Nina felt a pair of eyes watching her. Warm, gilded brown, like the whiskey in her glass. That was how she met Roman Conway for the first time. Three years later, she meets him again, and she is pulled back into a past that cracks the surface of the seemingly perfect life she curated. ***** As Nina Jordan admires New York City from a rooftop, she seems content. She is surrounded by her closest friends, and Cameron - the man she is marrying. But when Nina goes to get a drink at the bar, she bumps into Roman Conway. To Roman, Nina looks different. Her signature curls have been pulled straight, and cut into a blunt bob, and there is a dark melancholy about her. The biggest change he is struck by is that she no longer looks at him the way she used to. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by April Alforque

When you're assigned to an undercover mission posing as Captain Levi Ackerman's noble wife, the danger isn't just the man you're sent to investigate-it's surviving the illusion of intimacy without falling into it for real. As secrets unfold in the lavish halls of Lord Vaergan's estate, you and Levi must navigate false smiles, political games, and shared quarters with eyes everywhere and trust in short supply. You're not lovers. You're barely allies. But for the mission to succeed, you'll have to convince them-and yourselves-that you are.

A short spicy and interesting story made from yours truly, Étoile!! 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