Her heart was shattered. Now, she'll wield its pieces as weapons.
Princess Lyriana of Avaranth was once the jewel of the kingdom - graceful, obedient, the image of a perfect royal. But after a cruel betrayal, the girl she was is lost forever. Rising from the ashes of her innocence, Lyriana becomes a fierce force in the palace shadows, seeking out the secrets lurking beneath Avaranth's gilded halls.
When her beloved sister, Princess Seraphine, is betrothed to Prince Cedric of Varyndal - a notorious charmer with his own web of secrets - Lyriana is drawn into a labyrinth of dark alliances, hidden desires, and ancient magic. She soon discovers that Cedric , behind his playful mask, knows dangerous truths about the throne, and perhaps even about Lyriana herself.
With a heart steeled by betrayal and a mind sharpened by fire, Lyriana will not stand by as a pawn. Armed with cunning and courage, she will confront the forces that threaten her kingdom and protect those she loves, no matter the cost.
In a world of enchanted shadows and forbidden power, she is no longer the perfect princess - she is a storm waiting to break.
Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction?
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Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything.
[[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]