
Introduction
“Not everything is a game, William,” she shot back.
“Funny,” he said. “You love analyzing everyone else. Just not yourself.”
“And you hide behind arrogance because you’re afraid of being vulnerable.”
His smirk vanished.
“You don’t know a damn thing about me, Margaux.”
A powerful European bank is on the brink of collapse, and the scandal surrounding it could destroy everyone involved.
William JB De la Roche is the lawyer brought in to stop that from happening. Brilliant, ruthless, and used to winning, he believes every problem can be solved with strategy and control.
Until Dr. Margaux Hawthorne enters the case.
A young psychiatrist with a talent for exposing hidden motives, Margaux is tasked with helping the legal team predict behavior, manipulate perception, and exploit psychological weaknesses—from judges and witnesses to the accused executives themselves.
From the moment they meet, sparks fly.
William doesn’t trust her methods.
Margaux sees straight through his carefully constructed mask.
As secrets surface and pressure mounts, their professional rivalry turns into something far more dangerous. Late nights blur boundaries, control slips, and the line between manipulation and desire begins to crack.
But as the case reaches its breaking point, one question remains:
Are they uncovering the truth—or unraveling each other?
Chapter 1
The storm had come swiftly and without warning. London, caught in the midst of the first autumn deluge, lay drenched and cold under a canopy of steel-grey clouds. Wind howled through the streets, carrying with it the bitter sting of rain. In the early morning hush, only the sound of hurried footsteps and the rhythmic patter of raindrops filled the air. Pedestrians shuffled along, eager to escape the weather’s wrath as water splashed up from the streets, forming tiny ripples in scattered puddles.
One such puddle was abruptly disturbed by the step of a polished black shoe, connected to a man in a tailored suit, flanked by two others dressed in a similar fashion. Jean-Baptiste De la Roche, known as William to his colleagues, was on his phone, his voice clipped and precise despite the backdrop of the storm.
“It’s not going to take that long, Alice,” he said, his tone betraying a hint of impatience. “I told Cillian myself that I’d be there. Don’t do this to me.” His dark hair, disheveled by the wind, only added to the sternness of his expression as he listened to Alice’s response, irritation flaring momentarily in his eyes.
"Why would you schedule that?" William interrupted, his jaw tightening. "I don't need a psychology test. I don’t care if it’s common practice, Alice." He walked briskly, his companions following in silence, not daring to interrupt their leader's conversation. "Then tell them to do it another day," he added before ending the call, his features hardening into a mask of focus as they approached the entrance of the office building.
The trio stepped into the lobby of the Sterling Harrington Bank, shaking off the chill of the morning storm. The vast space greeted them with a stark contrast to the weather outside—warmth, bright lights, and the quiet hum of activity. A young receptionist rose from behind a sleek desk, her appearance immaculate, her smile bright and welcoming.
“Good morning, gentlemen. How can I help you?” she asked.
“Good morning,” said one of William’s companions, Archibald Radcliffe, a hint of practiced charm in his voice. “We’re from De la Roche & Kingsley LLP.”
“Of course,” the receptionist replied, her tone cordial. “Welcome to the Sterling Harrington Bank. I’m Alisha, and I’ll be showing you to Mr. Harrington’s office. Please, follow me.”
Alisha led the way to the elevator, her every step composed, her heels clicking lightly against the polished floor. William’s gaze flickered briefly towards her, taking in the carefully maintained appearance and practiced smile. Her enthusiasm for her role was apparent, even if it bordered on overzealousness. She proceeded to explain the building layout as they rode up, her voice breaking the silence with details about various floors and amenities. Yet, William’s attention wandered in and out, his thoughts drifting towards the meeting ahead.
“Which floor is the one with the psychologist, Mrs. Hawthorne?” William interrupted, almost as an afterthought.
The receptionist’s brows furrowed for a moment before recognition lit her features. “Dr. Hawthorne, you mean,” she corrected, her tone firm yet polite. “She’s on floor thirty-six.”
William nodded, barely acknowledging her clarification as the elevator reached its destination. They emerged into a bustling open-plan office, where yet another young and striking woman, Olivia, awaited them. She introduced herself as Mr. Harrington’s provisional secretary and led the men down a corridor lined with glass-walled offices. The tap of her heels on the floor echoed softly in the space as she knocked on a large wooden door.
“Come in,” a voice called from within.
Olivia pushed the door open, and the men stepped inside. Mr. Harrington rose from his seat, his face breaking into a broad smile as he approached William, his hand extended in greeting.
“Mr. De la Roche, how are you?” he said, his voice booming with the practiced warmth of a man accustomed to taking charge. “Just like your father, aren’t you?”
For a fraction of a second, a flicker of something crossed WIlliam’s face—perhaps annoyance, or a trace of unease—but it vanished just as quickly. “Of course,” he replied, his voice steady and polite, offering no hint of what lay beneath the calm exterior.
After a brief exchange of introductions, the men settled into leather chairs arranged around a small cluster of couches. Mr. Harrington, his expression shifting to a more serious tone, leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m going to be honest here and cut away from all the bullshit,” he began. “We’re in a fucked-up position. I’m sure you’ve all done your research and know what I’m talking about, but in case there’s any doubt—this case is not easy.”
The room fell silent as William and his colleagues, Archie and Harry Wharton, nodded in unison. They had prepared for this, each of them steeled for the gravity of the situation.
