Novels by Cersei

A thin mist clung to the edges of Brooklyn, where a dilapidated apartment building stood like a silent tombstone against the night sky. Sophia stood beneath it, the wind whipping the hem of her trench coat. The biting cold made her shoulders hunch instinctively.This was the finish line of her past life. In that timeline, she had breathed her last in the bleakest basement of this very building, accompanied only by the rhythmic drip of a leaking pipe."Sophia, are you sure about this?" Ella’s hands trembled on the steering wheel, the headlights illuminating the rusted iron gates with an eerie glow. "Jake said the signal is on the third floor. That’s where you... where you used to live.""He’s waiting for me." Sophia’s voice was as cold as ice, but her eyes were unnervingly steady. "If I don't go in, this time bomb will eventually blow us all to pieces."She pushed the car door open. Her leather heels clicked sharply against the cracked asphalt.The motion-sensor lights in the hallway h

The wail of police sirens felt jarringly out of place against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s refined elegance. As Luna was escorted into the squad car, her fingers—once adorned with expensive polish—were now clamped into the cold, unyielding bite of steel handcuffs."Sophia! You can’t do this! Those things were just trash you didn't want anymore!" Luna’s shrill screams drew sharp looks from passersby, many of whom had already raised their phones to capture the spectacular fall from grace.Sophia stood at the boutique entrance, the sunlight tracing a sharp, statuesque silhouette. She offered no response. Instead, she watched calmly as Ella stepped forward, handing a duplicate court document to the lead officer."Officer, here is the Pre-litigation Asset Freeze Order issued by the court. These items are disputed assets and are strictly prohibited from being sold pending the outcome of the lawsuit. Miss Carter’s actions constitut

The air on Fifth Avenue was thick with the scent of expensive perfume—the unmistakable aroma of money and power. Luna clutched three designer dust bags to her chest, her eyes darting nervously as she stepped into *Luxury Echoes*, a high-end consignment boutique known as the secret sanctuary for socialites looking to offload unwanted gifts or for the newly bankrupt to liquidate their assets.She needed cash, and she needed it now. Mr. Harris’s lawsuit was a ticking time bomb, and Lucas’s cold indifference had made one thing clear: in this concrete jungle, she was officially on her own."Welcome. Are you looking to consign or for an immediate buyout?" the clerk asked. She wore pristine silk gloves, her sharp eyes scanning Luna’s slightly disheveled appearance with professional scrutiny."Buyout. I need the payment today," Luna said, taking a sharp breath and trying to summon a shred of her crumbling elegance. She began placing the bags on the glass counter one by

The afternoon sun in Manhattan was piercing, yet it offered no warmth to the damp, cramped apartment Luna now called home. She sat huddled on the cold floor, her fingernails digging into the legal documents that had been shoved through her mail slot. The force of her grip nearly tore the paper.It was an official summons from the Harris Estate Trust in Ohio. The charge: "Grand Larceny" and "Embezzlement." The total amount demanded, including late fees and penalties, was a staggering one hundred thousand dollars."One hundred thousand..." Luna’s teeth chattered, her voice a fragile whisper.Only months ago, that sum would have been the price of a single limited-edition necklace Lucas bought her on a whim. Now, it was a mountain destined to crush her into dust. Every cent of her savings had been drained into the "Good Faith Bond" for that fake executive position. She was now so broke she could barely afford next week’s rent.With trembling

The morning sun over Manhattan was sharp and unforgiving, much like Sophia’s new life. In her sleek, minimalist office at Vertex Consulting, she leaned back in her leather chair, watching a video feed on her laptop.On the screen, Luna was entering a high-end recruitment firm, wearing a knock-off Chanel suit and carrying a fake Hermès Birkin—the very one Sophia had "accidentally" left behind in the penthouse."She took the bait," Ella said, leaning against the doorframe with two cups of artisan coffee. "The 'headhunter' I planted reached out. Luna thinks she’s being scouted for a Senior PR role at a rival firm."Sophia took a slow sip of her latte, her eyes cold. "She’s so desperate to reclaim the status she thinks she deserves that she’s blind to the red flags. Greed is a powerful blinder."At the recruitment office, Luna sat with her legs crossed, trying to project an air of effortless sophistication."Mr. Sterling," Luna said, flashing a practiced smile at the man across the desk.

Sophia sat at her desk, a printout of Mr. Harris’s contact information in front of her. In 2022, Luna Mae Carter had stolen $5,000 from his hardware store in Millersburg, Ohio—money she’d used to buy a bus ticket to New York and a fake ID. Mr. Harris had filed a police report but never pressed charges, afraid of retaliation from the loan sharks hounding Luna’s family.But Sophia wasn’t afraid. She picked up the phone, using a disposable number to call him. Her voice was modulated to sound like a concerned citizen from Millersburg.“Mr. Harris? This is Linda from the Millersburg Police Department. We’ve been following up on old theft cases. You reported $5,000 stolen from your store by Luna Mae Carter, right?”Mr. Harris’s voice was gruff with anger. “That’s right. That little thief ran off to New York with my money. Never heard from her again.”“Well, we have a lead,” Sophia said. “She’s living in Manhattan under the name Luna Marie. She’s got a million dollars in the bank—stolen from