Masked Desires
"Masquerade of the Heart"
Sometimes love hides behind the most unexpected masks…
After a brutal betrayal and a painful divorce, Ethan Lockwood has lost all faith in love—until he finds solace in the red light district, not in lust, but in quiet companionship. There, he meets Ruby, a mysterious woman behind a masquerade mask who asks for nothing but time. What he doesn’t know is that Ruby is really Minnie Love, a determined law student fighting to stay afloat.
As their bond deepens, secrets grow heavier. Minnie becomes Ethan’s fiercest ally in his divorce, all while hiding her true identity. When Ethan’s cunning ex-wife Amanda discovers the truth, she threatens to use it as ammunition. Meanwhile, under his powerful mother's pressure, Ethan finds himself in an unlikely contract marriage—with Minnie. What begins as convenience quickly turns into something real, but neither dares to admit it.
When Minnie’s secret is exposed and the world turns against her, she vanishes—until a determined friend helps her find Ethan again, hiding in a remote cabin, wounded and lost. There, truths are faced, love is confessed, and a powerful choice is made.
Tangled in lies, love, and legal battles, Masquerade of the Heart is a slow-burn, emotionally rich romance about trust, redemption, and the unexpected places we find home.
Baca
Chapter: Just a man....The phone buzzed just as Minnie stepped out of her ethics lecture.Unknown Number.She almost didn’t pick up. But something in her gut twisted—a familiar dread that had haunted her since childhood."Hello?""Is this Ms. Minnie Love?" a male voice asked, clipped and official."Yes, speaking.""This is Officer Ramos with the 21st Precinct. I’m calling regarding your mother, Gina Love. She’s currently in custody."Minnie’s heart dropped."What happened?""She was apprehended at a known drug dealing site. Attempted to short a dealer—one of the heavy hitters. He retaliated. She’s badly bruised, but conscious."Minnie stood frozen on the sidewalk, cars whizzing past, the world suddenly muffled."You said she’s in jail?""Yes. She’ll be held overnight. Bail is available. But given the nature of the situation, and the fact that this isn’t her first incident, there may be sentencing involved."Minnie didn’t even think. "I’m on my way."It never got easier—walking into a precinct and saying, I’
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-30
Chapter: Gala“Don’t worry, there are a lot of people coming to this thing. How does she even know all of them? Isn’t she just a law student?” Jake looked down at the list in his hand, every bank owner, every politician and every business man was coming. It was a VIP guestlist and it was arranged by a mere law student.His brow furrowed as he went down the list and realised some of these people were notorious for no showing up to things and yet they had all RSVP’d yes. Something was off here.He watched as Ethan practised his speech for the hundredth time. He was nervous and rightfully so. This was the cornerstone of everything that he was trying to build and a failure today would mean the ruin of his company before it could even start properly.His perfectly tailored black tuxedo and his spotless white shirt had been kept ready from the past week. He had to be at the top of his game. Exude confidence. Confidence that he did not have.“Where’s Minnie?” Jake asked distracting him from his own though
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-29
Chapter: The SplitEthan arrived early. There was a strange feeling in his gut but, despite the dread, there was a strange lightness under the weight. Yesterday had given him something he didn’t expect—a sliver of peace. Seeing Ruby again, even behind the mask, had settled something inside him. Her silence, her presence... it had been enough. For the first time in weeks, he hadn’t felt entirely alone.Not because he wanted to be there—but because something told him today would spiral fast. And he was right.Voices echoed down the corridor the moment he stepped out of the elevator. Loud, cutting—his mother’s voice unmistakable, sharp as glass."You don’t get to use your brother’s pain as leverage, Hunter!"He moved toward the boardroom, each step heavy with the kind of dread he’d grown too familiar with lately.Through the frosted glass, he saw them—Hunter, pacing with dramatic flair, and Marlena Lockwood, standing tall, arms crossed like a queen ready to smite someone. Ethan pushed the door open without
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-22
Chapter: A cheap cupcake and a lighter heart.As the meetings wore on, Ethan could barely concentrate, all he could think of was Ruby. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. That was all that lived in his mind.He cursed himself for allowing himself to care so deeply about her. He blamed it on his emotional vulnerability.“Ethan?” Jack peeped into the board room. “Hunter is here to see you.”Immediately, Ethan’s face steeled. Why was Hunter here to see him?He excused himself from the meeting and followed Jack out.“Why is that weasel here?” he asked Jack, who shrugged, not knowing himself.“He is getting beaten if he says something stupid,” Jack warned Ethan, who chuckled.Ethan had not spoken to Hunter directly ever since he saw him on top of his wife that fated day. Some imagery.With a deep inhale, he opened the door to his office and stepped in. There sat Hunter at the table, his smug smile immediately irritating the CEO.“What do you want, Hunter?” Ethan asked, taking his place at the table as well, while Jack sat beside him.“Is that a way to
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-07
Chapter: A kiss The bar was loud, the bass-heavy music vibrating through the walls as people danced and talked around Minnie. She had stopped dancing a while ago, her head swimming from the alcohol. Ellie, already tipsy, was still going strong, laughing and chatting with some guy who had been eyeing her all night. Minnie leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself as she looked around, barely aware of the chaotic scene around her. She was not a heavy drinker and in-fact, had never drank this much in her life.Ellie stumbled back over to her, grinning. “I think... I think I'm done for tonight,” she said, swaying slightly. “But you—” she pointed a finger at Minnie, “you're gonna be okay, right? Ethan's on his way.”Minnie nodded faintly, though she wasn’t sure what was happening. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Ellie pulled out her phone and dialed Ethan’s number, slurring her words as she spoke to him.“Hey, Ethan... uh, Ruby’s, uh, in bad shape,” Ellie said into the phone, he
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-01
Chapter: foreclosedBiting the edge of her nail, Minnie stared out the window, watching the birds soar freely in the sky. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would feel like to be them—to escape the weight of her troubles and have nothing but open skies ahead of her.She sat on the edge of her bed, her legs pulled up against her chest, the faint hum of traffic below filling the silence of her small apartment. The late morning light streamed through the window, illuminating the tangle of sheets she hadn't bothered to fix. She hadn’t slept much, anyway.Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced down and saw Ethan’s name flashing on the screen. Her chest tightened. He was calling Ruby.Her finger hovered over the screen, debating whether or not to answer. The rational part of her wanted to let it go to voicemail. She knew she shouldn’t pick up—the more time she spent with him, the harder it became to keep her distance. But she answered. She always did.“Hey, you.” Her voice came
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-01
Masuk
