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 late afternoon sun cast long shadows across Alaric's study as he pored over the documents King Theron had sent over that morning. Six months had passed since the trials that shook Lockwood's high society, and life had settled into a new rhythm—one I was still adjusting to.


I watched my husband from the doorway, his brow furrowed in concentration. Even now, after everything we'd been through, the sight of him still made my heart skip a beat.


"Are you going to stand there all day, or will you join me?" Alaric asked without looking up, a small smile playing at his lips.


I laughed softly. "I was trying not to disturb you."


"You're never a disturbance, Isabella." He finally raised his eyes to meet mine, pushing the papers aside. "Come here."


Chapter 163 - A Royal Commission, A Shared Future