Azir Creed inherited more than power when his father, Azion Creed, took his last breath. He inherited a name built on blood, fear, and loyalty, along with one final demand: marry the woman chosen for him to secure the Creed legacy. But Azir lives by his own rules, never staying in the same bed twice and refusing to give up the bachelor life for a marriage he never asked for. Then he meets his supposed wife, and walking away stops feeling so simple. Roxanne St. James was never raised to be soft. After her older brother's death, she became the sole heir to her father's empire, trained to protect herself, run a business, and command men who thought power belonged only to them. When her father proposes a marriage alliance with the Creed family, Roxanne agrees out of obligation, expecting nothing more than a cold business arrangement. What she gets is Azir Creed. Their marriage is not love at first sight. It is war, temptation, pride, and power colliding under one roof. Azir refuses to be controlled, and Roxanne was born to make men kneel. But in a world where family names are protected with blood and loyalty is tested through violence, neither of them can afford to back down. Before the Creed brothers became legends, there was Azir and Roxanne: the toxic beginning of the dynasty, and the love story that built the Creed name. (This novella can be read before or after the Creed Family Ties series, but is best read first.)

" 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤" 𝐁𝐲 𝐊𝟒𝐒𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐘

"You just don't look....safe." Essence said while sipping her drink. "Naw, I only ain't safe for the niggas that hate me." "But for you, I'll be real cautious..."

"Please Jesus, free me of the spirit of lust." "I know that relationships built under your word can last forever. So free me of the thought, free me of the feeling and free me from my flesh trying to cloud my judgement." "I don't worship lust, sex or desire. I worship you Jesus, please don't allow me to lose sight of that." "In Jesus name, I pray." "Amen." I spoke desperately as I stood up from my knees.

A raw and riveting urban tale where trauma meets tenderness, and two guarded souls find connection in a world of secrets, survival, and slow-burning desire.