All Chapters of QUEEN OF THE RUINS: Born to Power. Crowned in blood : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Kamara The brush slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a soft clatter. But even that barely pulled me back to the present. I blinked, glancing around my room. It was a mess of paints, brushes and half-painted canvas. My eyes stopped at the cardboard in front of me. I had been trying to reconnect with the artist in me ever since I got back from college but instead my mind continued to wander to something I knew wasn’t supposed to bother me as much as it did. I bent, picking the brush again then without thinking I groaned. “Who am I kidding? This isn’t working.” Valerie, who had been in the room for over an hour but I had only come to remember a few minutes ago, spoke startling me. “What’s going on Kam?” she walked over to look at the disaster I had yet again painted. “Yikes.” She met the frustrated look on my face. “I mean it’s not that…bad.” I rolled my eyes, stepping away from whatever it was. “I think I need to do something else?” I made my way out of th

Kamara By late afternoon, I had finished packing up the scattered art supplies and the preparations, all while still trying to avoid Brian which was even more difficult because we were a pair. I left the room supply room once everyone had cleared out, brushes cleaned, paint tubes capped and all the stuff we would supposedly use for the event. Today, I managed to paint something that wasn’t an absolute disaster, it felt good or at most an improvement. Valerie had left for her own team hours ago, promising to “check in later,” which really meant she was waiting for updates about an idea I refused to explore. I didn’t give her any, because there was none to give. To her it was Brian, to me, someone completely different but I wasn’t about to tell her now. After all, it was just a pointless experiment. Meanwhile, when I got back to my apartment, Jace still hadn’t shown up. Three days straight and there were no signs of him. And despite telling myself it didn’t matter, e

Kamara The moment the meeting ended, I practically escaped the studio. My skin still felt hot from everything Brian said earlier, and my chest was tight with that kind of humiliation you can physically feel. I just wanted to go home. Or disappear. Either one was fine. When I reached the curb and opened the car door, I was surprised yet relieved to see Jace at the driver’s seat. I climbed in expecting the car to move the moment I closed the door but a few minutes later and still nothing. “Hey—“ I started but words died in my throat when I caught his eyes staring back at me through the rear-view mirror. If one could somehow stare into a person's soul just from one stare then that was what he was doing. I unlocked my phone, scrolling through everything, anything to act like I wasn’t spiraling over eye contact. The engine finally hummed to life. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to convince myself I imagined it. That he wasn’t really looking at me or maybe he was chec

JACE I stayed where I was long after Brian disappeared.The night swallowed him whole, like he’d never been there to begin with. The parking lot fell quiet again, but my pulse didn’t slow. If anything, it spiked harder.Brian Matthias.So that was it.All the sneaking attitude. The sudden confidence followed by cracks of fear. He wasn’t just some student with issues or a bruised ego. He was Donald Matthias’ son.The Matthias didn’t do coincidences. They didn’t do anything harmless and they definitely didn’t do casual involvement.Which meant Brian’s interest in Kamara wasn’t random.I waited a few more minutes making sure no one doubled back. When I was certain the coast was clear, I stepped away from the dumpster and headed back toward my car, keeping my hood up until I was well out of sight.The drive was quiet. My mind replayed everything I’d seen,If Donald Matthias wanted something, he didn’t take no for an answer.Which begged the question: What exactly did he want from Kamara

Kamara’s pov. All afternoon I tried to not think of anything but it seemed even more impossible in the empty beach house. Thirty minutes ago. I picked up my phone at the sound of a notification and instantly regretted it the moment I opened it. More comments, so much hate and most from friends retweeting. The crooked smile that I’d forced all day broke completely and in its place my lips quivered. “No no no.” I muttered while reading the comments. It was worse now because she had tagged me directly on the new post. My vision blurred and I sniffed, forcing the tears back. I wouldn’t cry over people who had already taken enough from me.I didn’t hear him come in.“Kamara.”A firm hand landed on my shoulder. jolted and locked my phone, swiping it onto the cushion beside me as if that could erase what I’d just read. My throat burned. I turned slightly away, breathing through it, willing my face to behave.Too late.Jace’s gaze caught my reflection in the darkened window first—then my