When Does Black Butler Take Place Novels & Stories

The year I was at my poorest, I impersonated my sister to take care of her blind fiancé in exchange for one hundred thousand dollars. On the day he regained his sight, I left without a word. When we met again, it was during a business interview. I was a nameless intern reporter. He had returned to his rightful status as the heir of the influential Hughes family. During the interview, the host asked, "We’ve heard that during your illness, your fiancée, Miss Dawson, stayed by your side through thick and thin. The two of you are about to get married?" He lifted his hand slightly, revealing a ring, and his lips curled into a faint smile. "Yes, we’re getting engaged soon." Yet, his gaze, through the lens of his glasses, landed—intentionally or not—on me, standing in the corner.

I've spent five long and devoted years at the company. At first, I think I'm getting a promotion soon. What I don't expect is that my superior, Jacob Hale, decides to burn bridges with me by forcing me to voluntarily quit the job. He also promotes Megan Osborn, a pretentious woman who spends her time kissing up to the right people. That's when I also find out that the employee I've been training from the start, Cindy Sutton, and Megan are actually best friends of many years. They keep hunting for my faults just so they can send them to Jacob behind my back. To make things worse, my boyfriend of seven years, Felix Wilkins, is even being flirtatious and intimate with Megan in public! Fine! I don't mind changing my identity and rejoining this game!

He was my first love. My biggest regret. And now? He's my stepbrother. Five years ago, Cade Blackwood James disappeared after one perfect night that changed everything. Now he's back, more dangerous than ever, and living under the same roof. Our parents just got married. They think we're strangers. They're wrong. Every rule says we should stay away. Every touch says we can't. And when he backs me against the wall and whispers, "You've always been mine," I know we're both going to hell. But first? We're going to burn. He was my first. He'll be my last. Even if it destroys us both. Forbidden. Explosive. Unforgettable.

Five years ago, Olivia Derie made a deal with the devil himself. To save her mother from dying from stage-four brain cancer and settle her crushing debts, she signed away her freedom to ruthless Mafia don Vincenzo Moretti. The terms were simple: marry him, give him a child within nine months, and disappear from his life. But Olivia quickly realized Vincenzo’s cruelty knew no bounds. Beneath the cold façade was a man who viewed her as nothing more than a means to an end. When she discovered she was pregnant, the stakes became higher than her own survival. Fearing for her unborn child’s life—especially when Vincenzo made it clear he intended to dispose of her after the birth—Olivia did the unthinkable. She ran. Now she is back thinking she could start all over again with her daughter but the one person she never expected to see again walks back alive to her life: Vincenzo Moretti, But he doesn’t forgive, and he doesn’t forget. Now he’s found her. And he wants everything she took from him: He wants his heir. His wife. And the revenge he’s patiently waited years to exact. Olivia isn’t just his bride—she’s his obsession. Even though she ran, even though she stabbed him and vanished, he’s never let go. Now that he’s found her, he won’t let her slip away again. “When we meet again, Princess,” he whispers, “you’ll learn you were never free. You’re mine—now and always.” ---

He had once sworn I was his fated Luna, the Omega he cherished above all. However, just a month shy of our bonding, he decided to repay a life-saving grace by fathering a child with his old flame. To add insult to injury, he swiped the herbal research I was on the cusp of unveiling. He claimed he was trapped, obligated to both sides. I, however, was done with him. I cut ties, called off our Bonding Ceremony, and set off for the Northwood tundra to lose myself in my research. Two years on, he pleaded for my return, professing I was his one true love. However, by then, I was renowned far and wide, and he was nothing to me.

“Ms. Arnold, you really should sign this divorce agreement. Otherwise, I won’t be able to answer to Mr. Fisher.” Jeremy Fisher’s personal lawyer, Cole Stewart, stood in front of Hailey Arnold with an anxious expression. In his hands were a freshly printed divorce agreement, the pages still crisp. This was the thirty-third time Jeremy had asked to divorce her. The first time, Hailey climbed onto the rooftop and jumped. She survived but broke one of her legs. The second time, she slashed her wrist with a small knife, and blood flooded half the bathroom. The third time, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and spent three days in the hospital having her stomach pumped. … Every single time, she had used death to force Jeremy to compromise, but this time, she was tired of it.

