Novels by halo

The heavy oak doors at the far end of the dining room swung open. The sound of polished shoes hitting the marble floor echoed through the room, cutting through the tense quiet. Lucien’s father walked in first. He was a man who carried the weight of the family name in every step. He didn’t look at the table; he just moved toward the empty chair at the head. But it was the man walking beside him that caused the air to leave the room. Lucien froze. His hand, which had been resting near Evelyn’s, tightened into a fist. His elder brother, Julian, was dressed in a suit that looked expensive but lacked the stiff formality of the family brand. Julian had been gone for years. He was the one who had walked away from the legacy to start his own firm, leaving Lucien to carry the burden alone. “Father,” Lucien said, his voice sounding like it was being forced through grit. “I wasn’t aware Julian had returned.” Julian didn’t wait for an invitation. He pulled out a chair opposite them, a smi

The car ride was quiet. Outside, the rain blurred the streetlights into streaks of yellow against the dark glass. Evelyn sat straight, her hands resting in her lap. She didn’t look at Lucien, but she could feel him there. He looked more focused now, like he was stepping into a different role.Lucien kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel. “My mother knows why we married,” he said. His voice was low and calm. “She knows we need an heir to secure the family’s position. She wants to see that I am taking care of you regardless.”Evelyn watched the trees pass by. “So we aren’t just partners tonight?”“No,” Lucien said. He slowed the car as they turned into a long, private driveway. “Tonight, we are a couple. If she thinks this is just a cold business deal, she will step in. She needs to see that we are comfortable together.”He pulled the car to a stop in front of a large, glowing house. It looked much warmer than Lucien’s estate. He didn’t get out right away

Lucien arrived home long after the sun had set. By the time he stepped into the foyer, dinner was over and the large estate had settled into a heavy, suffocating silence. He loosened his tie as he climbed the stairs, but he could not shake the weight of the day from his shoulders. Between the merger negotiations, his father’s relentless demands, and the disturbing mystery of the missing security footage, nothing had been simple. He went straight to his study, seeking the sanctuary of his desk. He draped his jacket over a chair and rolled up his sleeves, his movements sharp and controlled as always. He pulled a thick file toward him, determined to drown out the noise in his head with the cold logic of business. His mind drifted back to the woman in his bedroom at that moment. Ever since the night before, his mind had felt like a scattered room. Evelyn was a piece of a puzzle that he could not seem to fit into any of his established patterns. She did not react the way people

Lucien’s own words echoed through his mind the next morning as he sat in his high back chair, staring blankly at the leather file on his desk. He had not read a single line of the report in front of him for over an hour. He repeatedly told himself that the moment meant nothing. Pulling her closer had been a necessary correction because Isabella had crossed a line she was not supposed to. It was strictly a move dictated by their arrangement, yet a stubborn part of his mind kept replaying how naturally Evelyn had fit beside him. She had not flinched or pulled away. Instead, she had stood there with a quiet confidence, looking as if she truly belonged by his side.He leaned back and exhaled slowly, watching the morning light filter through the floor to ceiling windows of his office. A strange, tight sensation clawed at his chest. It was a feeling of things slipping through his fingers. He was a man who built his entire life on the foundation of absolute order, yet lately, the walls fe

The door closed with a quiet click behind Lucien. The room became very still. It was not a peaceful silence. It was the kind of silence that happens right before a storm.Lucien did not move at first. He stood by the door and looked at Isabella. His face was like stone. He looked calm, but his eyes were hard.“You did not contact my assistant,” he said.His voice was not loud, but it filled the room.Isabella did not look surprised. She actually looked a little bit amused. She was not afraid of him.“It was urgent,” she replied smoothly. “I did not think we needed to be so formal.”Lucien’s gaze did not change. “That is not how we do things, Isabella.”There was a small pause. Isabella took a step further into the room. She looked perfectly composed. “Then consider this an exception.”Lucien’s jaw tightened. “And you came here without giving me any notice.”This time, Isabella’s eyes flickered toward Evelyn. It was a very quick look, but it was meant to be noticed. Then she l

The peace of the house did not last. The heavy front gates of the estate groaned as they opened without warning. Then came the smooth, low sound of a car engine. It moved up the long driveway and came to a stop.The timing was strange, Lucien was usually still at the office during this hour, and guests never arrived unannounced.Evelyn was in the drawing room. She was sitting in a high backed velvet chair, trying to get lost in a book. She didn’t look up immediately when she heard the front door click open. She assumed it was a member of the staff or perhaps Lucien returning early.But then she heard the sound of footsteps. They weren’t the soft, hurried steps of the house staff. These were the sharp, rhythmic clicks of high heels against the marble floor. They were steady and slow. Each step sounded like it was being placed with a purpose.Then, a voice drifted through the hallway.“Lucien?”The voice was clear and confident. It was the kind of voice that expected to be answere