Duke Library Hours Novels & Stories

"I died with the taste of jasmine and betrayal on my tongue. I woke up with a debt to a monster." Elara Vance was the perfect noble daughter—quiet, dutiful, and blind. She gave her heart to the charming Lord Caspian de Montfort and her trust to her "saintly" step-sister, Lyra. Her reward? A slow-acting poison in her tea and the sight of her husband prying the family signet ring from her cold, paralyzed finger. But death is not the end for those with a soul full of rage. In the misty aisles of the Shop of Lost Regrets, Elara meets the Archivist—a terrifying entity who offers her a second chance. The price? She must return to her sixteen-year-old self and complete a series of increasingly dangerous tasks. If she succeeds, she gets her revenge. If she fails, her heart stops forever. To survive her murderous family, Elara must secure the protection of the only man they fear: Kaelen Thorne, the "Monstrous Duke" of the North. She proposes a marriage of convenience—a cold, blood-bound contract built on secrets and strategy. As Elara and Kaelen journey to the frozen border, they enter a deadly game of cat and mouse. Between the Duke’s ancient curse, Caspian’s obsessive pursuit, and the Archivist’s mysterious demands, Elara must navigate a world where love is a weakness and information is the only currency. In this life, Elara is no longer a pawn. She is the player. And she will burn the kingdom to the ground to ensure her enemies never taste jasmine again.

I made my way directly to the library with the present I had for Asher all nicely wrapped up, ready to be torn open. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. When I arrived at the library, no one was there. I sat there for a whole 20 minutes waiting for Mr. no show. I felt stupid for thinking he would actually come. I got dolled up for no reason at all. Maybe I’ll still meet my mate today. Then it won’t be for no reason. I got up from the table seat and went into the hall, hearing a lot of whispers regarding my new appearance. Some asking if I’m a new girl, others saying I’m trying too hard and others saying I look drop dead gorgeous. I didn’t know how to feel about myself. As I was wandering around the halls waiting for school to start, a smell hit me like a truck. It filled my lungs and took over my mind. It was the smell of after the rain had fallen. Petrichor. "Mate", I growled. I let the scent lead my feet to where my mate was. I was so excited and my palms are sweaty. It led me to the janitor’s closet and before I opened it I heard a moan. I put my ear to the door and heard shuffling. “Hurry Saige, I smell my mate, I can’t let her meet me like this.” I know that voice my heart skips a beat, fear and anger covers my heart like a blanket. It can’t be. It can’t be. There’s no way.

Nora Oscar thought she could have anyone but Edwin Hart was untouchable, brilliant… and painfully serious. She didn’t know he was her lecturer, and he didn’t want her… at least not at first. Between coffee spills, awkward library encounters, nosy friends, and his deadpan sarcasm, Nora’s attempts to charm him keep failing spectacularly but somehow, she’s slowly breaking through his icy exterior. He wasn’t supposed to fall. She wasn’t supposed to tempt him. But in a campus full of mischief, flirtation, and chaos, desire doesn’t care about the rules. Can a student and her lecturer survive the sparks, the scandal, and the ridiculous moments in between?

The Clan Healer told me that without the vial of Progenitor's Blood, the Blood Blight afflicting me meant I had only seventy-two hours to live. But my husband, Miles, the new Duke of our world, gave the only vial of the precious cure to my adopted sister, Vivienne, the woman I had turned three years ago. "She's in agony from the rejection, Isolde. It's a pain you can't possibly understand." His tone was self-righteous, devoid of any concern for the patch of skin on my collarbone already turning to stone. I nodded, watching as the life-saving, dark red liquid slid down another woman's throat. I accomplished a great deal in the time I had left. As I signed the documents, the lawyer's hand trembled. "Are you certain you want to transfer everything, Your Grace? The territorial rights of a thousand-year-old clan..." I didn't hesitate. "Yes. To Vivienne." My adopted daughter, Lily, the girl I had risked everything to save, who was now forever frozen at the age of eight, cowered in Vivienne's arms, pointing at me and screaming, "Aunt Vivienne is my real mommy! You're the witch who turned us into monsters!" I offered no defense. "Yes, that's right. Be a good girl and listen to your new mother now." The Progenitor's Ring, the symbol of the clan's supreme authority, now rested on Vivienne's hand. "Oh, sister, you're too kind," she sobbed, her sobs a practiced performance. "I'll be sure to protect the family in your stead." I nodded. "You'll run things better than I ever did." I even signed away my control over the Elder Council, a council sustained by my own blood. For the first time in a century, a shadow of complex emotion crossed Miles's face. He stared at me,"Isolde, stop fighting. It's better this way. You need to rest." Yes. On my deathbed, I had finally become the perfect, submissive Isolde they always wanted. An Isolde who was about to turn to dust. The seventy-two-hour countdown had begun. I wondered, when I finally turned to ash,

