Chapter: 68Chapter 68The estate was unusually quiet that night, as though the air itself braced for the shift coming.Outside the balcony of the east wing, the city lights blinked lazily in the distance—innocent and unaware.Inside, Gabriel stood near the bar pouring himself a small glass of whiskey. His expression was drawn, eyes low, a thousand thoughts stirring behind them. The fire in the hearth danced quietly, throwing gold across the walls like a memory trying to burn itself into the future.Grandpa Edward Audrey entered the study, slowly but with a presence that made the room shrink into silence. He wore a long ash robe, simple, soft. But the weight of his decisions cloaked him heavier than armor.“You wanted to speak?” the old man asked, sinking into the armchair near the fire.Gabriel turned. “Yes, sir.”He came to sit across from him, swirling the glass once before speaking.“You really plan to announce the CEO tomorrow?”Edward nodded. “Yes. It’s time.”Gabriel hesitated, leaning fo
Last Updated: 2025-05-11
Chapter: 67Chapter 67: The Birdie New LoungeThe Birdie New Lounge wasn’t just another uptown spot trying to sell champagne dreams in plastic flutes—it was that rare kind of hush-money luxury, Mira walked in first, in a burnt-orange silk blouse that hugged her soft in all the right ways. Nia followed, her black leather pants tight, her shirt sheer just enough to tease—but not too much for the cameras hovering in corners.“Reservation?” the host asked, tone snobbish, eyes skimming their intertwined fingers.“Under ‘Nia,’” Mira said, sharp and confident.They were led to a corner booth wrapped in velvet and mystery. It faced a stained glass window of a bird mid-flight—free, untouchable.“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Nia muttered, smoothing her hands down her lap.Mira smiled, almost mischievous. “Doing what? Dating like real people?”Nia looked around. “I mean… this place. Us. You. After everything.”Mira leaned in, voice sultry. “Say it plain, babe. You mean after Zac.”Nia tensed, jaw tw
Last Updated: 2025-05-11
Chapter: 66Chapter 66: The Rats in the BasementThe safe house wasn't safe anymore. Not with the weight of secrets cracking its walls and the smell of betrayal thick in the air like mold. It was a rundown warehouse on the edge of the city, hidden behind a row of forgotten shipping containers. A perfect place for ghosts like them—Raymond, Henry, and now, Pigo.Pigo stepped inside like a man stepping into a lion’s den with raw meat strapped to his chest. His black hoodie was damp from sweat, despite the night’s cold. His eyes scanned every shadow, every creak, every dark corner.Raymond stood by a table, nursing a half-empty bottle of whiskey, his gold wristwatch loose around his tattooed wrist. Henry leaned against the far wall, arms folded, face stony, jaw twitching.“You’re late,” Raymond said, not looking at him.“No, I’m not,” Pigo answered, shrugging off the hood. “You’re just desperate.”Raymond finally looked up—eyes bloodshot, smile dry. “We pay you. Watch your tone.”Pigo snorted, walke
Last Updated: 2025-05-11
Chapter: 65Chapter 65: Family ReunionThe scent of disinfectant still lingered in the air. Not from a hospital, no—but from the scrubbed-clean warehouse Gabriel’s people raided just hours ago. The place where they had found her. Where a mother had been kept like she was a number. A warning. A pawn.Nia’s hands were trembling even as she stood still, like her body knew something massive was coming and couldn’t decide whether to run or fall to its knees.Zia, however, didn’t wait. She stepped forward the second the back doors of the SUV opened and the woman in the red shawl stepped down. A woman whose eyes had seen too much, whose bones carried secrets carved in silence. Her mother. Their mother.“Mom?” Zia breathed, voice cracked, like her throat had dried up with the years.The woman looked up. Time had done things to her face. Lines like rivers carved from pain, but her eyes… those eyes were mirrors. Zia saw herself. Nia. All the years. All the longing.“My baby,” the woman whispered, before
Last Updated: 2025-05-10
Chapter: 64Chapter 64 – The RaidNight fell like a silk curtain pulled down hard over a stage of secrets. The air around Grandpa Edward Audrey’s estate felt too still, like even the wind knew something deadly was about to go down. Every breath was tight. Every silence heavy. Every second, loaded.Inside the main boardroom, the atmosphere was suffocating.Zia sat beside Lorenzo, her fingers interlocked with his, her eyes focused but clouded. Nia stood by the window, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Mira was on the far end of the room, phone in hand, barely blinking. Gabriel leaned forward, knuckles resting on the polished table, while Grandpa Edward stood tall, his cane tapping rhythmically against the floor like a war drum.Then came the call.Gabriel’s phone buzzed, a vibration that broke the room like a bullet through glass. He answered on speaker.A voice, deep and smooth but urgent, filled the air.“We’re in position.”Gabriel nodded. “Are you sure it’s the place?”“No doubt,” the voice confirme
