Novels by Degreat Praise

Silence fell over the boardroom like a held breath.Ruby stood at the center of it, palms resting flat against the polished table, her reflection staring back at her in the glossy surface. Around her, the executives of Blackwood Holdings shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Some avoided her gaze. Others watched her too closely, as if trying to measure how much strength she had left to give.The injunction still glowed on the large screen at the far end of the room.Temporary suspension of succession authority pending paternity verification and corporate compliance review.The words were clinical. Bloodless. Yet they carried the weight of a guillotine.Kelvin stood beside her, rigid, his jaw tight enough to ache. His hand hovered near her back, not touching, giving her space while silently offering support. He had learned that Ruby no longer needed to be shielded. She needed to be seen.Across the table, Dante leaned back in his chair, arms folded, an expression of faint amusement pla

Morning arrived without permission.The city outside the reinforced windows looked deceptively calm, washed in pale light and early movement. Traffic flowed. People walked. Life continued as if nothing fragile stood on the edge of collapse inside the facility. Ruby stood near the window now, no longer sitting or curled inward. One hand rested on her stomach, not protectively this time, but deliberately. As if claiming ground.She had cried enough last night.Fear still lived in her chest, but it no longer ruled her. Dante had tried to reduce her to doubt, to make her believe she was a vessel, a mistake, a weakness in Kelvin’s world. She was done carrying that lie.Behind her, Kelvin and Olivia stood over the conference table that had been pulled into the secure medical suite. The screen on the wall displayed documents, corporate filings, and court notices. Not just personal threats anymore. This was business. Legacy. Power.And the baby.Kelvin broke the silence first. “The board meet

The room seemed to contract around them.Ruby felt Kelvin’s grip tighten instantly, his body shifting instinctively in front of her. Olivia turned slowly, her hand hovering near the console, not panicked but alert in a way that sent a chill straight down Ruby’s spine.The figure stepped fully into the light.It was not Dante.Ruby’s breath caught. The man before them was older, his hair threaded with silver, his face sharp and unreadable. His eyes were intelligent, calculating, and disturbingly calm. He looked like someone who had spent his life watching others fall apart from a distance.Kelvin’s voice was low. “Who are you?”The man smiled faintly. “Someone who knows Dante very well. And someone who knows exactly how your child came to exist.”Ruby’s heart slammed against her ribs. She felt dizzy, the room tilting slightly as her hand instinctively pressed to her stomach. Kelvin noticed immediately, pulling her closer.“You do not get to speak about my child,” Kelvin said. “Not now.

The early morning air was sharp and cold, carrying the scent of rain on asphalt. Ruby pressed her palm to her stomach as they left the safe house in silence, each step measured and careful. Kelvin’s hand gripped hers like a lifeline, while Olivia moved slightly ahead, scanning the surroundings with the precision of someone trained to anticipate danger before it arrived.The city was waking slowly, unaware of the storm gathering in its midst. Cars hummed along the streets, people hurried with their routines, oblivious to the threat that had haunted Ruby for months. For the first time since Dante’s intrusion, she felt the world moving forward, but the unease beneath her skin refused to subside. One heartbeat. One life that had survived Dante’s twisted schemes. And yet the knowledge that he was always one step away pressed down on her like a lead weight.Olivia turned to Ruby, her expression serious but not unkind. “We need to get to the facility before he does. I have secured temporary

The apartment was silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioner. Ruby sat on the edge of the couch, her hands resting lightly on her swollen stomach. The past few days had been a whirlwind, an unrelenting storm of fear, secrets, and half-truths. Two heartbeats. A life growing inside her. And yet the shadow of doubt lingered like smoke that would not dissipate.Kelvin stood near the window, arms crossed, staring at the city below as if he could will the world into submission. He had been quiet for hours, pacing only once or twice, his jaw tight, his fingers flexing as though he were trying to wrestle control from some invisible enemy. The revelation about the embryos weighed heavily on both of them. For so long, they had feared that one child was Dante’s doing. The thought alone had been poison to Ruby’s heart.But now, with hours of research, medical consultations, and sleepless nights behind them, the truth had begun to reveal itself. Both embryos were Kelvin’s. Dante had t

They got back home.Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting over her stomach, trembling slightly as if even touching herself could break her. The room was dim, bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp. Kelvin had left for a few hours, promising to make some “necessary arrangements,” but the silence pressed against her chest like a physical weight. She had hoped that knowing the truth that both embryos were Kelvin’s and that Dante had manipulated records would bring relief. Instead, it left her suspended between anger, fear, and disbelief.Her mind replayed everything: the hospital, the tests, the doctors, the moment the woman had revealed the truth. The memory of Dante’s voice had not faded, and she could still feel the cold trickle of terror that had accompanied it. How easily he had made her question herself, her body, her instincts. The thought made her stomach twist, even now.Kelvin’s absence made the room feel emptier, lonelier. She pressed a hand to her stomach, feel