of happiness.

Oh, Izzy. Her whole life, she's been molded by our parents to be the perfect daughter-obedient and self-sacrificial. They've succeeded spectacularly.

She drags her nails down her cheeks.

"Ras and I could have had a family together. We would have been happy. Instead, I fucked everything up." A tear slips out of her eye, followed by another. Her heartbreak is so clear, so devastating, that I feel an echo of it inside my own chest.

She doesn't deserve to suffer like this.

I'm a shithead, but Izzy is good and kind and loyal. She's spent years protecting me. While I was sneaking out at night to kiss boys who'd never understand my world and going to parties where I'd never belong, Isabella was covering for me and getting beaten up by our father.

How many bruises have I earned her? How many tears has she shed on my behalf?

I never even knew Papà was abusing her until a few weeks ago. He had hurt her for years, and I never noticed it. Honestly, what kind of a person does that make me? It's like I had blinders on to everyone's suffering but my own.

Hot shame prickles over my cheeks.

I have got to be better than this. I can't keep failing my sister. That stops right now.

I walk over to where she's sitting and kneel in front of her.

"Is that what you want? Do you want to be with Ras?"

Her eyes swim with tears. "Yes. More than anything."

Finally. There's real conviction in her voice. This might be her chance to break free from Papà's shackles and do what's right for her. But she can't start a new life with Papà and Leonardo on her back. As long as they need her for this marriage, they'll never let her go.

A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach. I can make them stop needing Isabella.

After all, she's not the only Garzolo daughter around here.

Fucking fuck.

I brush my curls off my neck, feeling a nervous heat creep up my skin. Can I do this?

I have to do this.

Yes, it's time to grow up. I've spent years dreaming of moving to LA, working as a music manager, rubbing shoulders with the talented and the famous, and having the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted, but I'd never enjoy it if the price is Izzy's happiness. She deserves to live her life with someone who loves her the way Ras does.

She's always had my back. Now, it's my turn to have hers.

I wrap my palms over her knees and look into her eyes.

"Are you willing to fight for it?"

Isabella sniffs and wipes her cheeks.

"I'll do whatever it takes." My chest tightens.

And so will I. For her, I'll do anything. She deserves no less than that. "Izzy, I'll take your place."

Confusion flashes over her features. "What do you mean?" I take a deep breath.

"I'll marry Leonardo."

Continue Reading

You'll also like

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Betrayed Bride: Claimed By The Brother

Betrayed Bride: Claimed By The Brother

Reilly Mcardle

I arrived at the hotel with Julian's favorite takeout, ready to surprise my fiancé before our big merger. But the moment I swiped the keycard, the silence of the hallway felt heavy and wrong. Inside, a red-soled stiletto lay on the marble floor-the same one I'd watched my best friend Lila try on at Saks last week. Through the cracked bedroom door, I watched Julian's back arch as Lila looked me straight in the eye and smiled, wrapping her legs tighter around him to mock my heartbreak. I fled to the penthouse to hide, only to find Grafton, Julian's "crippled" brother, waiting in the dark. To my horror, the man who was supposed to be paralyzed stood up from his wheelchair, gripped my chin with cold fingers, and forced me to sign a contract that gave him control of my family's shares. He knew about my mother's secret medical bills and used them to buy my silence, effectively turning my life into a calculated game of corporate chess. The betrayal tasted like acid, and the injustice of it all burned in my throat. My fiancé was a liar, my best friend was a thief, and the man now controlling my fate was a predator who had been faking his disability for years. I couldn't understand how everyone I trusted had turned out to be a monster. I was trapped between a man who cheated on me and a man who wanted to own me, with no way out and no one to turn to. But when Julian came looking for me, Grafton didn't hide; he stood tall, looming over me with a possessive glint in his eyes. "Help me destroy Julian," I rasped, realizing that to survive the Faulkner men, I had to become the most dangerous player of them all.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Burned by Poison, Saved by the Devil

Burned by Poison, Saved by the Devil

Gale Kaaya

My cousin Hailey paid a dock worker to assault me just to ruin my engagement. To survive the military-grade aphrodisiac she poisoned me with, I stumbled into a walk-in freezer and threw myself onto the only source of cold I could find-a man paralyzed by unnatural hypothermia. It was a desperate, primal exchange of my heat for his ice just to keep my heart from stopping. But when Hailey threw open the heavy iron door, leading my fiancé and the entire Bolton family to witness my "shame," her triumphant grin instantly vanished. She hadn't caught me with a low-life thug. She had caught me straddling Demetrius Maddox, the ruthless Iron King of Chicago. The air in the room dropped to absolute zero. My grandmother screamed in horror, and my father turned the color of ash. Hailey, blinded by jealousy, tried to double down. She pointed a manicured finger at the deadliest man in the city and called him a "nameless muscle" I picked up to defile the family name. She didn't realize she had just signed her own death warrant. I didn't cower. I realized this was the only chance to survive the family that wanted me dead. I walked up to the Devil himself, my body still humming with the poison, and looked him in the eye. "Kill me, and the cold inside you wins," I whispered, knowing he was dying from the inverse of my own poison. "I am the only doctor who knows how to cure you." Demetrius tightened his hand around my throat, his dark eyes assessing my worth. "Prove it," he growled. I turned back to my trembling cousin and signaled the enforcer to hand me the whip.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Taming the Ruthless Don Taming the Ruthless Don Nyla Blakely Mafia
“"He kissed me like he owned me, and I hated how much I let him." Ava Garzolo was never meant to be a mafia bride. She's reckless. Mouthy. A scandal wrapped in satin and sin earning a reputation that keeps her far from the marriage market. It's supposed to be business. A contract signed in blood. But Leonardo doesn't do cold. He does possessive. He does dangerous. He does whatever it takes to make the woman in his bed crave him as much as he craves her. In a family built on lies and violence, love is a risk. And loving him might be the deadliest mistake of all.”
1

Chapter 1 I'll Marry Leonardo

12/08/2025

2

Chapter 2 The Bride Switch

12/08/2025

3

Chapter 3 Dressed for the Kil

12/08/2025

4

Chapter 4 Before the Dinner

12/08/2025

5

Chapter 5 Family Disapproval

12/08/2025

6

Chapter 6 Not a chance in hell

12/08/2025

7

Chapter 7 A Cage is Still a Cage

12/08/2025

8

Chapter 8 Break my wings

12/08/2025

9

Chapter 9 Bigger Monster

12/08/2025

10

Chapter 10 Finally Mine

12/08/2025

11

Chapter 11 Surrender Tonight

12/08/2025

12

Chapter 12 Trapped

25/09/2025

13

Chapter 13 His Claim

25/09/2025

14

Chapter 14 Fire Between Us

25/09/2025

15

Chapter 15 Blood on Display

25/09/2025

16

Chapter 16 Sexy To Undeniably Devastating

25/09/2025

17

Chapter 17 Predators Bed

25/09/2025

18

Chapter 18 Bottled Fury

25/09/2025

19

Chapter 19 Ava's Plan for Ruining Leonardo's Life

25/09/2025

20

Chapter 20 Her Spree, My Game

25/09/2025

21

Chapter 21 Enjoy The View

25/09/2025

22

Chapter 22 I'm Starving

29/09/2025

23

Chapter 23 The Illusion of Freedom

29/09/2025