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

Alaric's face contorted with rage, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly I feared the metal would bend beneath his fingers. The room felt charged with tension, heavy with Clara's muffled whimpers and the silent promise of violence.


"You dare threaten my wife?" Alaric's voice was deadly calm, the kind of calm that preceded a storm. "You kidnap an aristocrat's daughter and then have the audacity to suggest I'll allow you to add the Duchess of Thornewood to your sick collection?"


Lord Gideon didn't flinch. Instead, his thin lips curved into a smile as he continued stroking Clara's hair, making her shrink further into herself.


"I'm proposing a civilized exchange, Your Grace. Nothing more." He spoke as if discussing the weather, not human trafficking. "The Baron's younger daughter for—let's call it a temporary loan of your duchess."


Chapter 89 - The Madman's Bargain, A Desperate Gambit