The Villianess Turns The Hourglass Novels & Stories

Valeria was a kingdom of breathtaking splendor-a land of rolling emerald hills, sparkling rivers, and a towering castle that pierced the sky like a shard of silver. It was also a kingdom ruled by fear and whispers, much of it attributed to its sharp-tongued, unrelenting, and ruthlessly ambitious princess, Lady Daphne Vasquez.

The silence struck harder than a bullet. One thousand eyes looked at Liana as she moved down the aisle. Velvet carpet swallowed the whisper of her heels. Her gown shone like an illusion, a silk prison that sparkled under suspended chandeliers like moons in sorrow. Gasps spread through the crowd like music. Too tall. Too human. Too wrong. Lady Virello's fan slipped from her fingers. Smooth wood struck marble with a sudden, ringing crash. Her husband, Lord Virello, leaned forward in his chair, nostrils flaring, lips trembling with strained indignation.

The sheer black tactical Kevlar she wore absorbed the warm nursery light, making her look like a completely untouchable shadow. "You are a pawn, Vivienne," Zara whispered smoothly, her velvet voice dripping with pure, psychological poison. "Elias Sterling doesn't share power with American socialites. He needed someone to test my Alpine security grid. If you pulled that trigger, the Valerius shadow guard would have slaughtered you before the shell casing even hit the floor. He sent you here to die." Vivienne's breath hitched in a sharp, terrified gasp. The absolute, undeniable truth of Zara's words completely shattered the heiress's mind. The delusion of becoming a billionaire queen vanished,

"What's she doing here?" The group of socialites visibly stiffened when they saw me. Everyone in high society knew about my reputation. I was known for being arrogant, unhinged, and untouchable. I didn't spare them a glance. Instead, I looked down at Vivian, who was soaked from head to toe. The floating comments began racing across my vision. [The villainess is about to lose it! Vivian, run!] [It's over! Quinn saw the male lead trying to save Vivian. She's definitely going to make Vivian's life a living hell!]

“I’m not a hero.” “I’m the villain remember,” he reminded me with a grin. “All good villains know how to identify heroes.” He turned his attention to the vine, and the plant pulled back, the vines withering, the flowers and leaves falling, until there was nothing but the faintest shadow on the stone to indicate that it had ever existed at all.

"I refused at the right time. The pearl asks one question, eighth. Once. Late. When you are tired. When you have already given everything else. The question is not the bonding question. The question is the second question. *Will you stay.* You will know the moment when it asks. You will know because everything in you will want to say yes. *Say no.* That is the only craft I have to teach you. Refuse the second question. Refuse it even if your kingdom is on fire. Refuse it even if the man you love is dying. Refuse it especially then. The pearl will go quiet. It will not leave you. But it will go quiet, and you will sleep for a long time, and you will wake up half-mad in a trench, and you will

Then, a green light had flashed from his hands and I'd felt the heat of it travel like a wave all throughout my body, making me shiver. His eyes had then popped open, looking greener than ever. "I have cloaked us both. No one will be able to see us," he had said before taking my hand and dragging me out of the room. Another spell on his part, and the place had blown right up with a resounding blast, one that had made my eardrums ring. Miss Lillian's piercing, shrill cry brought me back to reality. I watched silently as the she and Raymond wailed, their cries making my own tears fall. It hurt seeing them so distraught, specially because of me.

Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. So, a woman like Kajarin, who had only just crawled out of the woodwork, thought she could swoop in and steal her man? Bellie's face twisted in bitter resentment. But fine. It wasn't too late. She hadn't given up yet, and she would do whatever it took to claim Thamnithi for herself. Footnote:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭-𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 The liquid manifestation of the Heiress did not hold a stable shape. It rippled and tore like dark satin under a heavy wind, her amethyst-tinted visage stretched into jagged, geometric angles before snapping back into the cruel, youthful likeness of Helen Vance.