“You've read the contract, I assume?” His tone was soft but firm. His eyes, however, were fixated on her lips. “Every word.” Aurora hesitated, fingers brushing against the folder's edge. Michael furrowed his brows, gauging her expression. “Are you sure you want this? You can say no, and we’ll simply pretend this never happened.” “No,” Aurora said firmly, gripping the edges of her skirt. Her entire body pulsed with need for him, so how could she disagree? “I want this.” She quickly signed the contract. His hands left her jaw, reaching down to pull her up and against his office table. His hands slowly reached under her skirt. “Well, then. Let us begin, shall we?” *** Aurora Lane thought the worst day of her life was catching her boyfriend trying to sneak off on a hotel trip with her best friend, using her money. She was wrong. Booking the suite solo, she never expected to find a stranger already there. Tall, brooding, and infuriatingly magnetic. Michael Carson, a billionaire hotel mogul who lives for control, should’ve thrown her out. Instead, one night of passion turned into something neither could forget. When fate brings them together again, their simmering chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. A secret “no-strings” contract should have kept their hearts safe, but the more they try to resist, the deeper they fall. Then the past returns to destroy everything. A jealous ex. A web of lies. A powerful family that will do anything to keep them apart. And when a shocking betrayal turns deadly, Aurora must decide whether love is worth risking everything for… even her life. In a world of money, manipulation, and impossible love, can two broken hearts rewrite their destiny, or will the secrets between them burn it all down?

When the House Fell Silent is a gripping and emotional family saga that delves into the lives of five siblings — Abby, Aubrey, Tshepo, Mathapelo, and the youngest, Gail — after the sudden death of their father. The novel explores the struggles of grief, the challenges of responsibility, the shadows of abuse, and the weight of family expectations. As the siblings navigate the complexities of marriage, work, and personal trauma, their mother emerges as a steadfast pillar, guiding them through turmoil while facing her own battles as an unemployed matriarch. With in-laws disputing the will and old family wounds resurfacing, the narrative captures the resilience, heartbreak, and courage required to survive. Told with intensity and sensitivity, this novel is a tale of love, loss, and the enduring strength of family bonds. Through trials and triumphs, When the House Fell Silent is ultimately a story of hope, healing, and the voices that must rise to reclaim a family’s future.

When my adopted sister, Alayna Ewing, hears that I'm with pup, she specifically gives me the body oil she's made. I accept it with a smile on my face. But later on, I smear the oil all over the belly of the old lady next door, who's diagnosed with a uterine tumor. After all, I have gotten reborn on this very day. In my past life, Alayna had formed a mate bond with Misael Finch, the Alpha of the Darkspire pack. She desperately needed to bear an heir for Alpha Misael in order to strengthen her position as the Luna. Unfortunately, her being an Omega meant that it'd be very difficult for her to conceive. So, she hatched a scheme against me, a newly pregnant she-wolf. Alayna bribed a dark sorcerer to cast a surrogate pregnancy curse on me. As long as I smelled something that she made, the pup in my womb would be transferred into her womb instantly. I spent entire pregnancies caring for my pup meticulously. I even endured the pain of countless shots in order to keep my pup safe. But whenever I was about to give birth, my pup would still end up disappearing. Alayna, on the other hand, gave birth to three heirs who inherited powerful bloodlines from their father. Thanks to that, her position as the Luna was greatly strengthened, and she got to live a lavish and comfortable life. In the end, Alayna had slandered me by claiming that I was overcome by lust during my pregnancy, so I ended up having passionate moments with Rogues. That was how I lost my pup every single time. With my reputation in tatters, I was exiled from the pack and forced to live the remainder of my days as a Rogue. In the end, I froze to death in winter. Now that I'm reborn, I shall grant Alayna her wish, seeing as she really wants an heir of her own. The healers have mentioned that it's their first time seeing such a huge uterine tumor, after all. Oh, I can't imagine what sort of expression Alayna will wear when she finds out that she's given birth to such a big tumor!

Mae Cooper accuses me of forcing wolfsbane down her throat, claiming that she can't breathe and that her wolf is gravely injured, barely clinging to life. My mate, Alpha Cole Grimaldi, and our two pups decide to teach me a lesson by locking my Omega sister up in a massive silver cage and threatening to douse her with wolfsbane. I thrash violently and beg them to let her go, but nothing I do changes their minds. Alas, my sister dies, and with her, the love I once felt for them dies too.