
Add to Library
About this story
Clara Vance lost everything to protect her blind sister—her career, her reputation, and her freedom. Now working as a lowly forger, she expects a life in the shadows. But when a violent underground deal goes wrong, she catches the eye of Julian Thorne, a lethal syndicate boss who crushes empires for sport. To save her sister, Clara must surrender to a man who demands absolute control. As she enters his gilded cage, Clara realizes the true danger isn't his cruelty, but her own dark desire.
Chapter 1
The air in the underground gallery tasted of expensive cigars, spilled champagne, and desperation. Clara Vance adjusted the collar of her thrifted black trench coat, pulling it tighter around her throat. She stood in the dimly lit corner of the subterranean ballroom, a stark contrast to the glittering chandeliers and the velvet-draped walls. The elite of the city’s criminal underbelly moved like sharks in bespoke suits and designer gowns, their laughter a sharp, metallic sound that set Clara’s teeth on edge. She wasn't here to socialize. She was here to sell a lie.Tucked securely under her arm was a leather portfolio containing a masterpiece. It was a supposedly lost charcoal sketch by Edgar Degas, depicting a ballerina adjusting her slipper. The paper was genuinely from the late nineteenth century, sourced from the blank endpapers of an antique novel. The charcoal was period-accurate. The strokes were flawless, possessing the exact weight, hesitation, and frantic energy of the French master. It was utterly perfect. And Clara had drawn it three days ago on the floor of her freezing, water-damaged apartment. "You're late," a gruff voice muttered. Clara didn't flinch. She turned to face a heavy-set man with a scarred jaw and a suit that cost more than her life. This was Kovac, a mid-level buyer who fenced stolen and forged art for the syndicates. "I'm precisely on time," Clara replied, her voice cool and practiced. "The traffic over the bridge was heavy. Do you have the money?""Show me the piece first, little girl," Kovac sneered, stepping closer. He smelled of garlic and expensive cologne. "I don't hand over fifty grand blind.""It's twenty-five. We agreed on twenty-five," Clara corrected sharply, clutching the portfolio. The money was for Elara. It was always for Elara. Her fourteen-year-old sister's medical bills for her failing, unseeing eyes were piling up, and the cartel debt their father had left behind before he put a gun in his mouth was a ticking time bomb. Clara needed this cash tonight."Twenty-five, fifty, whatever. Show it to me."Clara unzipped the portfolio just enough to reveal the edge of the aged paper. Kovac pulled a jeweler's loupe from his pocket and leaned in, his breathing heavy. "Well, well, well," a slick, drawling voice echoed from behind them, cutting through the low hum of the ballroom. "I would recognize that pathetic, thrift-store silhouette anywhere. Clara Vance. Slumming it with the bottom feeders, I see."Clara’s blood turned to ice. She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, praying to a god she didn't believe in that she had misheard. But when she turned around, her worst nightmare was standing there, holding a crystal flute of champagne.Marcus Sterling.
Continue Reading
Chapter List
Book Details
Status
Completed
Word count
0
Last updated
5 days ago
Language
English
More like this
See All
New Releases
See All

After Overhearing His Cruel Voicemail, I Walked Away
I was running a fever of 104 degrees, and my boyfriend had been called into work for overtime. But he forgot his wool scarf, so I dashed downstairs into the snow to catch him, only to hear him leaving a voicemail: "Overtime? Just a little white lie I told her. She won't be upset. "She's so clingy, like a puppy that won't let go. No sense of space at all. "Honestly, it's pretty dull. No thrill whatsoever..." I stood there, clinging to his wool scarf in shock. He only needed to turn around, and he would have seen me standing right there. But he didn’t.
38.5k

Erased by the CEO: My Vengeful Return
For five years, Clara Hayes was the secret wife and ghost-inventor behind Julian's luxury tech empire. But when she crashes his public engagement to a wealthy heiress, Julian brands her a delusional stalker and destroys her life's work. Left with nothing but shattered patents and a broken heart, Clara discovers their marriage was a calculated theft. Now, allied with his deadliest rival, she won't just expose Julian's lies—she's going to dismantle his empire piece by piece.
35.7k

Inferno Demon Riders MC: My Five Obsessed Bullies
The five boys who once swore they would always protect Sienna were the same ones who turned on her first. They believed her stepsister’s lies, watched her biological father take her away, and decided she had abandoned them. What they never knew was that her father cut every line back to home—and when Sienna finally escaped and begged her mother not to send her back, her mother did it anyway. Years of control followed, then a husband who turned “protection” into another cage. Sienna escaped them all and stayed free for five years. Then the Inferno Demon Riders found her. Now the five men who once broke her are furious that she broke their childhood promise, obsessed with keeping her close, and slowly discovering the truth they should have questioned years ago. Sienna isn’t the girl they left behind—and this time, nobody gets to decide where she belongs but her.
36.7k

My Wife Sacrificed Our Kids For Her Lover
Ethan Hayes thought his three children had died at birth—until he discovered his professor wife had secretly handed them to her student and lover for human experiments. Two were already dead. The third, a disabled daughter Ethan had never been allowed to meet, was still alive. When he tried to expose them, Vivian branded him unstable and Lucas turned him into the next test subject. Ethan escaped, found his daughter, and lost her all over again. This time, he stopped fighting. He let everyone believe he was dead. Weeks later, Lucas stepped onto the stage at a prestigious medical gala, ready to claim the greatest honor of his career—only to watch the dead husband walk through the doors.

Returning After He Chose His Mistress
I've been married to my husband, Kaison, for three years. He never spent any anniversaries with me. Instead, he traveled to countless countries with his idealized love, Alexis. On my birthday, he once again abandoned me, saying, "I have a business trip for a week. Be good and wait for me to come back." I silently watched him leave, knowing this trip was just an excuse to spend time with Alexis. He thought I would quietly accept it, relying on my calm demeanor. But this time, he was unaware of my plan. By the time he returned, I'd already be on a plane, leaving the country for a fresh start. Two months ago, I kept asking Kaison for a special surprise for my birthday. He agreed, and I was filled with anticipation.

The Stand-In Wife's Fatal Secret
When I was diagnosed with early-onset heart failure, I needed my husband, Julian. Instead, his phone was off as he welcomed his 'dead' first love, Vivienne, back to the city. Returning home, I discovered his hidden vault of sketches. Every dress he bought me, every hairstyle he demanded, was designed to mold me into her. But Julian doesn't know two things: I'm secretly pregnant with a child who is mine alone, and I'm taking back the billion-dollar empire I built for him before I leave.
29.8k





