Obsidian

Obsidian

Mbali Xabela · Completed · 200.7k Words

519
Hot
923
Views
139
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Hadassah Moor is a young investigator, dedicated to taking down corrupt businessmen and exposing nefarious enterprises. But the star aims too high when she goes after Orian Moon, the CEO of Zenith, a multi-billion megacorporation.

When Hadassah robs Gaza, a powerful drug lord, seeking evidence that ties him to Orian. She ends up stealing a ledger with a treasure trove of deadly secrets that thrusts her into a world of peril. Hadassah becomes the target of the Blood and Bone cartel because of the fathomless truths she's unknowingly in the possession of. And the only thing that stands between her and an army of ruthless thugs is the same man she sought to destroy.

Chapter 1

The CEO of Zenith incorporated, Orian Moon, saw his wealth grow by about 77% over the same March-to-December quarter. Which he gave more than $900 million to the Zenith Foundation and $300 million to a gentrification project in South Africa.

The pace and scope of his charitable giving is staggering. As a publicly active philanthropist, he has given away more than what five of the country’s biggest givers have in their entire lifetimes, Forbes calculates.

The TV screen goes black.

I whip around. My mom stands in the archway with her arm outstretched and the remote in her hand. She lowers it to her side with a pointed look on her face.

“Hadie, baby.” She folds her arms and levels me with a reproving glare. “What are you doing?”

“Well, I was watching that program,” I say flatly.

“No, what you need to be doing is celebrating.” Her hands move to her waist, fixing themselves on her hips. Her reproachful stance. “You just cracked that big case, writing that piece on those money-stuffing scoundrels. The feds couldn’t even solve it, but my baby did. And now here you are.” She jabs a quick finger at the TV. “Out hunting on the next big thing. Just take the time to celebrate this win.”

Her eyes are like deep pools of melted hazel, swirling with unabating concern. She moves to place the remote on the acacia wooden case. The head is lined with stands of laminated articles that I have written. And the shelves hold an accolade of awards I have won over the years. Not there by my choice.

My mouth opens to retort. But then I seal my lips back close, silenced by a fragrance wafting into the living room.

“Is that? That smell... is that what I think I’m smelling?”

I inhale a deep breath, drawing in the cheesy, mouth-watering aroma of mama’s lasagne.

“If you’re smelling the world’s best homemade lasagne...” Calum strolls into view, leaning his shoulder against the frame of the archway. “You’re correct, princess.”

My mom lets out a rolling, high-pitched giggle, slapping the air. “Oh stop playing, boy.”

“I’m serious.” He moves to her, wrapping her in a one-sided hug. “What we should be doing is celebrating how delicious that dish is. I even stopped taking my antidepressants, cause now I just eat your lasagne.”

She laughs again, her autumn brown skin aglow. Not a single wrinkle to expose her true age.

I roll my eyes at Calum. “Whilst you flirt with my mama.” I walk over to them, heels thudding on the vinyl flooring. “I’m going to change.”

Her laugh dies in her mouth. “You better, looking ridiculous in that damn pants suit.” Her hand flicks Calum’s arm. “You know she just barged back in here, no hello—nothing, just straight to the TV, watching the latest news on her next target.”

Calum throws his head back with a laugh, flaunting a dazzling smile. Two rows of brilliant white. “Let me guess... something about Zenith?”

My shoulder knocks into his as I pass him. “Whatever.” I turn to look back at ma. “And by the way this—” I gesture to my all-black, form-fitting, full suit with a belted blazer and a lapel collar, “—is fashion.”

“So is a dress,” she says to my back.

My inner feminism shrieks inside. I spin around, tearing my lips apart.

Calum cuts me off with an exaggerated hand gesture. “You know better than to talk back to your mama.” He shoos me away. “Keep on stepping.”

“That’s right.”

The two of them high five each other.

I shake my head at them both. “Ganging up on me on my big day, that’s just low,” I mutter, marching upstairs.

I drift into my bedroom, the second one on the left, yanking out my hairband—an explosion of shoulder-length curls. I take off my heels, holding them by the tip of my fingers as I saunter to the dressing table. I drop the heels. My eyes are fixated on the framed picture of me and my dad when I was still a kid. When he was still alive, and not just existing. But alive. The years were hard on him, sapping the life from his skin and the fight from his bones. He put himself in the grave trying to provide for a family when he couldn’t even do it for himself. He drowned just to keep us afloat.

Thoughtlessly clutching onto the crucifix hanging from my neck. I let it go.

“Got another one, pops.” I can barely hear myself say it. “I think... I think you would’ve been proud.”


My mom, Calum, and I are seated around the dinner table set with a breadbasket, a side of veggies and the guest of honor. The lasagne. The dish is placed in the center, covered with a thick coat of bubbling gouda cheese, garnished with fresh green herbs. After ma serves us generous, very generous portions—the kind that will make sure that I work out tomorrow. She extends her hands out to the both of us. We all hold hands. Calum entwines our fingers together. And ma prays.

