Novels by Zeenoh

The Caldwell family had three sitting rooms.And right now, none of them felt safe.I sat stiffly in the center of the smallest one—“the red room,” they called it, because of the floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains. Dean stood near the window, still, silent and arms folded across his chest.Mason was slouched in one of the armchairs, pretending to scroll through his phone, but his knee bounced constantly. Nervous energy leaked from him in every direction.Evelyn sat opposite Lani, spine straight, legs crossed, with her gloved hands folded in her lap like she was waiting to be handed a sword and the legal right to use it.And then there was the man just entering the room.Richard Caldwell.He didn’t look like a billionaire or a media mogul. He didn’t look like the man who held half the country’s newsrooms in his pocket and the other half in court. No, Richard looked like someone who had outgrown the need to prove anything. Trim suit, pale eyes, salt-and-pepper beard so cleanly trimmed it

“Get a move on girls!” Ms. Blue yelled in the kitchen.Beads of sweat had started pooling on my forehead and brows, and my legs felt like they would give out soon. I’d only been working for the Caldwells for a few days, but I already wanted out. Today was the engagement party of Dean Caldwell and his dethroned, Lynette Sinclair— the tall blonde Barbie bombshell who was the heir to the Sinclair dynasty. I didn’t know much about her, but I’d seen her in the tabloids once or twice before. She was built like a model, and was popularly referred to as ‘the people’s princess’. I already hated her.I swallowed as I walked through the crowd with yet another tray of champagne flutes. Who knew you needed so many people for a simple engagement party? And the amount of press was just something else.The influential guests collected and returned champagne flutes from and to my tray without looking at me. They never said ‘thank you’ and they definitely never acknowledged the help. That was one t

The tray in my hands didn’t tremble, but my knuckles were white around the handles.The Caldwells’ garden looked like it came straight out of a catalog. White parasols bloomed above a crystal-clear table where Evelyn Caldwell sat with three other women who all looked and smelled like money. Not perfume— just money. The breeze rustled the linen napkins like even nature knew it should behave here.I stepped toward the table, making sure to keep my posture straight, and my eyes low.“Oh,” one of the women murmured when she noticed me. “You’re letting the new one handle the good china?”Another gave a whispery laugh. “She’s a brave one.”Evelyn didn’t smile, but her lips curved ever so slightly. “Confidence often comes with inexperience.”I kept my voice calm, not really understanding what they were talking about anyway. “Would anyone care for fresh mint tea or lemon spritz?”“Spritz, please,” the senator’s wife said with a manicured wave, not looking at her.As I poured, I caught Mrs Cal

I followed blindly behind another maid who’d been instructed to teach me everything I needed to know. She led me through a kitchen that looked like it was larger than my entire house. “Whoa,” I stopped and opened my mouth in awe. “Keep walking.” The maid in front of me snapped.I turned around so fast that I almost tripped and fell over. The kitchen had two other doors. One that looked like it led to the back of the house. The second door opened to reveal a guard standing at the top of the stairs that must lead to a basement area. I watched in confusion as he quickly patted the maid up and down before doing the same to me.“Why did he search us?” I asked, deciding that I was tired of her silence. “Mrs Caldwell is very particular about the searches. It’s to make sure we’re not taking anything into the quarters that shouldn’t be there.”“Hmm,” I mused.“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. My name is Hannah by the way, but we mostly go by last names, so call me Morgan.”Hannah Morgan

The street lights flickered above me like dying stars as I ran, arms pumping, heart pounding against the weight in my chest. The town was a blur of shadows and cold wind, but I didn’t slow down. I didn’t have a destination. I just needed to move— needed to get away from the suffocating guilt clawing through me.I couldn’t even bear to picture the look on my mother’s face when I brought Aria home. My father had been shocked too, even in his perpetual drunken state. Victor was going to die because of me.Aria’s hand— her gift, her future— was crushed because I couldn’t even do a damn thing right.And all I had to show for my clever little plan was a few blood stained bills and a broken family.The air sliced down my throat with every breath, but I couldn’t stop. My legs burned, my lungs screamed, but I ignored everything. I ran past dark storefronts and shuttered windows, past sleeping houses and the far off sound of sirens. My sneakers slapped against pavement soaked with last night’s

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” My sister grumbled for the thousandth time since we left home that evening.“Yes Aria, I heard you when you said it the moment you got out of bed this morning, I heard you when you were putting your shoes on, I heard you at the bus stop and on the bus too. But you’re serving there, you have a pass. All you have to do is just help me get in and I’ll do the rest.”“The guards aren’t stupid, Lani. If they catch us—”“They won’t.”“You don’t even have a plan!”“I always have a plan,” I lied.I definitely did not have a plan, but I couldn’t let Aria’s words deter me. The Caldwell estate glowed like a city trapped in a snow globe— too bright, too perfect, and entirely untouchable. I stared in awe, and I was pretty sure my jaw was on the floor. The wide double doors were open and slow music drifted through them like perfume. Cars stopped right in front of the doors, releasing men and women dressed in clothes that probably cost more than my enti