Noe Vanitas No Carte Novels & Stories

Celeste walked up to Darius, then hooked her arm through his. "Natalia has gone to New Verden. I'm your new bride-to-be! Are you surprised?" His eyes widened upon hearing that, and his breath hitched. Moments later, he shoved her aside before bolting out of the bridal shop in a frenzy. … After arriving in New Verden, I quickly settled in and resumed control of the company. That day, during a business meeting, I was stunned to find that my new partner was a childhood friend—Sebastian Thorne. It had been years since I last saw him, and he had grown into a strikingly handsome man.

More items were brought out and sold. "The next item to be sold is a painting by an anonymous person. Mysterious, right?" the MC said, earning "oous" and "aahs" from the audience. Leslie’s eyes brightened in anticipation of her painting being sold, and Vanessa’s eyes narrowed slightly, a tilt of an evil grin on her face. "Okay, this artwork is called ‘Disintegrating Reality.’ Quite a unique name, if I should say so myself."

The vases were empty. Wedding invitations were scattered across the coffee table. The ivory gloves I had bought for the ceremony were still draped over the arm of the sofa, like some relic from a life that had never really existed. I walked over to the invitations and fed them, one by one, into the fireplace. The flames curled up instantly. The gold lettering blackened and shrank. Luca Moretti. Evelyn Carter. A few seconds later, both names were ash. I didn't look twice.

They dipped the bottom in red paint or blood. There was a card. Nico picked it up with two fingers, his face full of fury. He read it and handed it to me. The handwriting was elegant. *Checkmate in three moves. See you at the Gala. V.* "V?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Who is V?" Nico stared at the pawn. His jaw clenched tightly, as if his teeth would crack. "Valenti?" I suggested. "Sloane?" "No," Nico said. "Sloane is an ally, this... this is a ghost."

would rush over and tear his precious little princess to shreds. Ava scoffed beside me and started to move forward. But I placed a hand on her wrist. Meeting Carter's wary gaze, I simply raised my champagne glass in a cool, subtle gesture. "It is a coincidence." Seeing how calm I was, the triumphant look in Tessa's eyes faltered for a second. She peeked out from behind Carter and pointed to the painting I had been looking at, her voice a sugary coo. "Oh, Maeve. It's a shame about the painting. Carter just had someone buy it for three times the asking price."

Aiden’s hands shook as he tore open the black envelope, the rain-slicked paper yielding to his fingers. Inside, a single card: Vane Tower, 10 AM. Come alone. - S.V. His mind reeled, replaying the night’s brutal ecstasy the way Silas had claimed him, marked him. But why this? Revenge for old torments? Or something darker, twisted by obsession?

There were two other people in the whole space, both at the far end. Jonathan walked in without hesitation as I followed. Then he stopped in front of a display case near the back. Inside were maps...Old maps that were framed with hand-drawn details and names in script. They weren't geographic maps, but invented ones with cities that didn’t exist and imagined rivers. With mountains named after feelings. "This is a collection of cartographic fantasy art," Jonathan explained. "A private collector loaned it to the gallery for the month and I came here two weeks ago. I stood in front of this and thought about your twelve notebooks."

He moved a little closer without thinking. Niona's eyes flicked to the bracelet on Maureen's left wrist for a second. The metal caught the light. But the warm smile never left her face. She said nothing about it. Maureen straightened a little after a long minute. She spoke in a soft, steady voice. “This is the ‘Equestrian Portrait of Charles V’ by Titian. He was a master of Venetian painting back in the Renaissance.” “Indeed,” Niona nodded. She still smiled, but her eyes stayed fixed on her face.

Without the Master Plate, his authority had dissolved into the noise. ​But there was something else in the mail today. A single, heavy envelope made of 17th-century linen paper. ​I opened it, my heart skipping a beat. Inside was a photograph of the old shop in New York. The steel plates had been removed. The black SUVs were gone. In their place, a small sign had been hung over the door: VANCE & CO. – RESTORATION IN PROGRESS. ​"Moretti bought the lease," I said, handing the photo to Damian.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Beneath the Surface Vanessa tapped her long, polished nails on the wooden table of the quaint café she'd chosen for her meeting with Clara. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filtered through the air, mingling with the soft hum of murmurs around her. Clara was already running five minutes behind, but Vanessa wasn't bothered. It gave her time to strategize. This wasn’t just a casual catch-up—it was a carefully crafted move to uncover the truth about Noah and Stephanie.