Last Updated: 2025-05-10
Chapter: 63Chapter 63 — Old Wounds, New FireLorenzo’s phone buzzed violently on the polished mahogany table, its vibration slicing through the tension that had momentarily cooled. The name on the screen sent a slow, cold fury boiling in his chest.Sophia.He didn’t pick it at first. Just stared at the name like it was a ghost that owed him blood.Zia caught the flicker in his eyes. “Who is it?”He didn’t answer. Instead, he snatched the phone and stood, stalking out of the boardroom like a silent hurricane. The hallway was empty, clinical in its silence, but the rage in Lorenzo’s steps made the walls pulse.He picked the call.And didn’t say a word.Her voice came first—soft, breathy, rehearsed. “Lorenzo…”He exhaled, but it sounded like thunder.“You have the nerve,” he said, his voice low, controlled, almost quiet—yet blistering with venom. “You have the gall to call me now?”“Lorenzo, please… I didn’t know who else to—”“You didn’t know?” His laugh was dry. “You didn’t know when you dragged
Last Updated: 2025-05-10

Sweet Unhappy Heart
Content Warning: This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for readers aged 18 and above.
"I’m engaged to your sister. You can’t do this."
His dark-green eyes bored into mine under the sheets, as he stroked my cheeks.
"You’re not even into women, Liam. You know you’re not. You know you want this. You want me."
And Liam couldn't deny it,
He lived to burn for Jackson Maddox.
~
Liam Sinclair had always lived according to his father’s rules, polished, quiet, and hidden in the perfect image of a future CEO.
Behind closed doors, he carried a secret that could destroy everything his father built. He was gay. But scandal had no place in the Sinclair legacy, and Liam made sure no one ever found out.
That is, until the night everything changed.
When his father arranges an engagement with Avery Maddox, a woman Liam barely knows, he unravels. A single night of rebellion leads him to a club, where a one-night stand with a seductive green-eyed stranger spirals into something far more complicated.
The next morning, the stranger's identity is no longer a mystery. His name is Jackson Humin Maddox, the brother of his intending Fiancee.
Now Liam is trapped between duty and desire, legacy and love. But Jackson doesn’t care about titles or contracts. Engaged or not, he wants Liam, and he is not letting go.
This is a forbidden tango of chemistry, but Liam Sinclair has to choose, to either pretend his one time mistake was baseless, or to fall maddeningly in love with it.
Read
Chapter: 152The New Unlisted Witness Third Person's POVThe trial had been proceeding for eight days when everything changed.Vincent Caruso had testified for two full days, recounting in meticulous detail every job Astor Sinclair had hired him for. The dates. The payments. The methods. He'd been cross-examined ruthlessly by Marcus Wright, who'd tried to paint him as a liar desperate to reduce his sentence. But Caruso hadn't wavered. Just told the truth in that flat, emotionless voice that made it somehow more believable.Financial experts had testified about the money trail. Shell companies. Offshore accounts. Payments that coincided exactly with the deaths Caruso described. Wright had objected repeatedly, claiming the transactions were legitimate business expenses, but the timeline was damning.Officer Mackenzie had walked the jury through the investigation. The evidence. The connections. The pattern of violence that stretched back fifteen years.And then, on day nine, Sullivan stood before Ju
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: 151Third Person's POVSix weeks after Avery's disappearance, the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan buzzed with an energy that felt almost electric. Media trucks lined the streets. Protesters held signs. Security was tripled because this wasn't just another trial.This was the reckoning of Astor Sinclair.Inside Courtroom 4B, every seat was filled. Journalists with notebooks. Sketch artists with charcoal. Members of the public who'd camped out overnight just to witness history.At the prosecution table sat Barrister Michael Sullivan with his team of three assistant prosecutors. Files stacked neatly. Evidence organized. Years of preparation distilled into this moment.At the defense table sat Marcus Wright with two associates. Expensive suits. Confident postures. The look of men who'd defended the indefensible before and won.And at the defendant's table, wearing an orange jumpsuit that looked obscene on someone who'd spent his life in custom tailoring, sat Astor Sinclair. Handcuffed. Guarde
Last Updated: 2025-12-07
Chapter: 150Third Person's POVThe federal holding facility was a concrete fortress designed to break spirits before trials even began. Cold. Gray. Smelling of industrial cleaner that never quite masked the underlying scent of human desperation.Astor Sinclair sat in his cell, a space barely eight by ten feet, with a metal bed bolted to the wall, a toilet with no seat, and a small metal desk that wobbled when he tried to write. The orange jumpsuit he wore was rough against his skin, a constant reminder that his thousand-dollar suits were gone. His penthouse was gone. His empire was crumbling.But his mind was still sharp.Still planning. Still calculating. Still looking for the angle that would save him.The door opened. A guard stood there, expressionless. "You've got a visitor. Conference room three."Astor stood. Let himself be handcuffed. Let himself be led through corridors where other inmates watched him with a mixture of recognition and contempt. Everyone knew who he was. The news coverage
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: 149Third Person's POVThree weeks had passed since Avery Maddox disappeared into the night, leaving behind a trail of broken trust and unanswered questions. Three weeks since Liam Sinclair had taken over his father's empire and started the slow, painful process of dismantling everything Astor had built on lies and corpses.And in those three weeks, the world had shifted in ways no one could have predicted.At Memorial Hospital, Jackson Maddox sat propped up in his bed, a tablet in his hands, his fingers moving slowly across the screen. Physical therapy had started. Speech therapy too. The doctors said his vocal cords were healing but it would be months before he could speak normally again. For now, he communicated through text and gestures and the occasional raspy whisper that cost him everything.Liam sat beside him, as he had every day for the past three weeks, reading through reports from Sinclair Corporation while Jackson reviewed documents for Maddox Corporation. Two CEOs, working s
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: 148Third person's POV Third Person's POVThe evening light filtered through the hospital windows in that particular way that made everything look softer than it actually was. Mr. Richard Maddox walked down the ICU corridor carrying a bouquet of white roses, his footsteps heavy, his shoulders slumped in a way that made him look older than his sixty-two years.He'd been a terrible father. He knew that now. Had known it for a while but had been too proud, too stubborn, too caught up in his empire to admit it.But seeing Jackson in that hospital bed, broken because of choices Richard had indirectly enabled by doing business with men like Astor Sinclair, had finally shattered whatever denial he'd been clinging to.The nurse at the station recognized him. "Mr. Maddox. He's awake. Can't speak yet but he's responsive. Go on in."Richard nodded his thanks and walked to Jackson's bay. Through the window, he could see Janet sitting beside the bed, her laptop open, probably working on something for
Last Updated: 2025-12-04
Chapter: 147Third Person's POVOfficer Mackenzie stood in Avery's apartment with Torres and Dove, all three of them wearing gloves and moving carefully through the space like archaeologists excavating a crime scene."Closet's half empty," Torres called from the bedroom. "Expensive stuff too. Designer clothes. The kind you'd take if you were planning to be gone a while."Dove was photographing everything with her phone. "Suitcase is missing from the closet shelf. You can see the dust pattern where it used to sit. And look at this." She pointed to the dresser. "Jewelry box is empty. She took valuables. Things she could sell if she needed cash."Mackenzie walked to the window. It was still open, curtains moving slightly in the breeze. He leaned out, looking down. "Two-story drop. But there's a fire escape. She could have gone down that way if she saw us coming.""Or if she saw anyone coming," Torres added. "She was paranoid. Running scared.""With good reason." Mackenzie pulled back inside. "Let's c
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
Chapter: 95Chapter 95:In the chamber, Luna Ruby's sudden cry for help had the castle in a whirlwind of activity. Alpha Dante, alerted by the urgency in her voice, rushed to her side, his heart pounding with worry.As he entered the room, he found Luna Ruby in the throes of labor, her face etched with pain and determination. He immediately rushed to her, offering his support and reassurance. "Ruby, I'm here. You're not alone. We'll get through this together."The pack doctor, who had been reunited with his wife Melissa Sabrina, arrived swiftly. With years of experience in shifter medicine, he knew precisely what to do. He assessed Luna Ruby's condition and nodded at Alpha Dante. "She's in labor, but we have time. Let's make her as comfortable as possible."The room was quickly transformed into a haven for Luna Ruby's labor. Soft lights and soothing scents filled the air, and the presence of loved ones offered solace.For hours, Luna Ruby endured the intense waves of pain, her grip on Alpha Dante
Last Updated: 2023-10-15
