Raphaël Sauvage had resigned himself to his misery and to his darkness. Work was all he lived to do anyway and he had no plans to change anything. Nothing was worth changing for. Until she appeared. WARNING: May contain scenes of explicit romance, extreme violence, physical abuse, also may contain mention of demonic existence. BEWARE. With her loud mouth and her audacity to challenge him, Isabelle Fourie blew into his house as loudly and chaotically as a tornado. And she didn't give a damn either. For the first time in his life, Raphaël found himself losing control over his tightly reigned heart. He hated it, hated how she, his maid, could have such power over him. She drew him in with a force that was insanely strong, making Raphaël want to send her back where she came from. But with his orphaned nephew whom he must take care of, a child who responded only to Isabelle, Raphaël must ignore the protests of his darkest demons and their complaints over the light Isabelle brought into his life, to hesitantly find a way out of his darkness. Even if it killed him.
The wind blew wildly outside. The rain and grey skies perfectly matched his mood.
Raphaël Sauvage sat in his home office, listening to the rumble of the thunder. The power of the sky was evident in the deep, rolls of thunder and the flashing lightning.
He found it exceptionally beautiful.
He swiveled his brandy in its glass, his jaw clenching.
Her eyes flashed in his memory.
The blue-green sparkling as she threw her head back in laughter.
His dear sister.
Fresh anger burned through him as he remembered her death, with deep sadness following hot on its heels.
His dearest sister. Dead.
There was a knock at the door.
Raphaël looked up as Rosa, his housekeeper, entered.
"Raphaël," she said.
"Hm," was his answer.
Reaching over with a sigh, Rosa took the glass of brandy out of his hand.
He let her. Rosa had been around for as long as Raphaël could remember.
She was there even before his parents died. Her presence replaced theirs and he was grateful.
He looked up at her, his eyes a strong steel grey.
"Raphaël, you must not think of it," she said quietly, her Italian accent slight. "It will only hurt you."
He nodded, silent.
Rosa sighed. "I will be gone this week, you know this. My niece will be here, however, to take over my duties."
Raphaël frowned. "I don't want a stranger here, Rosa." His husky voice resonated through the office.
"Oh, I assure you, she will not get in your way. Besides, she's been here before. Many times, when you both were little... but you were younger, you may not recall."
He nodded, silently picturing the red-cheeked little face he remembered from when he was little. Rosa sighed again, reaching over to pat his hand as she turned to leave.
"Rosa."
She stopped and turned back to him.
"Yes, Raphaël?"
He hesitated. "How... how is he?"
Rosa nodded. "He is peaceful. I have put him to bed now."
Having gotten his answer, Raphaël nodded and turned in his chair, facing the glass behind him as the sky cracked up with light.
"It's been weeks since he arrived here now and you continue to avoid him," Rosa said sadly. "You must speak to the little one, Raphaël, you're his Uncle. He must know you. He needs much help."
Raphaël dragged a hand through his hair.
"J'en sais pas, Rosa. How... what do I say to him?"
"One step at a time. You, like your father, are very wise. You will find a way, Raphaël. "
He scoffed, nearly spitting out a curse at the mention of his father. "Wise, my ass."
"Raphaël-"
"The child," he said before she could tell him to mind his manners and all such. "...he still hasn't spoken?"
"Not one word," said Rosa.
Rosa watched Raphaël turn to her and the anguish in his eyes tore at her heart.
The sky was lit up for a moment, casting a flash of light over his face. To Rosa, it was like seeing a ghost. From birth, he resembled his father. The dark looks, thick brown hair. That intimidating height and those wide, large shoulders, his stubborn chin and hard, grey eyes. Many trembled in the presence of Raphaël Sauvage.
How proud she was of him.
"Isabelle will be here tomorrow morning," Rosa said softly and left, closing the door quietly.
Raphaël leaned back in his chair, consumed by his own darkness. His own pain was dragging him down and drowning him, mercilessly. So, how in the hell would he help this child?
He closed his eyes, his mind running wild with thoughts as he silently wished and prayed, willing his demons not to visit him tonight.
Having been a villain for over six centuries, you'd think Rogan was used to the sad endings to his every story. But he wasn't. He was bitter, angry and frankly, bloody tired of it. Living in a new kingdom, Rogan goes about trying every method to break the spell that keeps him alive so he could embrace the peace of death but, to Rogan's annoyance, even death evades him! But that wasn't all fate had to throw at him. After handing him an ugly path in life, saddling him with a life he didn't want, fate suddenly decided it wanted to throw a wild-haired, infuriatingly clueless forest girl into Rogan's path. However, despite annoying him, the girl proves useful, and according to the Villain Book of Evil Laws, it was only right for a villain to use others, so Rogan decides to keep her. When Rogan realizes that the girl's life was being threatened by enemies far greater than her, he finds himself stuck between going ahead with his plans of self-destruction and destroying his excellent Villain reputation by saving her. Maia wanted only one thing. To survive. If a short-tempered, sharp-tongued Vampire Sorcerer was her only way to do that, then so be it! Maia would stick to him like glue, no matter how many times he glared at her with his swirling dark eyes and spat out curse words like a snake did venom! Sadly, her safe little spot besides the Sorcerer darts back and forth between chilly cold and steaming hot, making Maia suddenly realize that perhaps being besides him wasn't as safe as she'd thought.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."