Calum sneaks a look at me, mouthing, *close your eyes. *

I narrow my eyes at him. Why are yours open?

“And father God!” ma exclaims, her voice bursting to its maximum volume. “Though we come to the Lord’s table to feast in peace. Others choose violence. I have to repent, Father God! Forgive me because I’mma bout to beat the black off my daughter. And whoop the white boy so hard, he’ll be speaking in tongues if they keep fooling around like damn kids.”

Calum snorts a laugh, smothering the others that try to break free. I gawk at my mother, both of her eyes are shut, and yet the woman still sees everything. Witchcraft.

“Amen,” she says. She drops our hands, opening her eyes to glare at me. “You lucky, it’s your day.” She tosses a glance at Calum. “And that we have company.”

A wry snort escapes me. “Like that’s ever stopped in you the past,” I mutter.

“Girl, I swear—”

“Lasagne is getting cold,” Calum says, playing peacemaker. ”Niente litigi a tavola. Let’s eat.”

We all jump right in. I fit in a mouthful, moaning with each bite. Italian-style lasagne. The balance between layers of cheese and homemade Bolognese sauce is perfection. My taste buds frolicking with the sliced sausage and ground beef, creating a rich, layered flavor with the creamy sauce spilling over my tongue.

Calum wipes a fake tear from his eye. “I should write this recipe in the history books, so generations after us will know of its legend.”

I grin at him. The lights above brightening his Nordic-gold hair, styled with a middle parting. Very much like a young Leonardo DiCaprio. He looks back at me, mesmerized by that empyrean blue. I gaze into them, enraptured by the vast vessel of happy memories encapsulated in the ocean’s gemstones. A living remnant of my childhood, our history preserved in those eyes.

“So, are you going to tell me about the thugs you nailed?”

“Not me—we,” I correct. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without Cal, here.” I scrunch my nose at him. “Isn’t that right, nerd?”

“True.” His voice curated in confidence. “I am her eyes and ears, her Gandalf, that gets her in places where most people can’t. I help. But her drive, her achievements.” He offers me a long, wholesome look. “That’s all you, princess.”

I smile at my plate. Diverting the attention, I say, “The bust we made was a massive international weapons trafficking operation. Resulting in the seizure of nearly a hundred thousand firearms and one-hundred and sixty-seven explosives.”

Calum swallows, nodding. “Operation pale shadow. Traffickers getting millions on the black market, supplied by criminal gangs.”

“They had AR-fifteen rifles, grenades and military-grade weaponry,” I add. “Enough to start a war.”

Ma’s expression fades from fascination, concern creeping back. A worry line etched on her forehead. “With your condition, I really hate you knowing that kind of stuff.”

“Condition?” Calum snorts. “It’s more like a superpower. It’s why she’s good at what she does.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “You know what I mean. Cause after she can never unsee those things. But enough of that.” She aims her fork at me, then at Calum. “When are you two giving me some gorgeous, mixed, grandbabies?”

I choke—Calum hacks into his fist, beating his chest.

After dinner, Calum helps me with the dishes. And after I walk him out as usual, strolling into the travertine-tiled front entrance of my townhouse which is anchored by bespoke horizontal boards that amplify the room’s length. The peaked ceiling lends height and drama, and a series of square shapes—the windows, the front door’s panes of glass, and the paneled interior door provide a stately rhythm. Calum pauses in the middle of the door, and slants to the side to rest his shoulder against the frame. His eyes boring into mine like I’m a book that only he can understand.

“Don’t do it.”

I shrug innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about it.”

“You’re going after Zenith,” he says exasperatedly, “Which is stupid because nothing traces back to them, nothing that can be proved. We’ve tried and failed. Multiple times.”

I reach for him, pulling him into a hug, “Night, nerd.” Arms wrapped around his neck.

His one arm coils around my waist. “Your mom is right about this one. Let it go.”

I draw away, smiling back at him. “It’s not about if I get Zenith. It’s when. And if at first you don’t succeed...”

