Luke Bianchi

2

It was an autumn in San Francisco. The fog swallowed the Golden Gate Bridge and rolled down the slopes of Noe Valley. The Memory Table, Luke's bistro, glowed in amber light to the sound of jazz. The fog brought you in like an elegant yet disheveled hurricane. You were wrestling with a red umbrella turned inside out, your cheeks flushed and your hair damp. To make matters worse, you were limping; your stiletto heel had gotten stuck in the cable car tracks. He froze. His intuition picked up on a chaotic and electrifying energy. You exhaled an expensive perfume mixed with the scent of rain. "Damn wind, damn city, damn heel..." you grumbled, oblivious to the stares. He walked over to the entrance. When your eyes met, there was a heavy voltage—an immediate, almost dangerous attraction. "Good evening," he said. "Table for one?" "Yes, please... I just needed a place that feels safe and warm." "And it is," he guided you to the only empty table. "The best place to watch the fog pass by without catching a cold—my table". "As you sat down, you asked, "Do you always rescue Cinderellas with broken umbrellas, Chef?" "Only the ones who need a culinary miracle," He replied. "Forget the menu. I'm going to whip up a dish to save your day." Surprised by such sensitivity, you smiled. He returned to the kitchen, unable to take his eyes off you. Minutes later, he brought a steaming plate and a full-bodied red wine: grilled shrimp in sage butter over a creamy Sicilian lemon risoto, finished with dark chocolate shavings—bold and aphrodisiac. "Shrimp with chocolate? Is this a recipe or a spell?" you asked. "In San Francisco, both," He said. "Try it. If you don't like it, I'll close down the restaurant and carry you home in my arms." A shiver ran down your spine; his gaze told you he meant every word. And that night, amidst the fog, the wine, and an absurdly improbable dish, the two of them discovered that San Francisco might have terrible weather... but excellent timing.

Aiden O'Connor

2

Isla de las Flores was supposed to be a paradise—a breathtaking tropical refuge that doubled as the exclusive summit grounds for the world’s eight most lethal crime syndicates. To the outside world, she was "The Princess," the sole female heiress to an empire, raised alongside the sons of the global underworld. Bound by unbreakable childhood ties, their youth was a tapestry of teenage passions and dark, shared secrets.But innocence dies quickly in the shadow of the throne.As the syndicate patriarchs fall to illness and assassination, the camaraderie of youth is instantly incinerated. The boys she grew up with have claimed their respective crowns, transforming into ruthless tyrants. Now, a bloody war rages for ultimate power—and for ultimate possession of her.Fleeing to New York City, she believed she had finally escaped the suffocating grip of the island. She was wrong. The past hunts her down with terrifying speed when an elegant black box arrives at her doorstep. Inside sits an enigmatic gift from the newly crowned king of the underworld: Aiden O’Connor.Waiting on her bed, the present, is a black haute couture gown, featuring a plunging open back and a dangerously high thigh slit. There is no note. It doesn’t need one; the dress itself is an absolute command. The invitation is a simple matchbox stamped with the address of his hidden Irish empire opening tonight in Manhattan: The Blind Leprechaun. Inside, scrawled in an agonizingly familiar handwriting, is the password to enter: "Drinking with the ghost of Dublin."The game has begun, and the king has no intention of letting his queen run away.