Before Batman, there was Andrew Wayne. Bruce's first son. A child born unable to speak, who learned to communicate through signs, actions and the quiet bond he shared with his father. For years, Andrew was Bruce's whole world-the one person who knew him before the mask, before Gotham, before the mission. But as the Wayne family grows, Andrew slowly finds himself pushed into the background. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and others each bring new needs that Bruce tries to answer, while Andrew remains the son who never asks for anything. Brilliant, disciplined and impossibly resilient, Andrew hides a lifetime of exhaustion behind a quiet smile. His chronic insomnia takes more and more from him, yet he continues to train, study and endure without complaint. Because Andrew has always understood everyone else. The problem is that no one realizes he needs to be understood too. A story about a son who never stopped loving his father, even when he started wondering if his father still saw him.

"Jesus Christ..." he muttered, swallowing hard. He reached out tentatively, his gloved fingers brushing against the infant's cheek. It was ice-cold. The baby's chest rose and fell faintly, each breath a Herculean effort. Beneath the child, the tarp was damp-not with water, but something metallic-smelling and sticky. Blood? Ramirez's stomach twisted. "Dispatch," he whispered hoarsely into his radio, forcing his voice steady. "Officer Ramirez, 9th and Mercer. I need an ambulance. I found an infant. Abandoned. Possible injury." . . "They found a baby in Gotham," Bruce finally said. "Abandoned in an alley. They ran a DNA test... and it matched you." Dick froze, the world around him suddenly quiet, as if the city itself held its breath. "What?" he said sharply, disbelief washing over him. "That's impossible."

Pinging pagers, beeping machinery, carts clattering down the halls, medicine bottles shaking, papers shuffling-he was one second away from killing everyone, the Hypocratic Oath be damned. Who was this to-be murderer? Dr. Fenrir Ragnulf. Head doctor and the youngest medical practitioner on the East Coast. At twenty-five, he feels eighty-seven and is highly dependent on the two big '-ines,' caffeine and nicotine. Despite his largely Scandinavian background, he's a Gothamite through and through. A few years in Norway couldn't compare to twenty in America's beloved cesspit. The doctor ran on coffee and pure, bitter spite as he bounced between his two places of work-Elliot Memorial Hospital, his primary position, and Arkham Asylum, where he was more of an outside consultant but apparently important enough to have his own office. As if dealing with sick people and psychos wasn't enough, he also had his fair share of interactions with the local cryptids. Especially one dumbass in particular.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·𝐀 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:· ════════════════════ 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 Antonella Evelia Reyes Castellón is the name whispered through Spain's intelligence halls. A diplomat forged in pressure and precision; a CNI-trained asset with a mind sharper than any blade. She is twenty-four and already carries the gravity of a country rebuilding itself in the shadow of Las Plagas. What the world sees: a strategist draped in silk and silence. What her enemies fear: the girl who survived what should have broken her. When political obligation pulls Antonella from Madrid to Washington, into a nation desperate to bury truths she refuses to forget, her path collides with a man carved from the ruins she's been sent to confront. Leon Scott Kennedy is all scars and stubbornness, a soldier who walks like he's half-ghost, half-warning. He doesn't trust diplomats. He definitely doesn't trust her. But when remnants of the Plaga infection surface again, and two countries force them onto the same mission, Antonella learns that fate doesn't introduce itself politely. It crashes through the door. Into duty. Into danger. Into a war neither of them intended to start, one that has nothing to do with nations and everything to do with the hearts they guard too fiercely. Because sometimes the fight that matters most is the one you wage quietly against the person who sees you too clearly. And when silence meets ruin... even weapons learn how to feel. ✦ ❋ ✦ ❋ ✦ ❋ ✦

𝗛𝗮𝗻𝘂 𝗔𝗸𝗶 was always destined to be alone. The lone guardian of the Quileute Tribe. The silent protector of La Push. The guide of countless warriors. A teacher to generations. A witness to centuries. He shouldered his brother's heavy responsibility. Bore the wishes and dreams of his people from centuries past. Endured the unstoppable march of time that eroded his soul. He was never in this life for peace. Until the day he saw golden eyes and a gentle smile-and everything changed. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 was impervious to human blood, an anomaly among his kind-a vampire who chose to heal rather than harm. For centuries, he embraced his solitude, content with the family he built, the friendship he shared with Esme, and the quiet purpose his work brought him. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. It was peaceful. He never expected his stagnant eternity to stir again. Not until glacier eyes and a charming grin sauntered in and shattered everything he thought he knew.

[Damian Wayne x Male OC] Vincent was different than the other kids. And no, that wasn't a 'pick-me' mentality; he was the scientific, literary, and political OPPOSITE of his peers. He knew, his family knew it, the school knew it, and all of Gotham did when they saw the family title hitched to his first name. Outside of it all, he was a proud heir with mixed heritage and enough nerve and steel to set anyone on edge, from his classmates to the business partners his family met. There was something about Vincent that set off the human's natural survival instinct. Some people thought it was just his family's background or the quirkiness of a rich kid, but those closer to him, allies and enemies alike, knew the truth. Some said it was his elastic personality, snapping from stony to chipper in a second. However, the most commonly expressed opinion was about the eyes. Even with the boy's innate ability to mask everything about himself, he could never get the eyes right. Two intense amber irises that hid something darker. Always calculating with a frosty sheen despite the fiery shade. The sight of the boy was always unsettling. To Vincent, it was as hilarious. Yet achingly dull. That is, until Gotham Academy received a new student.

After living for a little over four years in Gotham, you think you've experienced about every weird thing that could happen in a city run by criminals and a vigilante taking his inspiration from a nocturnal animal. That is until one night, said vigilante drops down on your balcony.

With their hearts finally laid bare, Duchess Alaina Aisenburg and Duke Ezran step into a new chapter of their marriage-one no longer bound by duty alone, but by shared desire, trust, and growing affection. As their relationship deepens, Alaina's café continues to flourish, becoming a warm refuge within the capital where nobles and commoners alike gather over lovingly prepared meals. Through her food, Alaina builds connection, comfort, and quiet influence-proving once more that a single dish can mend more than hunger. Yet love, once found, does not come without cost. Tested by intrigue and danger, Alaina and Ezran must learn that love requires more than passion and promises. It will take unity, courage, and strength beyond the kitchen to protect what they hold dear. Volume 2 explores the richness of marriage after confession-where romance is no longer tentative, but fiercely claimed, and where even the warmest kitchens cannot fully shield the heart from the world beyond. ✨ An isekai fantasy adult romance where love simmers, passion deepens, and every victory is earned-together. [ WARNING! There will be a few chapters with graphic sex scenes. I will mark them as R-18 for those that want to skip. Otherwise, read at your own risk! ] NOTE: THIS IS BOOK 2 of "My Lady Chef" .