Ace in the Hole

For as long as I can remember, I-Yvette-have lived under my older sister's shadow.

She was the golden girl-bright and brilliant. While I was simply a silver afterthought.

It didn't matter what I did, I was almost always compared to her. Either that or forgotten.

The only one who saw me for who I was and cared about me was my twin brother, Yvon. The two of us-overlooked and underestimated-had no one but each other.

To the world, I am a quiet, unremarkable young woman with a jealous tendency towards my older sister but fading into the background, I listen, I watch, I plan, and I wait.

I know what my sister truly is.

And I know all too well the horrors she has done.

Like a cruel joke, a month after she was wed to the crown prince-I found myself engaged to her former suitor, Lev.

That same man who once looked at my older sister with loving eyes now pragmatically explained and convinced me why we would make a good match and that it didn't matter what kind of person I was because he knew what really mattered about me.

It wasn't the love story I dreamed of but this arrangement-our relationship-had its own practical charm.

Yet as days passed, our practical and logical relationship, turned into something more.

The once cold and distant demeanor of Lev was slowly thawing and I was beginning to see the man behind those cold and unreadable eyes.

Still, romance was the least of my concerns.

Yvon and I had plans, an ambition years in the making. An empire of our own, our safe haven from the monster we were desperately running from. And I won't let anything, not even whatever it is that I have with Lev, stand in our way.

And now, the secrets that have been buried are clawing their way to the surface.

When the truth comes to light, will Yvon and I accomplish what we set out to do or will we fail to reach our goal?

And when it does... Will Lev stand by my side or will he become just another enemy in my path?

Started: 02-2025