Novels by Balqees Suleiman

SKYLAThe incident of the charity event still played vividly at the back of my mind like a broken cassette, the smug look on Tanya’s face dredged itself deep into my soul. Taunting. Mocking.Even Carl’s announcement rolled at the back of my head every now and then, reminding me that I had a whole lot ahead of me, and there was no way I was going to come out of this unscathed – burnt into ash.I hurried along the now too familiar hallway, anger tickling my nerves as I navigated through the busy employees to Charlie’s office on the first floor. “You’re fifteen minutes late, Ms. Jefferson,” Charlie’s voice boomed immediately. I entered into his office, the stark white painting throwing me off balance for a brief second.“It’s only your first day of work. That’s a bad record to set, is it not?” He asked stiffly, his eyes glued in me the entire time.“I... I’m sorry it won’t happen again,” I stuttered, faltering under his stern gaze.

XAVIERIt took quite a moment before Steve finally spoke, his voice calm. Calculating. Cautious. Like he was schooling a kindergartener.“He’s playing you, Xavier. Just like he’s been playing all of us. Just like he played you. Me. My mom. Your mom. And every other person tangled in his web. You think you’re in control, but you’re not. And you don’t even see it. You’re too busy trying to keep up with him, trying so hard to earn his approval that you do not notice the hold he has on you.” His words hit me like a slap to the face, but he wasn’t done. “ He doesn’t care about you, man. He never has. He never would. At least, not in the way you think. He only cares about his damned legacy.”The sting of his words was sharper than I expected. It wasn’t just the fact that Steve was calling was calling me out on my blind loyalty; it was the fact that he was right. The realization hit me hard, but what really twisted the knife was that Steve was looking at me – l

XAVIERI couldn’t shake the feeling that everything around me was slipping into chaos.The tension from the gala still clung onto my skin like a bad stench, a stain that I couldn’t scrub away. Carl’s announcement, Skyla’s anger, the weight of her betrayal – it swirled in my mind like a toxic cocktail. Every attempt I had made to fix things, to make things right, only seemed to drive us further apart. And now, the realization had set in; I didn’t know who I could trust.I leaned against the cold glass of the office windows, staring out over a city that felt far too removed from the turmoil within me. The lights flickered in the distance, a cold reminder that the night was only just beginning. Somewhere down below, I could hear the muffled sound of the world moving without me.But I couldn’t move on. Not yet. Not while Carl was still playing his games. Not while he was still pulling strings in the shadows. Not when he was making decisions

SKYLAThe silence felt too heavy.Even the steady hum of the distant city did little to soothe raging my heart. The city felt far away, distant even the world was her breath, waiting eagerly, patiently for the storm to break.The air I took in seemed forced, like it wasn’t mine to take. I stared down at the stone bench beneath me, barely noticing the way my fingers curled into smooth, cool surface. My mind was miles away, spinning with all the questions I didn’t have the answers to – questions that even I didn’t have the courage to ask.I thought I had everything under control – thought that at the end of the night, I’d at least come out victorious. I didn’t know what I was thinking, playing dress up. Now I just felt so stupid and dumb because I had willingly walked into their trap, I walked into the lions den reeking of fresh raw meat 0and didn’t even have the decency to at least act like them.Instead, I had made myself a pr

SKYLAThe paper in my hands felt heavier than any weapon.Felt heavier than the ring sitting pretty on my dainty fingers. Heck, it felt heavier than the shackles that Xavier and his half-brother Steve had wrapped around me.It felt like a curse disguised as a cure.The words swam beneath my fingertips, each line of legal jargon spelling out a trap I hadn’t seen coming. My name. Carl’s signature. Project Delphinium. Power disguised as a noose.I didn’t remember walking back through the hallways. My whole body moved, but my mind felt numb, like it was stuck – back on that balcony, back in Ed’s eyes, back in Tanya’s sticky – sick – sweet venomous voice.The moment I stepped into the ballroom, the atmosphere shifted.Lights dimmed. The quartet’s music died off like a breath that was held for too long. A hush spread, thick and anticipating, as if the walls themselves were holding in a secret too big to contain.As if he

SKYLAThe cool night air kissed my skin, chasing away the lingering heat of the ballroom. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, not because I was cold, but because everything inside me was starting to shake. The music had faded behind closed doors, but I could still feel it’s rhythm pulsing in my chest, like an echo I couldn’t escape.This balcony was the only place in the entire estate that didn’t feel like it was trying to swallow me whole. Out here, there were no eyes watching my every move. No whispers trailing behind me like daggers. No fake smiles plaguing my mind.It was just me.Just the stars – distant and disinterested – and the steady hum of power coiling beneath everything tonight. I traced the edge of the ring on my finger. It’s iciness biting into my skin.The eagle.Carl Andersons MarkA symbol of belonging – or branding. I hadn’t decided it yet.It didn’t matter how beautiful this setting was