Vice & Virtue Novels & Stories

he asked. "We're releasing you with conditions. You committed a crime. You must face consequences. But the consequences are proportionate to the ambiguity of the situation. You are guilty. But not guilty enough to justify destroying your life or your network's stability." Catherine paused. "This confederation is built on democratic values. Those values include proportionality. Mercy. Recognition that justice is not vengeance. You threatened our principles. But you do not deserve to be destroyed for that threat." Victor stood silent for long moment.

She was handed a hefty envelope of cash, even bigger than most I'd won before she managed to push her way through the swarm of people and out towards the cars. Despite the determination to find out who she was, I knew she'd be coming back again, given that there was not a hint of fear I could suspect through her body language, the very opposite to my first fight at the pits. "I'm impressed," Valentina announced with her arm linked into April's, waiting for my own fight to start, "I did not expect him to run out on her." "She didn't really win though," Tyler replies back, "she won by default, he forfeited."

“Why are they making me the villain?” Fingers dug deep into her temples as if she could force the spinning thoughts away. “You saw what I did that night, Iris. It was Florence who spilled champagne on me. But I was not cruel. I did not threaten her. That's it. But now they have twisted it, edited it, so the world knows I am some kind of monster who assaults helpless people.” Iris leaned in, her voice falling to a whisper. “That's life. One video, one falsehood, and everyone forgets the rest. They need someone to despise, and today it's you. But Sophia, hear me, it won't remain this way. It can't.”

His arm was broken, so why should yours stay whole? His screams filled the room, but I did not flinch. I waved a hand toward the men outside. "Didn't you two like burying people alive? Then you can bury each other this time." Celeste did not resist. I tied them together and tossed them both into the pit. Vincent kept clawing upward, desperate to live. Every time he made it near the top, I kicked him back down. The woman wanted to die, and the man wanted to live. So, I made sure neither got what they wanted.

I will not let them break me. The elevator stopped with a soft hum, and the doors opened to reveal a private office that overlooked the vast city below. The room was modern, pristine, dominated by dark wood accents and floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the breathtaking view. It was exactly what I had imagined imposing, powerful, and completely devoid of warmth. And there he was.

Emma watched her do it, watched the fear that had been sitting in Alex's face since they walked in begin to change into something else, not disappear, because fear did not disappear simply because it had been addressed, but lose its urgency. "I am sorry," Alex said. "For making this a conversation at midnight." "Do not apologize for telling me what is true for you," Emma said. "That is not something you apologize for." "I told myself I trusted you." "You do trust me. Trusting me and feeling afraid are not the same thing and they do not cancel each other out." Emma looked at her steadily. "You are allowed to feel both." Alex looked at her. "When did you get so wise about this."

“Yes! He believed that his incompetence led to her death and his incompetence helped in not finding the culprits.” “He really had a thing for her, my late sister.” “I believe you meant ‘love’ Ma’am Violet.” The maid air-quoted the love and Violet hissed rolling off her eyes. She never believed in love, not for a single second. However, she loved Connor, a sharp contrast of her ideologies on love. But then, it could still be that she just liked him.

“We’ll destroy it first. We’ll make sure he never gets his hands on it.” Vance laughed again. “You think you can stop Victor? You think you can stand in his way? He’s not like his brother, Liam. Kang Jin was greedy, yes. But he had weaknesses. He had family he cared about, people he loved. Victor has no weaknesses. He has no family, no friends, no mercy. He’s a realist. And he’s going to win. Because he’s willing to do whatever it takes.”

"If you don’t want your reputation destroyed, kneel down and bark like a dog a hundred times right now. Maybe Aurora will forgive you." Aurora pinched his cheek affectionately, then curled her lips in a smug smile at me. "If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison, kneel down, apologize, admit defeat, and come back to my side as a housekeeper. Otherwise, you know what I’m capable of." I looked at their smug faces and pulled a cold smile. "Have you ever heard the saying that joy often turns into disaster? If you want to use secretly recorded footage to convict me, shouldn’t you first ask whether my wife agrees?"

"You know what Rita? Before now, I've been feeling a little bit guilty about my feelings for Stanley because he is married to you. I've been concerned about how you'll feel when he breaks up with you but now I've come to realize that Stanley was right all along. You don't worth my worry and neither do you deserve any of my pity." "You're nothing but a cruel, bittered and heartless individual. Your fight is to continue to stay with Stanley not because you love him but because of the fortune you're getting out of him." "I confidently stand before you and tell you that I'm in love with Stanley. I'm deeply and madly in love with him and I'll do anything for his happiness even though it involves