𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 . 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘆

2 inseparable best friends turn into 1 power couple that is envied by everyone near them But their love comes with a cost.

When Kiki visits Chicago for her cousin's wedding, she never expects to get piped down by a man who talks with his hands and growls her name like he own it. Messiah ain't like these New York dudes she's used to-he move different. Ain't loud, ain't flashy, but got that hood alpha energy that make her melt. She was supposed to be there for five days max... not fall in love with a Chi-Town gangsta who flips bricks and lifts her like she weightless. But when her past follows her to Chicago and his street life bleeds into their sex-fueled situationship, the line between love and lust starts to blur. He never chased women-especially not loud, sex-crazy, no-nonsense New York ones. But Kiki? She got him talkin' about "what we is" and pressin' her spot like he tryna build a future. But love between two people who been hurt don't come easy. And in a city full of secrets, money, and murder? Somebody always gotta pay.

Soul Maurielle is quiet, introverted and to herself. She's been spoiled her whole life and has had everything handed to her, whether it was from her father, a respected drug kingpin who passed when she was 18, or her twin brother Shilo who followed in the footsteps of his father. Soul isn't new to the 'street life' she hates it and all that it brings. That life did nothing but take from her family. Her brother on the other hand loved the fast life and the quick money that came with, so he followed in the footsteps of their father bringing drama to her door when and wherever. Trap has never been one for many words, he allowed his actions to speak through all that he did. And boy did his actions speak. Trap is a popular loner, so many have been around him but not many knows who he his. Even those closest to Trap barely get more than 5 words from him at a time. He handles his business and goes about his day. Trap is deep in the life, had been since he was 15. Virgil, the father figure Trap never had, was the man who took him in and introduced him to the life. His mom had been struggling with bills, his sister, who was on her school cheer team, had no way to get her gear and he had one option. Turn to the streets, one of his boys had been bragging about the fast money he was getting and Trap needed that, his boy introduced him to Virgil and it was off from there. The 2 are one and the same, both quiet, reserved and to themselves. But Soul isn't looking for love, let alone a man that's in the same life she lost her dad to. She hates the life and everything that comes with it, so why can't she just leave this man alone? Book 1 Started: February 12, 2026 Finished: August 11, 2026

𝐇𝐈𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐄.

|𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲| /𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻/ 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮 "𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹."

❝𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝗼𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝗼𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝗼𝐮𝐠𝐡❞

Salem had always been a bright light in a world that tried its best to dim her. She was a twenty-year-old woman with warm brown skin, a heart full of kindness, and hands that worked magic. Since she was eighteen, she had built a name for herself with her own nail business, a craft she poured her soul into. Her work wasn't just about making nails pretty-it was about making people feel beautiful, cared for, and heard. But behind her warm smile and soft voice was a childhood weighed down by hardship.

mal·e·dic·tion /ˌmaləˈdikSHən/ a magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil or destruction; a curse.

❛𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆?❜ he asked, voice low like it wasn't meant for nobody but her. 𝒛𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 didn't speak, just tilted her head a little and stepped in close. she traced one of the tattoos on his arm, finger light like a whisper...when she finally looked up, slow and lazy, doe eyes glinting beneath her lashes--she kissed the corner of his mouth. once, twice--then pulled back. 𝒐𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 smirked. ❛𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒐.❜ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ She doesn't speak-not out loud, not anymore. Zariah Hart's been quiet since the night she lost everything, and moving to The Palisade at Skyview Apartments was supposed to give her a fresh start. No expectations. No questions. Just peace. But peace gets complicated when a man like Omarion Jordan starts showing up in it. He's nothing like she expected. Tatted, quiet, with eyes that read people better than they speak. A mechanic with a past he doesn't explain-and a presence that says more than his mouth does. He doesn't ask about her silence. She doesn't flinch at his reputation. Somehow, that's enough. What starts as simple glances turns into shared space. What feels like comfort turns to something neither of them planned for. But Atlanta doesn't forget what people try to bury. And sometimes, the loudest truth is the one you never say out loud. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃: 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