Teaser:
At exactly midnight, the doors opened to reveal the penthouse suite, dimly lit and draped in shadows. The skyline glittered beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city sprawling like a sea of lights. And there he was-Chixev Aran, standing with his back to me, his silhouette stark against the glowing cityscape.
He didn't move, but I felt his awareness in the way that the air sparked with a muted battlecry. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Chixev said, his voice smooth but edged with impatience.
I stepped forward, my heels clicking softly on the polished marble. The room was suffocating in its silence, "and yet, you waited. I must have left quite an impression. How was it-threatening? Amusing? Did you fall in love with me at first sight?"
Chixev turned slowly, his eyes meeting mine with the intensity of a man used to playing these high-stake games. His expression remained unreadable, though a flicker of something-pity, perhaps-flashed behind his calculatedly cold, blue eyes. "If I felt threatened, you wouldn't be standing here to know it."
I smiled, taking another step forward. "So, love, was it? I'm flattered, although I don't mind us being friends first... Who knows, having me as a friend is what will loan you a longer life."
---
Francesca Marcel, a woman with a dark past infiltrates the life of Chixev Aran, a powerful businessman, offering to save him from his enemies while secretly plotting his downfall-until the lines between vengeance and desire blur, threatening to unravel them both.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]