Novels by A novel by Nancy

“Make your choice, live—and fight me, fight your way to the top or die here… like a coward.”Lance’s words echo mercilessly in Adrianna’s head. Even as she sits in the grand shareholder hall of the Houston Group, her fingers keep clicking the pen in her hand—click, click, click—like a metronome to her unsteady heartbeat.The venue is packed with power. Rows of shareholders in tailored suits and jewel-toned gowns sit beneath the gleam of crystal chandeliers. The long oval conference table at the center is filled with board members, advisors, and attorneys. A massive screen dominates the front wall, currently lit up with bar graphs, pie charts, and glowing numbers.And at the podium—radiating pride and arrogance—stands Wade.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Wade says smoothly, his voice amplified by the microphone, “under my stewardship, Houston Group has experienced a twenty-one percent growth in revenue this quarter, exceeding projections.” He clicks his remote, and the next slide appears—char

“Dad, please!! Somebody please!!” Adrianna cries, her voice shattering against the walls of the study. Her body trembles under Wade’s weight, her arms weak against his chest. Panic claws through her throat, stealing her breath. If this happens—if Wade does this to her—something inside her will break forever.Her tears burn hot as her lips part in a whisper, a desperate plea escaping her trembling mouth. “Victo-rriaaa!!“Lance…”The name slices through the air like a blade. Wade stills, his smirk faltering. For a second, his pride flares—how dare she call another man? His expression hardens, then twists into mocking amusement.“Lance? Really?” Wade sneers, leaning closer, his breath foul against her cheek. “Even now, you’re crying for him? Pathetic.” His lips descend toward hers—BANG! The door crashes open.A slow clap echoes, deliberate and mocking. “What a devoted son-in-law,” Lance’s voice drawls, thick with sarcasm. “Couldn’t even wait for Mr. Houston to limp to hell before shov

The sky hangs heavy, cloaked in a blanket of thick gray clouds. The air carries a biting chill, as though the heavens themselves are mourning. The cemetery is a sea of black—long coats, veils, gloves, and polished shoes pressing into damp earth. The scent of wet grass and roses lingers in the air, mixing with the faint aroma of incense that drifts from the priest’s censer.The coffin lies at the center, gleaming dark mahogany framed by sprays of lilies. A dozen men take turns with the shovels, their movements slow and deliberate. Each scoop of earth lands with a muted thud against the coffin lid. Every sound feels like a hammer striking Adrianna’s chest. Her hands tremble, her lips quiver, and without realizing, she leans into Adrian for support. His hand is steady on her back, a quiet anchor in her storm.From the corner of her tear-blurred eyes, she sees him—Lance. He is still, tall and commanding even in grief, dressed in a tailored black designer shirt and trousers that fit him li

“He is gone, Anna.”Victoria’s voice cracks like a fragile glass, splintering the heavy silence. Her tears soak into Adrianna’s sleeve as she clings to her arm. She never calls her Anna unless she is at her most vulnerable, and hearing it now pulls at Adrianna’s chest with an unbearable weight.Adrianna strokes her sister’s hair, rocking her gently. “Shhh… It’s okay, Vee,” she whispers, though her own throat burns. “We’ll get through this… somehow. I promise.”Her eyes wanders across the familiar living room, its high ceilings and ornate furniture pulling her deeper into memories. Every corner whispers of childhood—her father’s laughter echoing in the evenings, the stern lectures he gives when she is caught sneaking into the garden, the smell of his cologne that lingered even after he left a room.But the warmth of those memories quickly darkened. It was here, in this same house, that her father had once banned her from returning, his disappointment branding itself in her heart like f

Bianca’s gaze flicked across the room, her eyes catching the faint tremor in Adrianna’s hand as she set her glass down. That subtle, almost imperceptible break in posture… Bianca noticed it instantly.“You look… off,” Bianca said lightly, her head tilting as she studied Adrianna’s face. “Something happen?”Adrianna’s pulse spiked. The question was too close, too direct. Her mind scrambled, searching for something—anything—that would keep her from uttering the truth. The hospital call replayed in her head, but she couldn’t voice it. Not here. Not in front of them.“I—It’s nothing,” she stammered, her words slipping like sand through her fingers. “Just… a long day.”Bianca’s brows arched, a delicate mask of concern settling over her expression. “Oh? Long days don’t make people look like that. What happened?”Before Adrianna could answer, Adrian’s voice cut through the air like a steady blade.“She had a tragic night,” he said, stepping forward slightly, his gaze settling on his sister.

