​gritty Stories

​"Some stories don't begin where you expect. Some begin with a blade to the throat and a secret that could burn a city to the ground." ​Rose Carter is the crown jewel of a family built on secrets and silver. Elegant, lethal, and draped in red silk, she has been trained to view the world as a chessboard-and Alex Harper is the only player she can't seem to checkmate. ​Alex is everything Rose was taught to hate: a man from the "other side," gritty, relentless, and far too good at seeing through her carefully constructed masks. Their families have lived in a state of cold war for decades, held together by a fragile treaty and the mysterious power of the blue roses. ​But when a single choice shatters the peace, Rose and Alex are forced into a dangerous game of survival. In a world where every glance is a weapon and every touch is a betrayal, they must decide if they are each other's greatest downfall-or their only hope of making it out alive. ​Two families. Three blades. One choice that changes everything.

Leo always knew his brother, Kai, lived on the edge, but he never realized how sharp that edge truly was until he traced the jagged scar on Kai's shoulder. In a single, sweltering night, Leo is dragged from the safety of his math notebooks into a world of flickering streetlights, back-alley deals, and bloodstained secrets.​Forced to witness the "ugly" side of Kai's life.

In the rain-slicked city, a mysterious figure races through dark alleys, clutching a stolen package. Wounded and running on pure adrenaline, she meets her contact, the stoic and formidable Gabriel. Their exchange is anything but simple; they're hunted by a relentless, nameless adversary who seems to be one step ahead.As they flee deeper into the urban maze, a confrontation becomes unavoidable. The hunter corners them, revealing his chilling nature and the high stakes of the package. In a brutal, close-quarters fight, they barely escape, but not without leaving a mark. Gabriel and his companion escape to a dilapidated safe house, the package and the chase now an unspoken bond between them. As Gabriel tends to her wound, the woman realizes this is only the beginning of a dangerous game, and she is a pawn caught between shadows.