@𝟰𝟰𝟰𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝗹𝘃𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 <𝟯

"you been from 'round me too much, i just want be with you"

𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣. © 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦

"𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲?" 𝐄𝐒𝐓. 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝟐𝟓

Khaza is deep in the streets - not the corner-boy type, but the one who sits at the head of the table. Money, guns, people owing him favors... And the Feds finally get close enough to shake him. To look "stable," "domesticated," and "not a violent threat," his lawyer tells him he needs a live-in wife and a clean household to show the court. Enter Milani.

When Reagan Pierce, a gossip blogger from New York, hears that Zavien Duval, the estranged heir to the island kingdom of Belmora, is returning home to take the throne after his father's sudden death, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to land the story that could save her struggling career. Desperate for access, Reagan goes undercover as a publicist's assistant inside the royal castle, pretending to help with the upcoming Christmas coronation. But once she's there, she realizes Zavien isn't the reckless royal the world remembers. He's grieving, and carrying the heavy weight of a crown he never wanted. Beneath his tough exterior, he's also very protective of his younger sister the only part of his old life he truly missed. As the palace prepares for Christmas, unexpected chemistry sparks between the undercover reporter and the reluctant king. But when Zavien discovers who Reagan really is, her deception threatens to ruin not only his trust, but the fragile new beginning he's trying to build for himself and his kingdom. Now, with the world watching and Christmas approaching, Zavien must decide whether to follow royal duty or his heart and Reagan must face the truth about what kind of story she's really been chasing.

★© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 ᴋꜱᴜʙɪʟᴇᴛ

"You know how special you gotta be to change a nigga like me? Huh?" He tilted her head back to make her look at him, and a faint smile grew on her face as he wiped her cheeks. "My own grandparents couldn't do it for me and I loved them more than anything. You the one for me ma. That's why I ain't told you everything yet 'cause I don't wanna run you away. I need you." He laid his forehead against hers, gently kissing her lips. "Nobody will ever believe that King Von from O Block be crying to me like this." She smiled as she gazed into his red eyes, and he chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I ain't King Von wit' you. Just love." He kissed her cheek next, and her smile grew as her arms tightened around him for a warm hug.

January 𝟐𝟎𝟐2. " 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞"

"I don't hate him." She took a sip of her wine. "He worked to get our family here. To make a difference in the world but it's like; I'm nothing more than the lil' girl in his shadow." Kareem shifted, his elbows resting on the rail beside hers. "What do you see when you look at yourself?" She laughed softly, without humor. "That's the problem. I'm still figuring that out. My brother made sure the world remembered his name. I just .. lived in his reflection." The silence that followed wasn't heavy - it was honest. The kind that only exists between two people who finally stop pretending. Kareem set his drink down and moved closer, just enough that she could feel his presence beside her. "You're standing in the wrong spot Xi," he said quietly. "Reflections change when the source of light does."