Defying the Don by J.M. Coates follows the story of Abigail, a mafia princess forced into a marriage with Don Marcus Helios at a young age. However, on her wedding night, she witnesses Marcus’s brutal and unfaithful behavior, prompting her to flee and live in hiding for seven years. When Marcus decides he wants her back, Abigail, now a strong and defiant woman, must confront her past and the man she once married. With tension mounting and secrets unraveling, Abigail’s fate hangs in the balance as she navigates the dangerous world of the mafia and her complicated relationship with Marcus. Read Defying the Don Blurb Below:

Defying the Don Blurb

I thought I was weak, they all thought I was weak. Brought up as the shielded mafia princess, forced to marry the Don, Marcus Helios, at 18. Told it was my duty to my family, but on my wedding night, after saying I do, I watched the man I married f*ck someone on our honeymoon bed and kill her. I trembled, tears flowing, and swore in that moment the princess who cried and was weak was gone. I wiped my face and slipped out into the night, fleeing into hiding for 7 years. But what happens when the Don wants his wife back, only to find she’s no longer the meek, quiet little thing he married?

To a man like Marcus, you’d think a woman pushing his buttons and constantly trying to escape would make his trigger-happy fingers want to take a gun and be done with it. But the fire in her and her wicked sense of morality only feeds his obsession to have her and his need for her to obey.

“Abigail, you need to come quick, our sister has been in an accident.” Code for let’s go.

Abigail plays the part and stands up.

“Iris Helios,” I finally look at the man my best friend is having a date with, and it’s none other than my brother, Gino.

Fuck, the panic washes over me.

He’s now the Consigliere, which means if he’s here with his boss, then it means…

I back away quickly, but my brother stands up.

Suddenly, five or six men stand.

“There’s my little wife,” the sound from the right side has my face white like a sheet.

He’s here.

As I stood frozen, Marcus’s eyes bore into mine, a mix of anger, disbelief, and something else I couldn’t quite decipher. Gino’s presence complicates things further; his new role as Consigliere means he’s not just my brother but also a key player in Marcus’s world.

Marcus’s voice breaks the silence, commanding and authoritative. “Iris, come here.”

I shake my head, unable to move. The memories flood back—the humiliation, the fear, the sense of betrayal. But beneath it all, there’s a new resolve, a strength born from years of hiding and survival.

Gino steps closer, his expression unreadable. “Marcus, she’s not the same girl you married. She’s been through hell.”

Marcus’s gaze softens for a moment, but then hardens again. “I don’t care. She’s mine, and she will obey.”

I take a step back, my heart pounding. “I’m not yours, Marcus. I’m not anyone’s.”

The tension in the room is palpable, the air thick with unspoken threats and defiance. The next moments will decide my fate, whether I remain trapped in a life I never chose or break free to find my own path.

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