Novels by mmesomaqueendalyn8

★MALACHI★The moment I saw her hand on the front door handle, something inside me snapped.I’d been in my office, staring at the same spreadsheet for twenty minutes without seeing a single number. The house had gone quiet after Lila’s bedtime story—too quiet. I’d told myself it was fine. Nina was probably in her room, reading or sleeping off the wine from last night. I’d told myself a lot of things in the last few hours to keep from walking upstairs and knocking on her door just to see her face.Then I heard the faint creak of the third step from the top, and I was out of my chair before the sound finished echoing.By the time I reached the foyer, she was already halfway out the door—old sneakers, tote bag slung over her shoulder, navy dress fluttering in the night breeze like she was trying to disappear into it.“Where do you think you’re going at 10 PM?”My voice came out louder than I intended. Low, controlled fury that filled the entire entryway.She froze. One foot on the thresho

★NINA★I woke up with a headache that felt like someone had taken a hammer to the inside of my skull.The room was still dark, the kind of dark that comes right before dawn when the house hasn’t decided whether it’s night or morning yet. My mouth tasted like sour wine and regret. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.Last night came back in pieces.The candles. The food that tasted like money. Malachi’s hand covering mine when I almost cried. The way his eyes softened when I laughed too loud at my own stupid joke. The quick kiss I’d pressed to his cheek—like I was someone who did things like that.I’d kissed my boss on the cheek.And then run upstairs like a teenager who’d just committed a crime.Heat flooded my face even though no one was watching. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to disappear.It didn’t work.The digital clock on the nightstand glowed 6:14 a.m. Too early to be awake, too late to pretend last night hadn’t happened. I forced myself to sit

★MALACHI★I canceled the gala at the last minute.The invitation had been sitting on my desk for weeks—black cardstock, gold lettering, the kind of event where deals get made in whispers between champagne flutes. My PR team had already sent the RSVP, and Julian had the tux pressed and waiting in my closet. But this morning, staring at the calendar on my phone, I felt something shift. Just… a quiet refusal to leave the house tonight.I called Julian.“Pull me from the guest list,” I said the second he picked up.There was a beat of silence. “The gala? You sure? Half the board will be there.”“I’m sure. Tell them something came up with Lila. Family emergency.”He didn’t argue. He never did when it came to Lila—or, lately, anything. “Done. Anything else?”I hesitated. “Make sure the chef is still coming at seven. And tell him it’s just two.”“Two,” Julian repeated slowly, like he was testing the word. I could practically see the smirk forming on his face. “Understood, boss.”I hung up b

★NINA★The morning after the gym incident felt like a lesson in suffocation. I expected a pink slip; instead, I got a ghost. Malachi moved through the house like a specter of his former self—rigid, silent, avoiding my gaze. Whenever our eyes nearly met, he would pivot away, his jaw tightening so hard I could almost hear bone grinding against bone.I sat in the dining room, idly picking at a piece of toast while Lila explained the complicated politics of her stuffed-animal kingdom, when a shadow fell across the table.Malachi stood there, fully dressed in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than my entire life. He didn’t sit. Instead, he slid a thin, matte-black card across the table. It landed beside my plate with a soft clack.I glanced at the card, then back at him, confused. “What is this?”“A credit card, Nina. I believe the concept is universal,” he said. His voice was cold—sharp and stinging, like dry ice.Heat flared in my chest, and it had nothing to do with attraction and

★NINA★The moonlight streamed through the sheer curtains in my bedroom, casting pale rectangles on the floor. I glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.5:02 a.m.I groaned softly and buried my face in the pillow, but it was pointless. Sleep had become elusive. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the warmth of Malachi’s breath against my skin in that dark guest room. I could remember how his eyes had darkened, how the playful atmosphere shifted into something heavy and intimate.My throat felt dry. I needed water.I got out of bed without putting on a robe. I wore a simple silk camisole and matching shorts—one of the sets I'd found in the wardrobe. As I tiptoed down the hallway, the cold floorboards chilled my feet. The house seemed completely silent until I reached the ground floor.A dull, rhythmic sound echoed from the far end of the hallway, near the glass doors leading to the west wing.Thud. Thud. Thud.It was heavy and steady, like a heartbeat of stone. My curiosity,

★NINA★The silence that followed Malachi’s demand was heavy, thick with the scent of his expensive cologne and the lingering, sharp smell of the vinegar that had soaked into my dress. I couldn't tell him. Not all of it. How could I explain that a simple black car could turn me back into a terrified thirteen-year-old girl hiding in a closet while her world ended?"I... I just thought I saw someone," I whispered, my voice cracking. I pulled back slightly, and to my surprise, he let me go, though his eyes remained fixed on mine like he was trying to read the thoughts I was working so hard to hide. "It was nothing, Mr. Malachi. I’m just tired. The sun... and the groceries..."He didn't look like he believed a single word, but he didn't push. Not yet. He stood up, smoothing out his ruined trousers, his expression unreadable. "Go wash up, Nina. We’ll talk later."I didn't wait for a second command. I practically scrambled off the couch and bolted for the stairs. But I didn't go to my room.