Artist stared at the girl, a little longer than he meant too before she noticed. "You always looking at me. You don't ever wanna do nothing else?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows at him. He smiled at her, shaking his head no. He tightly pulled her into his grip. "Since I got you, I can't ever let you go." ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ She works two lives at once, serving tables by day and on the pole by evening while quietly building a future she refuses to let go of. Every shift brings her closer to her dream of owning her own restaurant, but also keeps her grounded in survival. He is a rising rapper with a presence too loud to ignore, constantly appearing in her orbit with a curiosity he cannot hide. In a city built on luxury, ambition, and unspoken truth, their paths collide in ways neither of them planned. What starts as observation turns into connection, and connection turns into something dangerously impossible to walk away from.

IN WICH: Kennesey Jordan is new to Chicago. She spends her first few days there helping her brother pull off his annual Christmas event. But then she met Justice Bennett - the venue owner with the kind of calm that made noise feel safe. He didn't talk much, didn't smile often, and definitely didn't plan on catching feelings for his homeboy's little sister. Between long nights setting up lights, missed calls, and moments that lingered too long - they both started feeling something neither of them were ready for. The city's cold, the holidays are loud, and love's the last thing either of them was looking for. But sometimes, the quietest things hit the hardest.

| BOOK 1 of The Soulmate Duet | Jaelle has had a hard life. She's been fighting for most of it. It's all she knows. It's all she's used to. Bruised knuckles and adrenaline. But eventually the fighting gets old, the adrenaline wears off and all that's left is a bone deep ache that she can't get rid of. She didn't expect a break in the madness, a sense of peace in the storm, but that's what happens when Anthony pops into her life. Anthony is miserable. He's jumping from one dead-end job to the next, with no stable end in sight. His existence is so consumed by loneliness that he'd given up hope of ever finding his other half. Until he met Jaelle. Inexplicably, the two form an unprecedented connection. It should be easy for them, but it isn't. Jaelle isn't able to easily give out her trust, Anthony's friends are skeptical of her, and Jaelle's past is an obstacle that Anthony just can't seem to get around. Their love was never supposed to happen, but now that it has, they're in danger of losing it all. EST. 2019 (Rewritten 2022, 2023, 2025) PUBLISHED: 06/27/26 COMPLETED: cover by: @summerafterglow

Nobody at the club calls her Jennifer. To them, she's "Honey." 'Cause every time a man thinks he's winning... he already lost. She moves slow, talks soft, and got a way of making you feel like you the only one in the room. Next thing you know, you spending money you don't even remember pulling out - all just to keep her close a little longer. And the craziest part? She don't even have to do much. Honey don't chase, don't fold, and definitely don't give herself away. She just plays the game better than anybody else - leaving men confused, obsessed, and a little too deep in their feelings. They swear they got her figured out. They don't. Truth is, Jennifer never even wanted this life. She stepped into it for Kimmie - her best friend, her day one - not about to leave her behind in a world like this. But now? She running it. Until her name starts reaching the wrong people... a powerful father and his son, both watching her a little too closely. And Honey? She might be used to playing the game... but this time, the stakes feel different. 💌: roy bellarie, horace bellarie warning; heavy mature themes

Power has a price. Desire has a cost. And some lines were meant to be crossed.

In the heart of Chicago, love, loyalty, and loss are a dangerous mix. Kehlani thought the streets took everything they could from her when Marco died. Two years later, she's still haunted by what happened-and even more haunted by what she doesn't know. Just when she starts picking up the pieces, a run-in with a mysterious, smooth-talking street figure named Saint pulls her into a deeper game. He's got secrets of his own-ones tied to her past in ways she never saw coming. What starts as coincidence turns into something heavier. Saint moves quiet, but his world is loud. The more Kehlani finds herself drawn in, the more she realizes this isn't just about closure-it's about survival. With tension rising, old ghosts reappearing, and hidden connections unraveling, Kehlani's forced to question everything. Who can she trust in a city that never forgets? A gripping urban love story wrapped in mystery, betrayal, and heat-this is the kind of love that comes with consequences.

Adrian Brown, easily described as a laidback, homebody who keeps his head in the books and is attractive as hell. Working his way towards becoming a NFL draft pick he doesn't have time for the distractions that women typically bring. That is until he comes across Jaelyn Brentwood. Jaelyn Brentwood, sassy, smart, and easily a head turner. Known as a party girl and one who takes no BS, she finds herself taken aback when a partner project with Adrian leads to a life she never would have expected.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ 🎀✹ 2024, Armando Aretas࿐ྂ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝: June 7,2024 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: June 10,2024 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: N/A