A Game Of Romance And Ruin Novels & Stories

Her father had broken her with a single sentence, tossed off in a moment of panic, no forethought in it at all. Luca had broken her methodically, deliberately, exactly the way he did everything else, and there was something almost unbearable about the difference between those two kinds of ruin, one careless, one intentional, without either of them offering her anything resembling comfort in return. She fell asleep eventually, still searching anyway, and found nothing there to comfort her at all.

Javed murmured, leaning up to press a soft, lingering kiss to the corner of Martin's jaw. Martin’s hands tightened on Javed’s waist, pulling him flush against his hips, letting Javed feel exactly how much power he held over the older man. "You have no idea what you've started," Martin whispered against his skin. "I don't play games, Javed. Once I claim something, I don't let it go." A thrill of pure, delicious terror shot through Javed. Suddenly, the quiet of the night was shattered. Far down the driveway, the bright sweep of headlights cut through the darkness of the study, illuminating the trees outside.

I’ll shatter it before dawn, and I’ll make her thank me for it. ═══════⊹⊱♚⊰⊹═══════ What Awaits Author’s Note: You’ve met the firebrand. You’ve seen the king fracture. Now—watch the tower burn. Midnight Crown is a dark romance built on crime, obsession, betrayal, and slow-burn war between two people who should have destroyed each other—but didn’t. Because control is never clean, and neither is love. You’ll drown in silence and secrets as the story unfolds through four arcs:

I smiled, a nemesing grim spreading across my face. This game just got a whole lot more interesting. Before I could put across another word the system voice chimed. “Players return to the living room the game is about to begin." We didn't say another word, we just dashed towards the living room, sitting on opposite ends of the table like strangers. “Now to our final game “Couples demolition"" “Couples demolition" the name alone sent shivers up my spine. My heart skipped. That didn't sound very good. “For this round your task is to destroy the relationship between your opponents completely. Getting them to physical hurt themselves equals to automatic advancement. "

And there was nothing left waiting for me beyond the tree line. The ruins had no name—at least none the guidebooks dared print. Just a speck on an old map, nestled between mountain ridges that never melted, buried under mist no sun could burn off. There were stories, of course. The kind told in wine-soaked whispers. Sealed doors. Blood-wrought curses. Women who entered and never returned. They didn’t mention how beautiful it would be.

It’s been decided by those more powerful than me, and I can do nothing but go with the current. Sometimes I wish my life was one of these dark romance novels I usually read. One where the morally gray man takes the usually sweet virgin girl away from it all and worships her, while she never has to worry about anyone harming her because he would kill those who even looked her way. But my life is not a dark romance novel, although this marriage arrangement is quite archaic. “Something sad happening in that novel, dove?” I smile when I hear Ruin’s voice. He feels like my one constant lately, even if he has to only stand as a silent sentry over me.

"It's... it's lagging. Give me a minute." Nehemiah’s jaw tightened. He saw the weakness. He saw the love. "The Wi-Fi is fine, Rhea," he hissed, his voice so low it was barely a thread of sound. "Hit the button. End this." The air in the ballroom was thick with the scent of lilies and expensive cologne, but all I could smell was the metallic tang of the blood dripping from Finn’s hand. "Not yet," I whispered back, my eyes fixed on Finn. He looked like he was vibrating, his gaze searching mine with a desperate, frantic hunger.

He straightened and walked away like he hadn’t just set my entire body on fire. I lay back down, staring at the ceiling, thighs pressed together, trying to ignore the ache between them and the blood that had just swirled down our sink. This was supposed to be my game. But I was no longer sure who was winning

Lucas shouted as Liam disappeared into the bathroom. Frustrated, Lucas stormed back into the casino’s gambling area, his anger simmering. A voice caught his attention. "Miss, do you have the money?" the dealer at the table asked. The person in question—a woman—was seated in a short black leather gown and red stiletto heels, looking confident despite the commotion. First, she’d walked in acting high and mighty, and now she was holding up the game because she didn’t know how to play and had bet more than she could afford.