To Rule & To Ruin
- Reads 264
- Votes 47
- Parts 20
Ongoing2h 15m
Last published Thu, Jun 26, 2025
In a court ruled by secrets and spectacle, Grand Duchess Valeria Dorneaux stands above them all-untouchable, unbending, and ice-cold. Feared by nobles and respected by kings, she moves through the palace like a queen without a crown, cutting down sycophants and suitors with a single glance. But everything shifts the night she catches an assassin in her grasp-and meets a stranger cloaked in laughter and mystery on the palace balcony.
The woman appears like a shadow: uninvited, unafraid, and maddeningly amused by Valeria's disdain. She speaks in riddles, disappears like smoke, and somehow slips past the duchess's carefully built defenses. What begins as a battle of wit and will soon becomes something far more dangerous.
Because in this game of masks and manipulation, every move matters-and the queen isn't the only one who knows how to play.
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#43
mysteriousstranger
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BEING HEAVILY EDITED!! " He was her enemy. She was his weapon. But somewhere in the wreckage, they became each other's ruin. " The only rule of survival? Never trust a monster. Zahra Cordero knows this better than anyone. Burdened by a bloody past and a failed mission that left her imprisoned in a forgotten orphanage, she's spent years carving herself into a ghost. No one knew where the children went. No one dared to find them. Until she escapes. But freedom comes at a brutal price. Leo Colton-ruthless, powerful, feared-hunts monsters like her for sport. His empire, Leviathan, is a criminal empire soaked in blood and secrets. Leo wants one thing: revenge. And when Zahra falls into his hands, he sees more than just a broken girl. He needs a weapon. She needs an escape. Dragged into a brutal contract where her loyalty is the currency, Zahra must play Leo's game while hiding her true identity. But as danger closes in, so does he-stalking her mind, tangling in her veins, making her forget that he's the real enemy. Secrets fester. Obsession ignites. And in a world ruled by violence, the deadliest thing between them isn't hatred- It's desire. But when she starts to uncover more of her Mother's secrets and realises that she's caught in a deadly game...the alliance begins. Secrets come to light, games get exposed and in the middle of it all ...is family. If she gives in, she loses everything. If he lets her go, he loses the war. Because in the end... It's not betrayal that will destroy them. It's love.
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