Chapter: 94Chapter 94:In the wake of the joint council's decision to banish Rae from both the shifter pack and the vampire lair, a sense of relief washed over both factions. The threat that had manipulated them into discord was no more. But as they moved forward, the fragile peace they had worked so hard to maintain was a constant reminder of the turmoil that had shaken their worlds.Alpha Dante and Luna Ruby stood side by side, watching as their pack members began to rebuild what had been fractured. They knew that the journey toward a lasting peace had only just begun.Luna Ruby turned to Alpha Dante, her eyes reflecting both relief and determination. "Dante, we've been through so much. I hope this fragile peace can hold, and we can build a stronger future."Alpha Dante nodded, his voice filled with quiet optimism. "I believe it can, Ruby. Our unity is what makes us strong. And Rae's banishment sends a clear message that we won't be manipulated or divided."The shifter researcher, now on the p
Last Updated: 2023-10-15
Chapter: 94Chapter 94:In the wake of the joint council's decision to banish Rae from both the shifter pack and the vampire lair, a sense of relief washed over both factions. The threat that had manipulated them into discord was no more. But as they moved forward, the fragile peace they had worked so hard to maintain was a constant reminder of the turmoil that had shaken their worlds.Alpha Dante and Luna Ruby stood side by side, watching as their pack members began to rebuild what had been fractured. They knew that the journey toward a lasting peace had only just begun.Luna Ruby turned to Alpha Dante, her eyes reflecting both relief and determination. "Dante, we've been through so much. I hope this fragile peace can hold, and we can build a stronger future."Alpha Dante nodded, his voice filled with quiet optimism. "I believe it can, Ruby. Our unity is what makes us strong. And Rae's banishment sends a clear message that we won't be manipulated or divided."The shifter researcher, now on the p
Last Updated: 2023-10-15
Chapter: 93Chapter 93:Flashback:The moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the shifter pack. The quietude of the night was broken by the agonizing wail of an Omega. This was a night etched in the memories of those who witnessed the horror that transpired.One day ago, the moon had adorned the night sky, much like the present, but it was a different story altogether. That night, the pack was oblivious to the dark and sinister events unfolding in the shadows.In the midst of the moonlit woods, a young and vulnerable Omega named Tobias had ventured out alone. Unbeknownst to him, the shadows concealed a sinister figure. It was Rae, the cunning vampire council member, hidden in the darkness.Rae had chosen his victim carefully, knowing that an attack on a defenseless Omega would further escalate the tensions between the two factions. As Tobias wandered deeper into the woods, he felt an unsettling presence and turned to see a figure shrouded in darkness.The Omega's eyes widened
Last Updated: 2023-10-15
Chapter: 92Chapter 92:The atmosphere in the pack was heavy with uncertainty as Alpha Dante, Beta Ravi, and Melissa Sabrina, the pack doctor, huddled together. They knew they had to get to the bottom of the incident involving the injured patient, a high school colleague of theirs.Alpha Dante, his face etched with concern, inquired, "Melissa, what do you think could have caused the patient's injuries and the loss of so much blood?"Melissa Sabrina, known for her expertise, examined the details carefully before responding, "Alpha Dante, it appears as though some creature or creatures, possibly figureheads, might have attacked him. The patient has lost a significant amount of blood, and his condition is critical. He appears lifeless, like something has drained the very essence of life from him."The weight of her words hung in the air, the implications chilling. Alpha Dante turned to Beta Ravi, and their eyes met, both realizing the gravity of the situation.After a moment of contemplation, Alpha
Last Updated: 2023-10-15
Chapter: 91Chapter 91:The news had reached Alpha Dante like a thunderclap. A stranger had ventured into their territory and followed Irene. He couldn't comprehend the reason behind it, but he knew he had to confront the situation."Alpha Dante," the guard stammered, "a stranger has entered our lands and followed Irene."Alpha Dante's eyes narrowed as he questioned the guard, "Are you certain, and do you know the stranger's intentions?"The guard gulped and replied, "Yes, Alpha. I've never seen this person before, and it's unusual for outsiders to enter without permission. I don't know their intentions."Alpha Dante didn't hesitate. He left his chamber, flanked by guards, his heart pounding with unease. Thoughts swirled in his mind as he walked briskly. Why would anyone follow Irene? What could be the stranger's motives?As they approached the area where the stranger was last seen, Alpha Dante's eyes widened in disbelief. There stood Irene, her expression a mix of confusion and concern, and besi
Last Updated: 2023-10-14