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Omega Bound

Omega Bound

2.5m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon

Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon

488.2k Views · Completed · Riley
My name is Audrey, and I'm the adopted daughter of the Bailey family.
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
Rise of the Banished She-Wolf

Rise of the Banished She-Wolf

439.9k Views · Completed · Lily
"White wolf! Kill that monster!"
That roar stole my eighteenth birthday and shattered my world. My first shift should have been glory—blood turned blessing into shame. By dawn they'd branded me "cursed": cast out by my pack, abandoned by family, stripped of my nature. My father didn't defend me—he sent me to a forsaken island where wolfless outcasts were forged into weapons, forced to kill each other until only one could leave.
On that island I learned the darkest edges of humanity and how to bury terror in bone. Countless times I wanted to surrender—dive into the waves and never surface—but the accusing faces that haunted my dreams pushed me back toward something colder than survival: revenge. I escaped, and for three years I hid among humans, collecting secrets, learning to move like a shadow, sharpening patience into precision—becoming a blade.
Then, under a full moon, I touched a bleeding stranger—and my wolf returned with a violence that made me whole. Who was he? Why could he wake what I'd thought dead?
One thing I know: now is the time.
I have waited three years for this. I will make everyone who destroyed me pay—and take back everything that was stolen from me.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.7m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Let Them Kneel

Let Them Kneel

236k Views · Ongoing · My Fantasy Stories
Kaelani spent her life believing she was wolfless.
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.

But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.

Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.

When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.

For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.

Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.

But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.

And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.

Especially him.

She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.

Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
Bella and Her Beast

Bella and Her Beast

15.4k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
For all the little girls who grew up wondering what happens after the prince kisses the girl—this is the story they never told you.
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?

.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
His Lethal Obsession

His Lethal Obsession

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Olivia Chigozie
"Big Kai?"

He didn't respond but moved his eyes around the room, scanning the place.

"Wha...what are you doing here?"

His icy blue eyes returned to me, sending shivers down my spine. Then further dropped to my dress and then back to my eyes.

"The shit going on downstairs, what does it mean?" he asked, making my legs as weak as they are eager to flee.

"It's....it my wedding,"

He scoffed darkly. "Excuse me?"

I swallowed. "I am......getting married,"

He let out a humorless laugh, looking away and giving me lesser comfort. He looked at me with a demonic frown.

Terror washed me.

"Every single motherfucker/human being here, be it adult or child, including you, will burn before that happens,"

〽️〽️〽️

The quiet but pathetic life of Twenty-year-old Mia Jefferson changed the night she found a few months old interracial baby boy abandoned in a dumpster on her way home. She saved him and kept him in her care for almost a month until she was taken by a deadly gang who accused her of abduction. She thought it was it for her until the ruthless gang leader, Nathaniel Kincaid, known on the streets as Big Kai and the father of the baby appeared and added to her punishment. At the point when Mia is about to give up, Nathaniel makes her his baby's nanny as the only way to convince him that she is not the abductor. As she picked up her care for the baby, Nathaniel watched her every move consistently, placing his heart in a dark and passionate risk.
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)

A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)

4.6k Views · Ongoing · ADB_Stories
One mistake centuries ago left Lemuel cursed by the Goddess Merlos and forced to wander the earth granting the wishes of those who touch him. Lemuel was looking at an eternity of loneliness until his unexpected soulmate plucked him right out of the sea.

Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.

Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.

A Queen Among Tides is the 5th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.

Books in the series order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Gen Coming Soon)
The Princess's Revenge

The Princess's Revenge

55.6k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
Two nations are at war. Valencia's pack is massacred by Alpha Marcus, and she is enslaved by him. When he dies, she is to be buried alive with him as a sacrifice.

Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.

Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.

As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
Falling For The Playboy Billionaire

Falling For The Playboy Billionaire

905 Views · Ongoing · Ava John
A collision of two worlds brought them together. Two single parents, with different personalities and distinct parenting styles.
Henderson Bain a playboy billionaire cares about nothing else aside from his daughter, Itzel who is a spoilt brat all thanks to her father.
Lena Cohen is hunted by her past but despite that, she is an amazing mother to Trent, a sweet well well-behaved boy but life wasn't rosy for them.
Henderson Bain is having a hard time searching for a nanny for Itzel until shows up though qualified, Henderson refuses to offer her the job because of their first encounter but seeing how Lena and Itzel get along, he decides to employ her.
Lena and Henderson were two worlds apart but one thing they never saw coming was them falling for each other.
Will they finally let go of their past, and give love a chance? Or try to suppress their feelings for each other? And what if their past comes knocking at their doors once again?
Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

4.1k Views · Ongoing · Miranda Carr
I never knew my blood could kill a king—until I met one. Sebastian, the ruthless and immortal King, rules with precision. For centuries, he's ruled with ruthless precision, his heart as cold as the stone throne beneath him. One moment, I'm nothing. The next, I'm his obsession. His touch burns like ice fire. His stare follows me through shadows. And when he feeds from me—God help me—it feels like drowning in darkness and craving more. He tells me my blood is unlike any he's tasted, that my scent drives him to the edge of madness.


He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

154.4k Views · Completed · Marina Ellington
I'm Eileen, an outcast at the shifter academy, all because I don't have a wolf. My only saving grace is a knack for healing that got me into the Healer's Division. Then one night in the forbidden woods, I found a stranger on the brink of death. One touch, and something primal snapped between us. That night tied me to him in a way I can't undo.
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?