Novels by Luciana Rielle

KIERShe mustn’t know what happened last night.She stared at the smudge like she was trying to understand it—like her mind was racing to place it somewhere safe and failing.I shouldn’t have come back like this. I should’ve cleaned up. Taken a second to think, to breathe. To be better.But I wasn’t.And now, she was staring at me like she didn’t recognize me. Like I was someone else entirely.She looked like she was breaking.I reached out to her again. “Genesis…”Her breath hitched the moment my hand touched her shoulder—and something in me shattered. Not just because she flinched—God, she flinched—but because I saw it in her eyes.She wasn’t here. Not really.So I stood. Her eyes followed me, wide and wary, like she was bracing for something. Preparing for impact.I dragged a hand through my hair, staring down at her. She looked scared… so damn small. I wanted to wrap her in my arms, protect every inch of her.But first, I needed to take care of this mess.I made my way to the rest

GENESIS"Genesis," he called.I turned toward the door and saw him standing there—shirtless. My breath hitched. He’d notice. Quickly, I looked away and pressed my face into the pillow, wiping my eyes. He mustn’t find out. He mustn’t.When I was sure the tears were gone, I stood up from the bed. But as I turned around, he was already in front of me. His hands gripped my shoulders, his face carved in fury.What had I done?Did he find out?Or… was it something else?Was he going to hit me?"Who did that to your face?" he growled, each word gritted between his teeth. One hand brushed over my cheek. I opened my eyes and met his gaze.My face?“Who the fuck hit you?”Oh. That.Monica had slapped me. It was normal. I’d stepped out of line by telling her no.But why… why was he acting like this?Without another word, he turned away, striding to the nightstand. He grabbed my book and pencil, then came back and placed them gently into my hands."Write it down," he said, nodding toward the page

KIERMy eyes blinked open, and I looked up to see a strange ceiling.“Fuck, where am I?” I croaked, grimacing. Why did my mouth taste like I ate something sour mixed with liquor?As I tried to stand, a flash of images and loud words exploded behind my eyes.“The king is back. Give him more,” someone shouted. Then, I opened my mouth, and a woman—her face fuzzy—poured a drink into her own mouth and then into mine.That wasn’t all. Hands were roaming around my body, lips on places like my neck, my mouth.Flashing lights. Bodies grinding together.Then it all vanished as quickly as it had come. I pressed my hand to my forehead. Definitely a hangover. I leaned against the headboard, blinking, trying to clear my mind. After a moment, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings—and groaned.Three naked women were sleeping on the bed.“Damn… what happened last night?” I muttered.I vaguely remembered going to the Opal Noir club, but the rest was a blur. How had I ended up like this? Sleeping

KIERThe office was empty, everyone else had left for the night. My PA had gone home hours ago, and I was still working. I glanced over the Norwood files and made a note for tomorrow. I sent a message, brief and to the point: 'Have the Norwood files finalized and on my desk first thing tomorrow. No mistakes. I’m not dealing with this again.’Immediately that was done, I looked over the other files I had been sent. Tomorrow, I had a meeting with a small startup company—bright-eyed, underprepared, and probably hoping for a miracle. They wouldn’t get one. If their pitch wasn’t solid, I’d shut it down before the coffee cooled. I didn’t entertain weak ideas or wasted time.I skimmed their proposal, red-lining the fluff and circling the numbers that didn’t add up. They were trying too hard to impress, which usually meant they had something to hide—or nothing at all. Either way, I’d find out by morning.The clock on the wall blinked past ten, and I sighed. I wrapped everything up, shut down

Monica Candell stepped into the house and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she was out of the scorching heat. She hadn’t been able to take her car, since she could no longer afford the expenses it required.Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the large living space. Her stomach churned at the thought that her stepdaughter was now living in such a luxurious environment, while she and her children were stuck in a house they could no longer afford to even keep the AC running.She looked around again, but the large living room was empty. Then she heard voices followed by a loud clang. A twisted smile crept across her face. In her mind, she hoped Genesis wasn’t enjoying herself here either. That alone would make her day. And even though she didn’t hear any crying, she didn’t mind—her stepdaughter couldn’t make any sound anyway, so wouldn't be able to hear it, she thought with glee.Clearing her throat, she turned the corner and spoke just as she rounded it. “Genesis, mother’s home.

GENESISHe stood up so abruptly from the chair that it startled me, and in an instant, all eyes turned to him.“Excuse us, but we have to take our leave. So sorry about this," he said, and without waiting for a reply, he grabbed my hand.His grip was firm but not painful as he pulled me along, weaving through the tables without slowing down. I stumbled to keep up, my heart racing and my face burning with embarrassment. The weight of curious, judgmental stares followed us, whispers brushing against my skin.When we finally pushed through the large doors and into the empty hallway, he didn’t stop. Not until we were outside the mansion, where the air was filled with blinding lights and flashes. Large men quickly surrounded us, ushering us into the car.Only then did he release my hand.He turned to face me, his jaw tight, his chest rising and falling just a little faster than normal. His eyes dropped to my body, lingering on the way I fidgeted, trying to pull my dress lower, even though