Veronika Koroleva Petrovna-Moscow's untouchable queen. The wealthiest, most powerful woman in Russia. A name that drips with arrogance, feared as much as it is revered. With a single glance, she ensnares. A presence so sharp it cuts. To her, people are nothing but pawns-disposable, forgettable, irrelevant. Trust is a currency too expensive to waste. Loneliness is not a curse; it is a necessity. No parents, no attachments, no weaknesses. Begging? Pleading? Nyet. That is beneath her. Luciana "La Reina" Monteserra-Madrid's deadliest shadow. A queen of ruin and carnage, cloaked in elegance. Cold. Calculating. Lacking even the pretense of empathy. She does not ask. She takes. What she touches, she owns. What she claims, she keeps. No one defies her. No one escapes her grasp. But Veronika? Veronika was the exception. The one thing she could never own.

Valeria La Reina Monteserra has always been a woman of excess-luxury, arrogance, and a dangerous freedom that leaves no room for anyone's expectations. Born the youngest of the infamous Monteserra family, she walked away from a life of crime to seek her own path, a life without the weight of her older siblings' shadows. But escape isn't as simple as it seems. Five years ago, Valeria helped her sister, Luciana, kill Lorenzo-the man responsible for the love of Luciana's life, Veronika, the ruler of Russia. That single act tied her even tighter to the dangerous world she tried to leave behind. Now, she finds herself in Sweden, supporting her brilliant niece, Hanna, as she navigates the corridors of academia. But trouble is never far behind. Not when Selena Alexandra Lindström, the composed and intelligent professor who annoys her to no end, is part of the equation. Valeria, spoiled and unrepentant, can't resist teasing Selena. But beneath the arrogant exterior lies a secret-one tied to her blood-stained past. A past she's sworn to keep hidden from Selena, a woman whose life couldn't be more different from her own. As old ghosts resurface and emotions collide, Valeria must decide: Will she remain the free spirit she's always been, or will her family's dark legacy pull her back into a world where power, betrayal, and dangerous liaisons rule? In the game of empires, only the most cunning survive. But what happens when the heart gets in the way?

Just as Annabeth's hands reached to grab the back of her jacket, Sonya pivoted smoothly, one arm coiling around Annabeth's waist like a whip. There was a sharp gasp-Annabeth's-and then her spine slammed against the edge of the bar, the breath knocked clean from her chest. Sonya's forearm pressed hard across her collarbone, pinning her in place with infuriating ease. "If you wanted my attention, sugar, all you had to do was ask," Sonya murmured, her voice sultry and rough, lips inches from Annabeth's. "Get off me," Annabeth snarled, squirming beneath her hold. Sonya arched a brow, leaning in even closer until her body molded against the younger woman's-thigh to thigh, hip to hip. "You're feistier than the girls next door," she whispered against the shell of Annabeth's ear, her breath hot. "Careful now, Anna. I've always had a thing for resistance." Annabeth jerked against her, face twisting in rage. "Let. Me. Go. You stink of whiskey and whores," she spat, kicking against Sonya's shin. Sonya didn't flinch. "Say please," she drawled, her voice silk and steel, utterly unbothered. "Manners go a long way in this town." "Never," Annabeth hissed.

"I don't really like your attitude, 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥." she says, her accent flowing like water through her words. "I didn't know we were on a nickname basis, 𝘝𝘢𝘭." I retort. She walks over to me, every step deafening. Fuck my ears are definitely heating up. Her hand finds my chin. "What's the matter? Cat's got your tongue? You can at least look at me." I swallow any feelings I was just feeling. Because I can't. I can't enjoy this. I smirk. "You sure do like touching me." I let my hand come up to her arm and slowly trail my hand down. Leaving goosebumps as I go. I stop at her hand and remove it from my chin and pull her closer to me. She leans over the desk I'm sitting at, our lips just inches apart. Her eyes flicker down to my lips and she bites her lip before licking them. My heart starts pounding in my chest. I lean in and her eyes flicker back to my eyes and she steps back. "Not a chance." she shakes her head. __________________________________________________________ Robin, known as bird, has a problem. She hates being alive. She's angry at the world for taking away her person. Her mom. And her last goal before she ends it all is to get through high school. However, one of her teachers is not making it easy, not at all. This year is her dreaded year. Last year of school and last year alive. How could her mind ever change? This book goes through the mental challenges of Robin and maybe an unexpected love forming? #1 in mommyissues