On the first day of work, my boss, Wayne Richmond, gives everyone a nice bonus to start the year. Some receive 100 dollars, while others receive 200 dollars. When it's my turn, all I get is a piece of A4 paper. The rent, the management fee, and the utility bills, all from last year, are printed on the paper. At the end, I see Wayne's bank account number listed there. Wayne just looks at me haughtily as he says, "Meredith, you took the liberty to take on overtime shifts that last for more than a thousand hours last year. But despite the long hours, you didn't really bring much profit to the table. "That's why you should be the one paying for the property fees and the utility bills, seeing as you've wasted so much resources. This shouldn't be an outrageous request, right?" When I try to argue with Wayne, he just waves a hand at me impatiently. "I'm already charging you the lowest rate. Hurry up and pay the bills. Don't delay the work hours for everyone." As I stare at the piece of paper, I just smile instead of lashing out at Wayne. Everyone in the company doesn't know that I'm actually the owner of the building this company is based in. That means Wayne is giving me, the owner, the bill that he's supposed to be paying. In that case, I shall be retrieving every single cent that I've spent on this company. I won't be playing nice anymore.

In our five years of marriage, my husband, Derrick Wickham, bails on me 99 times for his childhood sweetheart, Jessica Harson. This time, after he stands me up, I find two plane tickets to Frantines in his office. "I was planning to surprise you for our anniversary. Since you've already seen them, we'll just meet at the airport," he says icily. I eagerly pack and get myself ready, arriving early at the airport. I wait from the wee hours of dawn till the late hours of night, but Derrick fails to show up. Then, I see a post on Jessica's social media. "It's my birthday today. Though he doesn't have the time to go on a trip with me to Frantines, I forgive him because he brought me to the amusement park instead!" In the past, I'd have called him, crying and demanding answers. But this time, I'm truly done.

Having the same faces, Laura and Olivia made a decision to exchange places wherein Olivia becomes Laura who is an ordinary girl, and Laura becomes Olivia, the sole heir of the Reign Industries. As Olivia pursues the life she dreams as a common girl, Laura also pursues the fairytale-like life she had always wanted - or so she thought. At the Reign household, she encounters inconceivable events which will surely change her life forever. And in the middle of those events, she meets and falls in love with the cold-hearted Duke who is the real Olivia's fiancé.

Staring at the guy who just left the world for me didn't seem right to me; something was breaking in me I did not know what but something was there... breaking into tiny pieces; shattering maybe. " A-as-ash... " I called his name but he did not answer; his closed eyes are scaring me but the chill is scaring me for the first time... the chills I was familiar with scare me at this moment. " Maya, " I could not hold back the tears when I heard his voice; crawling away from him, my body shivering from the strong sense of cold terror that filled in my bones. I killed him " R-ro-Roy, " I breathed out but did not feel my breath back. " he has to die, Maya, he has to die, " those words did not seem right but these are maybe true. or maybe not " 3 hours, Maya... 3 hours, " that was what I am left with 3 hours. .

At the start of graduation season, my boyfriend took more than two hundred photos of Madison Vale. Chase Whitman was president of Westbridge University’s photography club. He knew how to find flattering light and how to coax people out of stiff smiles. Madison stood beneath the maples outside the library in a white dress, her graduation cap tucked under one arm. “Am I taking up too much of your time?” she asked. Chase checked the last few shots and smiled. “You make my job easy.” When it was finally my turn, he barely looked at me. “Stand by the tree.” He clicked the shutter twice and lowered the camera. “Done.” I stared at him. “That’s it?” He turned the screen toward me. In one photo my eyes were half-closed; in the other, a branch shadow slashed diagonally across my face. “Can we try again?” Chase sighed. “Avery, you always tense up. Fifty more takes won’t change that.” Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. He had posted in the Westbridge Buy: Twenty dollars for someone to spend ten minutes taking a few graduation photos of my girlfriend. Nothing fancy. She just needs something usable. Half an hour later, a stranger replied. I sent him my location, then added: Just so you know, I’m not very photogenic. His answer came almost immediately: That usually says more about the photographer than about the subject. When Rowan Hayes arrived, he looked at Chase’s two photos and said, “He didn’t even try.” An hour later, he sent me the raw files. No filters, no heavy retouching. Just me on the library steps, my hair loose in the wind and my eyes brighter than I remembered them being.

During their anniversary dinner, Sabrina is about to reveal her pregnancy to her husband, Craig, when Emily, his girlfriend, who disappeared years back walks into the place. Emily's arrival after many years of absence made a turn of events on Sabrina's anniversary dinner and marriage in the space of 24 hours!