Chapter 101 – Scorched Silk

The world didn’t end with a bang.It ended with a list.A spreadsheet dropped at 3:07 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to over fifty global journalists, four advocacy networks, and two hacktivist cells. No preamble. No watermark. Just three words in the subject line:WE REMEMBER EVERYTHING.Within hours, the Red List went viral.Names. Codes. Transactions. Video stills.Politicians. Producers. Oil barons. Royal liaisons.And buried deep in a folder labeled Unprocessed Clients a series of reference files from Velvet’s private server, each stamped with the club’s sigil: a velvet poker chip bleeding down the center.But Dorian Blackthorn didn’t see any of it live.He saw the aftermath.From a high, wood-paneled cabin tucked into a cliffside thirty miles north of Manhattan, he stood at the window with one hand braced against the cold glass, eyes narrowed at the flat-screen news feed in the corner.Behind him, Isolde was curled on the leather couch, barefoot, hair damp, wearing one of his old bl

Last Updated : 2025-08-03

Chapter 102 – The Violet Cipher

The letter was folded on the table, flattened by a half-full teacup.Isolde traced the signature again: just V the same one from the ribbon diaries in Velvet’s Archive. Her sister’s true voice. Not the laughing girl on camera. Not the club darling. Just a survivor writing from a place she hadn’t yet escaped.Penelope spoke softly. “The cipher’s not numeric. It’s literary.”Isolde looked up. “Go on.”“See this line here?” Penelope pointed to the phrase “girls forget what hurts if you rename it.” “It’s lifted almost word-for-word from a novel: The Garden of Violets.”Dorian leaned in. “Never heard of it.”“You wouldn’t have,” Penelope said. “It was private print only. Circulated inside elite salons. All female authors, all anonymous. Velvet kept it behind the bar like a token of taste.”“So it’s a codebook,” Isolde said. “Cultural encryption.”“Exactly.” Penelope lifted her laptop and typed fast, fingers gliding. “And there’s more. Vivienne mentioned Violette by name, not a place, not a

Last Updated : 2025-08-04

Chapter 103 – The Architect’s Mirror

The passage behind the throne dais was narrower than it looked. Silent-footed guards escorted Isolde down a hall that pulsed with red light and no electricity, just lanterns glowing from within cut crystal sconces, casting slow-turning shadows like flame inside glass.No one spoke.At the end, a black door awaited. Lacquered. Marked only with a single letter etched in ivory:IOne of the guards pressed a thumb to a hidden panel. The door clicked open.They gestured her through. Alone.Isolde stepped inside.The room beyond was circular, with mirrored walls and velvet-lined flooring. A single high-backed chair sat in the center, facing a wide standing mirror bordered in gold.She froze.She’d seen this before.Vivienne had described it. A training room. A chamber of image manipulation, posture correction, obedience drills masked as choreography.But this wasn’t a replica.It was familiar because it had been hers.Photos lined the corners of the mirror. Still frames from Velvet’s survei

Last Updated : 2025-08-04

All Chapters of Tangled In Velvet : Chapter 101 - Chapter 103

Chapter 101 – Scorched Silk

Chapter 102 – The Violet Cipher

Chapter 103 – The Architect’s Mirror