Novels by Kaya N

Lina’s POVWhat was he talking about?I bent down until I was at his eye level.“Excuse me, sir,” I said carefully. “What do you mean? Who is Dwan? Is it a person… or a pet?” My eyes searched his tired, lined face for answers.He didn’t respond.He only stared at me, confusion clouding his gaze, as though he were trying to place me somewhere in his memory and failing. Slowly, he lifted his right hand.Reached for my face.His fingers brushed my cheek with a familiarity that made my breath hitch—like he knew this face. Like he had touched it before.“I—” he started.“Father, what are you doing outside?” The voice came from behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know who it belonged to.Carlino.His presence closed in on the space instantly, heavy and suffocating.“Get your hands off him,” he ordered. Controlled. But the warning threaded through it was sharp enough to cut skin. I pulled my hand away at once, stepping back a little.“Carlino,” the old man said, turning toward him. “Who is

Lina’s POVI woke up to silence.Not the normal kind. Not the kind that comes at night when the world sleeps. This silence felt aware—like it knew I was awake and was waiting for me to catch up.My hand pulsed as I moved, a dull ache spreading behind my eyes. The bed beneath me was too soft, swallowing me whole. The kind of comfort that didn’t belong to someone who had been dragged somewhere unconscious.Something brushed my arm.Silk.I frowned, rubbing it slowly between my fingers. Smooth. Cool. Expensive. My stomach twisted—not the sick kind, not yet—but tight enough to warn me. I pushed myself upright.The room was dim, lit by a warm glow that seemed to come from the walls themselves. Lamps shaped like old torches flickered softly, shadows clinging to dark wooden panels. Polished mahogany lined the walls, carved carefully, deliberately.Someone spent money here. Real money. Thick velvet curtains—black and heavy—spilled onto the marble floor. The marble was spotless, reflecting lig

Lina’s POVWait… how was that even possible? I pushed myself off the cold floor, palms slipping once before they found purchase. My legs trembled, weak beneath my weight. The director? The rumors, the whispers about him—none of it aligned. Panic crept up my spine, slow and invasive.“Don’t let your thoughts wander too far, Lina,” he said. Cool. Detached. There was no warmth in his voice. Not even a crack. Each word felt wrapped in ice before being forced down my throat, freezing everything in its path.“Why have you taken me?” My voice fractured despite my effort to steady it. “I don’t even know the man who brought me here. Please—just let me leave. I swear I won’t say a word to anyone.”I hated how small I sounded. Hated that begging was the only thing I had left. He watched me, unmoved.“Lina Gray,” he said slowly, deliberately, “you’re mine now. My property. You have no one but me—get used to that.”The words struck like blades, precise and merciless, slicing through what little

Lina’s POV“You brought her here for a debt?”A voice broke through the darkness—cold, steady, unfamiliar. I wasn’t fully conscious yet, but the sound sliced through the fog in my head like a blade. My eyes were blindfolded. My mouth was sealed with tape. My hands were pinned behind me.I couldn’t see. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was listen.“It’s… not what you think, Boss. I had no choice.” The second voice trembled, a familiar tremble I couldn’t place yet. “The enforcers said it was either I repay the debt and walk away… or they kill me. I had no choice but to use her as leverage. They asked for someone expendable, Boss.”“And she was expendable enough?” The first voice replied with a calmness too controlled to be real. That kind of calm only existed before storms—or executions.“I… I thought it was the only way,” the second voice stuttered. “Everything I touch ruins me. The enforcers don’t forgive.”“So she’s worth your life, huh?” The words cut through the air, sharp and offe

Lina’s POV“Don’t you fucking say that, Lina. You’re the one who always acts impulsive,” Ruciano snapped. “You nag about one thing or the other. What do you even gain from getting me this worked up, huh? Tell me.”His voice sliced through the room, loud and sharp, leaving no space for anything else. He paced like a ticking bomb, hands running through his hair, acting like he wasn’t the problem—like I was the chaos in the story he created.That broke something in me.I opened my mouth to respond, but the words lodged themselves somewhere between my chest and throat. If I spoke now, the tears I was barely holding back would spill, and I refused—absolutely refused—to give him that satisfaction.“Say something,” he pressed, stopping right in front of me. “You always have something to say.”I inhaled slowly, forcing my hands to stay steady at my sides.“What exactly do you want from me, Ruciano?” I asked, my voice low but firm. “Tell me. Because I’ve done everything. Everything. I’ve defen