The room feels too still, like a string pulled so tight it’s about to snap.“Like she said earlier, she wants to go upstairs. Can you let the lady go?” Adrian’s voice is even, polite — but there’s something beneath it, a quiet authority that makes the air shift.Adrianna’s eyes flick to Lance. She knows that tone won’t go over easily. He’s the kind of man who never yields, especially not in his own home.Lance turns slowly toward Adrian, his gaze sweeping over him with measured disdain. “Who the hell are you, and who let you inside?” His voice is low, cold — the sort of tone that says you have ten seconds to convince him not to destroy you.“Lance, can you please let this be? Adrian helped me a lot today.”Adrian doesn’t flinch. If anything, the faint smile on his lips deepens. “I’m a guest. Something important came up, and I needed to attend to it.”Lance scoffs — one sharp, humorless sound that slices through the room. Almost immediately, Robert appears with seven other men, movin

The air in the room was thick, charged with tension as Karina slowly walked toward Raoul. Every step felt deliberate, calculated. The silence between them was suffocating, but it didn’t deter her. She was used to attention, used to being admired for her looks, her body. Men and women alike had always lusted after her, complimenting her creamy skin, the curve of her hips, the shape of her body. She knew what she was capable of. She knew her power.An idea began to take root in her mind. She would play this game, just like Raoul played his own. If she couldn’t get out of his world, she would try to make him bend to her will. She’d seduce him, make him think she was his to claim, only to twist it into something that benefited her. She had no other choice. “Seduce him into control and escape my sister!” so she thought. Karina reached the center opposite Raoul’s desk, locking eyes with him as she moved with the grace she had perfected over the years. She could see the glimmer of somethin

Karina’s pulse raced, the weight of the gun still hanging in the air like a specter. She knew they wouldn’t kill her—not here, not yet—but the cold press of it against her temple made her feel small and powerless. She hated the feeling, but what could she do? Raoul had made it clear that she wasn’t allowed to make decisions for herself. His world didn’t care about her limitations. It was a world where power and control ruled, and she was a mere pawn.She exhaled sharply, her body stiff with defiance, and straightened up. “You can’t hurt me,” she said, her voice firm, cutting through the suffocating tension. “You need me. You’ll follow Raoul’s rules, not your own.”The man holding the gun didn’t flinch. He merely stood there, watching her like she was an inconvenience he had to tolerate. But before the tension could spiral into something worse, a familiar voice echoed through the room.“Raz,” Kim’s voice sliced through the silence like a blade. “Put the gun down. I’ll handle it from

Karina limped slowly to the bathroom, her sprained ankle still throbbing despite the cold compress Kim had applied. The tension in her muscles had subsided a little, but the weight of her situation was heavier than ever. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being trapped in a gilded cage—luxurious, beautiful, but suffocating nonetheless. Raoul’s world had become her prison, and there was no escape.The hot water from the shower provided some temporary relief, washing away the physical exhaustion of the training. But it did little to ease her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking about Raoul. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was him—his cold, calculating gaze, his hands that touched her like he owned her, like she was nothing more than a commodity.She hated him.But there was another part of her, a part she refused to acknowledge, that yearned for him. The way his presence commanded the room. The way he exuded control. The way his lips twisted into that dangerous smirk.Karina turn

Karina stood in front of the full-length mirror, her reflection staring back at her with uncertainty. The woman she saw seemed foreign—her eyes were hard with fear, and the posture of someone who had already given up so much. She was surrounded by the cold luxury of Raoul’s mansion, but it felt like a gilded cage, every step deeper into his world suffocating her more.Kim had entered the room just moments ago, her sharp gaze scrutinizing Karina from head to toe. She was dressed in a sleek black outfit that exuded power and efficiency, and her expression was unreadable, as if nothing—nothing at all—could surprise her.“Let’s get this over with,” Kim said curtly, her voice sharp like a blade. “You’re here to learn the basics, and you’ll follow my instructions without question. Got it?”Karina nodded stiffly, her mind reeling. She had no idea what this training entailed, but she was certain it wasn’t going to be easy. Raoul had made it clear that she wasn’t going to be coddled. She wasn’

The silence in Raoul’s office stretched, thick and oppressive, as he slid a thick, leather-bound contract across the polished mahogany desk. The sharp scent of ink and paper filled the room, but it only made Karina feel like she was suffocating. She stared at the contract for a long moment, her fingers hovering above it, her heart thudding in her chest.Raoul stood across from her, his gaze unflinching as he watched her carefully, his eyes calculating, waiting for her to make the next move. His very presence seemed to fill every inch of the room, as though the walls were closing in on her.“Sign it,” he said softly, his tone laced with a calm authority that made her skin crawl.Karina swallowed hard, picking up the pen. She could feel her palms sweating, her nerves getting the best of her. She had no choice. She knew that. But this? Signing away her life? It was worse than she had imagined. She could feel the weight of the decision pushing down on her, as though each stroke of the pen

The silence in the room was deafening as Karina sat in the plush chair, the weight of Raoul’s words lingering in the air like a dark cloud. He had left her with a threat, a promise, and a sinking feeling that she was now a pawn in a game she couldn’t possibly win.She wanted to scream, to punch something, anything to release the building pressure in her chest, but the fear of what Raoul might do stopped her. She wasn’t free to do anything—not anymore.Her phone buzzed on the desk in front of her, and she glanced at it hesitantly. Raine’s name flashed across the screen.With trembling hands, she picked it up, her heart racing.“Karina?” Raine’s voice came through the speaker, sounding small, fragile. “Where are you? I don’t like this. I’m scared.”Karina’s chest tightened. She had promised Raine that everything would be okay, but the longer she stayed in Raoul’s world, the less she believed it. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice.“I’m at work,” Karina lied, keeping her tone