State of Affairs ⚖︎ "You missed a talking point on page four, Governor," I said, sliding the briefing file across his heavy mahogany desk. Tennyson didn't look at the file. His dark eyes stayed locked on my mouth, completely devoid of the golden-man charm he'd just fed to a crowd of thousands. "Lock the door, Milan," he murmured, his voice low and exhausted. "You have a press briefing in ten minutes, sir. And your wife is waiting in the lobby." He stepped around the desk, invading my space until the scent of cedar and expensive bourbon swallowed me whole. His hand brushed my waist, his thumb pressing possessively against my hip. "I don't care," he breathed, his facade finally shattering. "Lock the damn door." 🏛️ To the world, 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 is untouchable. He is the state's golden man, a devoted husband, and a man with a spotless reputation. Everyone worships the ground he walks on. Everyone except his executive assistant, 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐚. Milan has a strict two-year plan: survive the Governor's temper, secure her recommendation letter, and catch a one-way flight to Washington, D.C. Her job description: hand him his black coffee, fix his crooked ties, and treat the most powerful man in the state like a normal human being. But her immunity is exactly what breaks him. Behind the heavy oak doors of his office, Tennyson sheds his perfect mask. He is cynical, ruthless, and spiraling into a dark, desperate obsession with the only woman who doesn't want anything from him. He becomes addicted to her warmth and slowly to her. As late nights at the office blur into a secret arrangement, Milan thinks she has the situation under control. But she doesn't know that Tennyson's public life is a PR lie. She doesn't know that the Governor has absolutely no intention of letting her go. 'Cause what the Governor needs, the Governor gets.

After escaping a five-year relationship that slowly turned toxic behind closed doors, she's focused on work, healing, and pretending she's okay long enough to eventually believe it herself. The last thing she needs is distraction-especially not one wrapped in old money, sharp suits, tattoos, and a dangerous smile. Kai Valentine has spent years running from the world his powerful family built. While the tabloids painted him as reckless and impossible to control, Kai disappeared across countries chasing freedom from the pressure, expectations, and cold perfection attached to the Valentine name. Then Zuri becomes his newest luxury relocation consultant. What starts as mutual irritation quickly turns into something far more intense when their undeniable attraction begins cutting through every wall they've carefully built around themselves. Because beneath Kai's arrogance is a man carrying more anger, loneliness, and pressure than anyone realizes. And beneath Zuri's beauty and professionalism is a woman still learning how to trust herself again after love nearly destroyed her confidence. Some people fall in love softly. Zuri and Kai were never going to be those people.

One blood-splattered encounter is all it took for the man known as Hades-the ruler of Cypress Hills-to feel the vice-like grip around his heart begin to loosen. Merciless, calculating, and lethal in both charm and cruelty, he doesn't flinch at chaos. He's usually at the centre of it. But when it comes to the beautiful shadow he finds himself chasing, he reaches to grab her with a manic and joyful smile. That beautiful shadow known as Nightfall when her screens are up is a ghost in the system. A hacker capable of setting the city ablaze with a single keystroke and reducing the world to ashes with two. Others tremble in his presence while she rolls her eyes at him with a slanted smile on her lips. Will she take the hand of Hades and dance through the underworld, or will the ruler succumb to the night and fall from his throne?

Camilla Hartley, a disciplined, ambitious law student with no time for distractions, takes on an elite private tutoring job to pay her way through school. Her client? Julian Kingsley-the enigmatic, spoiled heir to a powerful empire, infamous for his charm, apathy, and trail of scandals. What begins as a transactional arrangement quickly spirals into a psychological chess match as Camilla's razor-sharp mind clashes with Julian's dangerous allure. But behind his smirk lies a restless intellect-and behind her composure, a history she refuses to confront. In a world ruled by money, manipulation, and masks, who's really teaching whom?

Nia Hart is used to living quietly, slipping in and out of rooms without being noticed, keeping her world small, controlled and safe. Aidan Collins is the opposite, loud laughter, bright energy, the kind of man who fills every space he walks into. She's an introvert with a laser‑focused career. He's an extrovert with a reputation that follows him everywhere. In private, they're soft. In public, they're a headline. He has golden‑boy charm and easy laughter. She has quiet ambition and careful boundaries. He pulls people in. She keeps them at arm's length. And when the world discovers them, the contrast becomes impossible to ignore: he shines in the spotlight, she hides from it. To stay together, they'll have to learn how to meet in the middle, and build a love that survives both the noise and the silence. Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the images used both on the cover and throughout the story.

─── 𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑻𝑼𝑴 ♱ in which ... a mortal woman, stolen from the world she knew and delivered into the hands of legend, finds herself at the heart of Volterra-a citadel of marble and blood, ruled by three ancient kings whose names haunt history. She was meant to be nothing more than a prize, a curiosity, a rare thing to be auctioned off. And yet, the moment they see her, something ancient stirs-an unspoken truth buried beneath centuries of longing. They call her mate. They call her Sanctum. But, alas, she is no one's salvation. In a palace of secrets and sharpened smiles, where love has long since curdled into ruin, she must survive the hunger in their eyes, the pull of a bond she does not understand, and the slow unraveling of who she once was. For the blood on the floor is still warm-and they are not the only monsters watching. ❝𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐒 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇.❞ | Volturi Kings ✕ black fem!oc | - ongoing. © 𝐆𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀 | 2025. ♱

Silas Hale, the youngest billionaire and CEO of Hale Inc., has transformed his bleak childhood memories into a global empire of innovative, welcoming hotels. Known for his ruthless perfectionism, Silas's life changes when he hires Vivienne Onaïs as his executive assistant. Matching his work ethic and dedication, Vivienne becomes the breath of fresh air he never knew he needed. After working closely for five years, Vivienne Onaïs understands the intricacies of Silas' business and the personal hurdles he faces. When Silas reluctantly agrees to star in a bachelor show to repair his public image, Vivienne discovers her own feelings evolving beyond their professional relationship. Amidst the glittering backdrop of the show, Vivienne grapples with the realization that her heart may lie not only in the hospitality empire they've built together, but also with Silas himself. As they navigate the pressures of fame and unexpected emotions, Vivienne and Silas must confront their true feelings before external forces tear them apart. In a world where perceptions clash with personal truths, they must decide where their hearts truly belong.

In the mist of Louisiana bayou and New Orleans, Tabhita "Tabby" Evergreen has grown into a witch of formidable power. Orphaned at twelve after vampires slaughtered her parents, Tabby was taken in by Madame Dubé, a voodoo priestess whose teachings of ancestral magic shaped her into the bayou's fierce protector. To Tabby, all vampires are monsters, and she has sworn never to forgive their kind. But her oath is tested when she encounters Lucien Moreau, a centuries-old vampire who doesn't strike but kneels, whispering a name Tabby doesn't recognize as her own: Charlotte. Lucien believes Tabby is the reincarnation of his mortal lover, a healer he lost centuries ago in a war between witches and vampires. To him, she is fate returned. To Tabby, he is the embodiment of everything she has vowed to destroy. As vampire clans circle the bayou, drawn by whispers of Tabby's growing power, she becomes both a target and a prize. Her hatred collides with a pull she cannot explain dreams that don't belong to her, emotions that stir like echoes of another life. Torn between the memory of a love she never lived and the vengeance that defines her, Tabby must choose: cling to her rage, or risk her heart on a man who may be bound to her by blood, fate, and a past she doesn't remember.

𝘒𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘰 𝘗é𝘳𝘦𝘻-𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯. 𝘖𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰, 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳.