Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

The obsidian flower sat heavily in my palm, its cold surface reflecting light in ways that made my stomach clench. This wasn't just a gift. This was a declaration of intent.


I looked up to meet Silas Blackwood's smug gaze, his eyes tracking my reaction with predatory focus. The silence in our grand entrance hall felt oppressive, broken only by my own pulse hammering in my ears.


Beside me, Alaric remained unnaturally still. To anyone else, he might have appeared calm, even dismissive of this "token." But I could feel the fury radiating from him—a cold, calculated rage that promised retribution.


"How thoughtful," Alaric finally said, his voice like ice. "Though I'm afraid my wife has little interest in such... tokens."


Silas raised an eyebrow, his lips curving in a smile that never reached his eyes. "A pity. My uncle selected it personally. He has quite the eye for matching gifts to their recipients."


Chapter 111 - A Dance of Threats and Defiance