Novels by Ebima2707

DARIAN The city never stopped moving, but today it felt like I was the one left behind.Zaria’s image clung to my memory, haunting my every thought and duty. The sketch of her bare skin burned behind my eyes, no matter how many contracts I signed, no matter how many people talked at me in the boardroom. I nodded at the right times, answered in clipped tones, but I wasn’t there. My mind was still back at the penthouse, standing frozen in that doorway, staring at the one woman I couldn’t seem to cage or control.She lingered like smoke.And I hated it.I hated that my body still reacted to her, that my thoughts betrayed me with memories of her lips, her skin, her laugh, the kind of details a man should’ve buried long ago.“She’s dangerous”, I reminded myself. “Don’t forget why you’re doing this”But then another voice whispered back: “If she’s so dangerous, why does your heart race like this?”I pushed the thought away, slamming a folder shut harder than necessary. My assistant jumped

DARIAN The moment she walked back into the penthouse earlier, just before dawn faded away, I knew she was lying.Her excuse—“I just needed some air”—was flimsy at best. She had slipped out, under disguise, thinking I wouldn’t notice. And I might have believed her if it weren’t for the way her eyes had darted when I asked her directly where she’d gone.Something about Zaria didn’t add up.Still, I let it go. For now. Pressing too hard would only push her further away, and I couldn’t afford that. Not when I needed her close enough to uncover what she was hiding.So I left for work. Or at least, I pretended to.The driver had just pulled the car out of the garage when I reached for the folder on the seat beside me and froze. It was empty. The file I needed most, the one with the contracts I had to review before the board meeting, wasn’t there.“Turn back,” I ordered curtly.“Yes, sir.”The driver shifted gears, and the car eased back toward the penthouse. I leaned back against the sea

ZARIA The sound of the front door shutting as he slide past me was my first sign of freedom.Darian had left for work, his footsteps fading into silence, leaving the penthouse drenched in a hush that felt strangely heavy. I exhaled slowly, relief mingling with exhaustion, and retreated into the bathroom.The shower was hot and soothing, the steam curling around me like a blanket. I tilted my head back beneath the water, trying to wash away the tension from this morning, the chase, the fear, and the way Darian had looked at me as if he could see straight through my lies.But instead of fear, another memory invaded me.Darian’s hands on my waist, our once upon a time. His lips against mine, heated and unrelenting, a man who wanted all of me. Nights when the air between us had been thick with more moans than arguments, when even the sound of his voice had been enough to make me melt.I pressed my palms against the tile, shutting my eyes tight. Those nights belonged to another life…one b

ZARIA The city was still sleeping when I slipped out of the penthouse.The elevators hummed softly, the lobby guard dozed against the counter, and the streets outside were washed pale with the first hints of dawn. I kept my cap pulled low and the hood of my sweatshirt higher still, praying no one would recognize me beneath the disguise. If Darian ever found out I’d left, if the paparazzi caught sight of me, it would be over.But I had no choice. My son needed me.Every step away from the glass tower felt like a gamble with fate. The car I’d arranged was waiting by the curb, an old, nondescript sedan that blended into the sleepy morning traffic. The driver didn’t ask questions. Good. Questions were a threat.By the time we reached the safehouse, my pulse had calmed just enough to breathe normally. The building wasn’t much, just a small, tucked-away apartment that Felix had secured for Leo’s care. But to me, it was more sacred than any mansion or penthouse could ever be.I climbed the

ZARIA The ride home had been heavy with silence. I’d kept my eyes on the city lights blurring past the window, my chest felt too tight to breathe properly. Darian hadn’t looked at me once. Not after the car or the accusations, not even when we stepped into the penthouse lobby.The elevator doors slid open and the first thing I wanted to do was head straight to my room, close the door, and breathe without anyone staring at me like a science experiment. My body still ached from the hospital bed, but at least here, I thought I could hide.Except when I pushed the door open, my heart froze.The room was bare. Completely bare. Like no one had ever lived here before. The wardrobe doors hung open and empty. The bedspread was gone. Even the faint scent of my perfume had disappeared, replaced with the sterile smell of fresh polish.“What…?” My lips trembled. I staggered a step inside, blinking as if my eyes were playing tricks on me. “Where are my things?”For one insane moment, I thought may

DARIAN The wolves in the media were bound to sink their teeth in sooner or later. But even I hadn’t predicted the headline that dominated every screen this morning, after demanding the source be cut short.“ZARIA MENDEZ: THE WIDOW-IN-WAITING.”“ZARIA MENDEZ’S SECRET PAST ENGAGEMENT TO ROMAN WOLFE REVEALED.”“LOVE TRIANGLE OR BETRAYAL? THE WOMAN WHO MARRIED ONE BROTHER AFTER LOSING ANOTHER.”Photo after photo plastered across the news feeds, flashing her engagement to Roman like it was fresh meat. Her face in white silk at an engagement party years ago. Her hand resting on Roman’s arm. The captions made her look like a traitor who had betrayed one Wolfe brother and married another.They made her minefield, my scandal, my shame.By evening, we were standing under the gold chandeliers of the Wolfe Foundation Gala, the press swarming outside like hyenas. The air was too warm, the champagne too sweet, the music too polished. And Zaria…my wife…stood beside me in a black gown that clung to