“Can you win it?” Harrington asked, his voice laced with a mixture of doubt and challenge. He let out a dry chuckle before delivering his punchline with the practiced flair of a man who relished his own theatrics. “I don’t give a fuck because you guys fucking have to.”
Harry, the youngest of the trio, visibly stiffened at the bluntness, while William remained impassive, his gaze fixed on the older man with unwavering calm. He had worked with Harrington before and knew well the kind of environment that came with it.
Harrington continued, outlining the grim details of the case, the stakes, and his expectations. As he paced the room, a map of the building was laid out on the table, displaying the relevant departments where they would be working—the psychology floor and the legal offices. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Harry and Olivia to familiarize themselves with the legal team while keeping William and Archie back for a more private discussion.
As the door clicked shut behind them, Harrington’s demeanor changed. His gaze sharpened, and he dropped his voice, making it clear that now they would speak plainly. “How fucked are we?” he asked, a grim smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Massively,” William answered without hesitation, meeting Harrington’s eyes with a calm yet piercing intensity.
“But,” William continued, “it’s not an impossible case.”
Harrington raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Archie leaned forward, taking his cue from William. “They don’t want to take this to court,” he explained. “They might say they do, but it’s just an intimidation tactic. They want to settle, and that’s to our advantage. The negotiations will be smoother if we play our cards right.”
Harrington crossed his arms, nodding slowly. “I’m not willing to pay more than a million dollars,” he said flatly.
“You won’t pay more than that,” William replied, his voice firm and confident.
Archie glanced at William, surprise flickering across his face. It was a bold statement, and William knew it. But his confidence didn’t waver; he was already calculating the angles, the weaknesses to exploit. This was what he did best—crafting a strategy out of chaos.
As Harrington leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with a mix of respect and challenge, William could feel the weight of expectation settling over him. It was the first day of what would undoubtedly be a grueling few months, and there was no room for failure.
And somewhere, a lingering thought tugged at the edges of William’s mind—a psychologist he needed to speak to. Dr. Hawthorne, on the thirty-sixth floor. Her name carried a certain gravity, a kind of curiosity that he hadn’t been able to shake since it was first mentioned.
But for now, his focus was on the case. There would be time for distractions later, if at all. For William Jean-Baptiste De la Roche, winning was the only thing that mattered.
Last Chapters
#87 Chapter 87
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#86 Chapter 86
Last Updated: 1/22/2026#85 Chapter 85
Last Updated: 1/22/2026#84 Chapter 84
Last Updated: 1/22/2026#83 Chapter 83
Last Updated: 1/22/2026#82 Chapter 82
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#81 Chapter 81
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#80 Chapter 80
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#79 Chapter 79
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#78 Chapter 78
Last Updated: 1/23/2026
You Might Like 😍
Kaged In
Follow Kage's journey as he tries to heal, falls in love and faces his inner turmoil.
Reborn 14 Years later: Fix My Broken Family
At least, that's what everyone believed.
One moment, she was trapped inside a sinking car beneath the icy waters of the Hudson River. The next, she woke up in her own bathtub and somehow fourteen years in the future.
Her husband is no longer the warm, easygoing man she remembers.
Her five-year-old son is now a nineteen-year-old stranger who looks at her with suspicion.
Her twins barely remember the mother they lost—one forever chasing affection, the other keeping the entire world at arm's length.
And the family she left behind has become something broken, distant, and unrecognizable.
Now Isabella faces an impossible challenge: rebuilding a family that never truly recovered from losing her.
Fourteen years have left scars on everyone.
Unfortunately for those causing the damage, Isabella Winston has returned to set things right.
The Blackthorn Saga: The Heir (Book 1 & 2)
Pulled into a hidden world he never knew existed, Kruz is forced to face the truth—he isn’t just different.
He’s a vampire.
The transformation is only the beginning. Thrust from a life of survival into one of power, wealth, and expectation, Kruz is given a position no one his age should hold: District Elder.
With it comes authority. Responsibility. And enemies he doesn’t yet understand.
And then there’s the bond.
Forced into a connection he didn’t choose, Kruz is tied to a girl—whether he wants it or not. She’s a complication. A problem. A constant reminder that his life is no longer his own.
Because the one person he wants… is the one he can’t have.
As pressure builds and danger closes in, Kruz is forced to walk a line few survive—between duty and desire, control and instinct, the life he had and the one being forced upon him.
Because in this world, power isn’t earned slowly.
It’s given.
And if you’re not ready for it—
It will destroy you.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Omega Bound
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
Iron And Glamour Just Don't Mix
Well… Sometimes you just might turn out to be right.
It turns out, the fae stole my little brother. In his place? A pixie with boundary issues and a talent for home repairs.
I’ve spent my life taking care of everyone else. So when my baby brother is taken, I don’t hesitate. I walk straight into a faerie mansion and make a bargain with its infuriatingly charming master.
Kie is everything you’d expect from a dangerous fae, beautiful, political, and entirely too amused by me. Power wrapped in a smirk. Sensual, mischievous, and far too aware of the effect he has on people. He agrees to help me find my brother.
For a price.
Now I’m bound by a faerie bargain and navigating a world of glamour, manipulation, and ancient rules I definitely should have learned sooner, enchanted forests, political games, magical contracts, and a fae lord who treats seduction like a perfectly reasonable negotiation tactic.
Iron is how I keep people out.
Glamour is how he draws them in.
And apparently, they just don’t mix.
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th 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 in 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 Generation Coming Soon)
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
The mafia princess return
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.












