Michel Moron is a world-renowned artist and the CEO of one of Europe's most prestigious luxury conglomerates. Celebrated for his brilliance on canvas and in boardrooms, Michel lives a life of refined chaos, lonely despite the flash of cameras and the allure of his elite circle. One night, at a lavish, secretive masquerade party in Venice, Michel has an unforgettable encounter: a sensual, anonymous dance with a masked woman who disappears before dawn. Haunted by her scent, her touch, and her mystery, he becomes obsessed with finding her. Months later, 22 year old Zaria Adeyemi, a brilliant Nigerian economics student interning in France, lands a placement at Michel's firm. Neither of them recognizes the other. But as fate pulls them into each other's orbit once again, hidden passions, dangerous secrets, and twisted fates resurface. Will Michel discover the truth before it's too late? And what happens when Zaria realizes she's fallen for the man behind the mask? A tale of art, lust, deception, and fate.

**FULL STORY AVAILABLE HERE** Desperate to save an innocent life, Yana offers a kiss to the cruel Prince Raoul for assistance and, through that simple exchange, is drawn into his dark world. ***** In Axus, the monstrous and immortal Cursed royals wage war in their drakon forms, laying waste to the very territories and people that they fight to rule. In their human forms, their torment of mere mortals only becomes more personal. A child of the war-torn land, Yana has long since fallen to cynicism; common folk like herself are doomed to know only suffering and loss. Then, a chance encounter with a Cursed prince presents an opportunity she cannot ignore. Yana offers Prince Raoul a kiss to intervene on behalf of a child in need, but he wants more. If she agrees to serve as his companion for one week, he will return her brother and father from the frontlines. More than that, if Yana can take advantage of the strange pull the tortured and beautiful Raoul feels towards her, she might even be able to discover something that can kill the Cursed and free everyone from their tyranny. But hope for a better future isn't the only thing Raoul ignites in Yana, and the passion between them could make her lose sight of all else.