The Masterpiece: A Novel Novels & Stories

But for the first time in five years, I felt the cold, hard walls of my sanctuary closing in. “He loves me,” I said, my voice barely audible. “He saved me.” I picked up my brush, intending to fix the smudge, but my hand was shaking. I looked out the window, past the gates, toward the city where Daniel was currently ruling his empire. Lobbyists. I closed my eyes, but all I could see was the color of the lilies—a pale, sickly white. The masterpiece was still there, but the stain had begun to spread. “Masterpiece,” I whispered, the word tasting like ash in my mouth.

“Your name?” I composed myself and gripped my skirt, trying not to run to the door. “I’m…” I trailed off and glanced at the folders on the floor before looking at him again. “Amity Escobar.” He turned his eyes to his desk before spinning himself around to face the floor-to-ceiling window. “The famous teacher,” he stated. “I was thinking of you, Ms. Escobar.” My hands started to get sweaty. “What you look like…and how beautiful you are to be the talk of the town,” he continued.

Khalia A masterpiece is not completed on a drawing table. It is not finished when the final municipal inspectors sign off on the occupancy permits, or when the structural engineers archive the blueprints on a corporate server. A true masterpiece is completed over time, in the quiet spaces between the seasons, as the concrete cures under the sun, the timber adapts to the heavy humidity, and the roots expand deep beneath the earth to claim the terrain as their own. It is a living, breathing entity that learns how to survive the elements by choosing to bend rather than break.

As they approached, the doors swung inward. The room was a master suite that defied the decay of the rest of the house. A fire roared in a black marble fireplace. Fine silk drapes covered the windows. And in the center of the room sat a massive, four-poster bed draped in black velvet. [Objective Complete: Master’s Chamber Found.] [New Objective: Spend the Night. Synchronicity Requirement: 90%.] [Hazard Alert: The Master’s Shadow. He only strikes those who are 'Disconnected'.]

There was no one and I stepped outside. I wander the hall of the mansion, I didn't y how beautiful the mansion is, last time. It had many artworks and the decor was amazing. Whoever decorated the mansion was a pro. I went down the grand staircase and walked in the direction I assumed would be the kitchen. My mouth watered at the amazing aroma that filled the air. I was really hungry now that I was not weighed down by emotions, on entering the kitchen, my eyes landed on a plate of spaghetti meatballs and my knight in shining armor. Monica

She stood back, arms folded, her eyes sharp and proud as the women collapsed around me, panting, sated, their lips slick with me, their bodies shining with sweat. I wasn’t a man anymore. I wasn’t even Henry. I was a manuscript—read, annotated, memorized. A book they had written themselves into, page by page. “You’ve been read,” Mistress said softly. Her voice was almost tender, but her smile carried nothing but possession. “Page by page. Line by line.” Then—darkness. When I woke, I wasn’t on the table, or in the library.

Everything looks the same: the checkered floor, the enormous chandelier in the hallway that leads to the exhibit in the drawing room. I'm instantly transported to the past when I look at the beautiful flower painting that hangs on the side of the staircase. "So… what do you want to see, exactly?" Ronan has a confused look on his face, as if the place underwhelms him. "I know it might seem like a regular old house to you," I say, heading to the dining room area. "But there's a book–" "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," he says. "I've read it. There's a copy of it back home."

He retorted. Elina's brows furrowed as she frowned her face. That was the 'title' she hated the most. "At least I don't get to stand here for hours." "Lucky you." He rolled his eyes and hissed. "I bet you can't wait to mate with the master. I also bet you didn't know he now has a wife. At least, I only get to see your ugly face outside the walls of their matrimonial home from now on." He said, to spite the proud sex slave.

Her beautiful eyes, in particular, were impossible to forget. "Felix, I can't believe you didn't even bring Zara! Do you really not want your two friends to survive?" Ashton frowned. Didn't they all say that Felix was loyal to his friends? So how could he possibly take such a risk? Even though the phone call seemed to suggest that Jack and Madeline were rescued, how could that be possible with a Grandmaster guarding them? Any slight movement would have resulted in the immediate execution of those two hostages. Could the rescuer be so powerful that they could defeat the Grandmaster without leaving him any time to react?

CLARA'S POV “Young master's ex wife.” Cecelia said. It was like a bell rang in my head when Cecelia told me who the lady was. “What did you just say???” I asked still in disbelief. “She is Monalisa, the young master's ex wife and she is also trouble.” Cecelia said in a whisper. “What are you both whispering about??? And you must be the famous Clara right??” Monalisa asked with a smile. If confusion was a person, it would be me at that moment because I didn't understand anything that was going on.