An Imperial Affliction By Peter Van Houten Novels & Stories

Amy peeped inside the grotto and said "Hello Gabby. Are you there?" All of them waited for a few minutes and suddenly a huge creature came out of the grotto. Casie scanned him from top to bottom. He has a flat face, with orange skin color, a broad nose, pointed ears, and small sharp fangs. He was dressed in tan colored leather. Amy smiled and initiated conversation "Hello Gabby. Long time no see I thought of paying you a visit." Gabby looked at Amy and gave a sarcastic response: "Hey Amy. It's unbelievable the angel princess has come down to my home without any purpose."

Elara watched the city breathe from the penthouse window. Night lights blinked like promises that never kept. The room smelled of lemon and old perfume. Glass and steel held everything together up here. It fit Adrian—clean, sharp, cold. He came in without knocking. He moved like a man used to being obeyed. He took off his coat and did not look at her. He poured himself a drink with hands that did not tremble. “Elara.” His voice had no heat. “We sign tonight.”

He made it sound like love, like longing, like an old woman just wanting to know her own blood before it was too late. I hated how good he was at it. Beside me, George kept still, but I felt his hand tighten on my knee every time Preston said the word "hidden," like each one landed on him too. Priya didn't react at all. She just kept writing small neat notes in the margin of her legal pad, waiting for her turn.

His hands slid up her body, cupping her breasts as he began moving, each thrust dragging a moan from her lips. "He—" she gasped, trying to focus, but Zane was relentless, stretching her, claiming her. "He wants to align with the Chinese mafia," she panted, nails digging into his shoulders. "For power," she added between moans. Zane chuckled darkly, increasing his pace. "Thinks he can rule all of Asia, huh?" His fingers found her clit, rubbing slow, torturous circles. "Such a greedy bastard." Vanessa cried out, legs wrapping tighter around him as pleasure coiled in her belly once more.

The once proud Don then sat in the shadows, unshaven, his eyes sunken, looking like a broken man. Someone stumbled in, his voice filled with despair. "Don… our last restaurants and shipping companies… they're gone too. The banks are calling in debts, and our enemies are already waiting outside." Vincent did not move. He looked like a statue. "And… and…" the man's voice shook as if he might break down. "We just received news… Sofia… she had a miscarriage… in the dungeon…" Vincent's eyes finally moved. Empty. No grief, no anger. Just a hollow, lifeless stillness.

Without the Immortal Body, the Immortal Emperor was hit by the Flaming Phoenix. Boom! The stars trembled without stopping. Terrifying purple flames devoured everything. Countless stars exploded and turned into ashes. The purple flames raged for a quarter of an hour before gradually dissipating. A figure covered in black smoke rushed out. It was the Immortal Emperor. Everyone gasped. At this moment, the Immortal Emperor was in a sorry state. He was like a roasted pheasant completely charred, emanating black smoke. His clothes were in rags, and his hair was scorched. Blood hung from the corners of his mouth.

"You’re not here to protect the family interests, Dante. You’re here because you can’t stand the idea of me having a single moment you don't control. You’re so obsessed with your 'standards' that you’ve forgotten how to be a human being." "We are married on paper," he says coldly. "Don't mistake my presence for anything else." The words land like a slap, but I don't back down. I cross my arms, refusing to move another inch. "Then go back to the villa. Go back to your spreadsheets and your 'real' world. I’d rather be alone with the 'captive reptiles' than spend another second listening to your miserable bullshit." He stares at me, his jaw tightening as the silence stretches between us.

I knew at that moment that I had just crossed my boundary. ////////////////////////////////// Okay, so I have decided to give each chapter a status Frenzy(easy to write) Cranky( not easy) Frenzy but a little Cranky, you know what that is. This is imperfection, the first trilogy.

The student body went into applause. “Any question?” Chloe asked “What was behind the name Empire?” Cami was the person to ask the question. Yes Cami was still in school, she was still a grade away from graduating high school. “That is a great question. Empire was the name of my late Godmother; I owe her a lot so I named everything I own after her.” Chloe replied with a smile

One look at him and she felt anger rushing back into her veins, increasing her blood pressure. "Hey, darling! You surprised me." Peter passed her a lusty grin and tried to touch her cheek. Aura stepped away at the same time she clenched her jaw as her hands fisted. This man.... Was dirtier than a swine. He was that contagious disease which cannot be dealt with. An infection that would never heal in spite of consuming several vaccines.