The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

I stood in the Royal Hall, clutching a glass of warm champagne while watching Senator Levine laugh. To the crowd, he was a pillar of the community; to me, he was the parasite who had already destroyed my life once. In my past life, this gala was the night the monarchy began to bleed. Levine successfully planted his cameras, the Vance empire funded a coup, and the kingdom I loved was sold off to the highest bidder. I lived through the consequences of my silence. I watched my sister, Seraphina, die in childbirth because the medical supplies were intercepted by traitors. I watched the man I loved, Duke Elliot, stripped of his titles and branded a criminal. I spent my final days in a damp, freezing cell, listening to the executioner sharpen his blade while the people cheered for our demise. The injustice burned in my throat like lye. I died wondering how I could have been so naive, how I could have let these monsters walk among us while I played the part of a perfect, quiet wife. Why did the gods let the wicked prosper while my family’s blood watered the palace gardens? What would I have given for just one chance to strike first? Then, the world shifted. I opened my eyes to find myself back at the gala, the scent of sandalwood and rain surrounding me as Elliot rested a possessive hand on my back. I wasn't just a Duchess anymore; I was a ghost from a future that would never happen, and I was ready to erase every name on my list.

Chapters

Chapter 10

The ballroom was a sea of diamonds and silk. The orchestra played a swelling waltz, but nobody was dancing. Everyone was watching the stage.

King Edward stood at the podium. General Stone stood beside him, the newly pinned Imperial Cross gleaming on his chest.

The applause was deafening.

"And now," the King announced, his voice amplified by the microphone, "we have one more hero to honor."

The spotlight swung around, blindingly bright. It landed on Julian and Imogen.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Julian unlocked the brakes on his wheelchair. He gripped the armrests.

"Julian, don't," Imogen whispered. "Your leg..."

"Help me up," he said through gritted teeth.

Imogen hesitated, then slipped her arm under his. With her support, Julian pushed himself up. His bad leg trembled violently. Pain shot up his spine, white-hot and searing.

But he stood.

He stood tall, leaning heavily on Imogen.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box.

He shifted his weight, a sharp hiss of pain escaping his lips. Wincing, he slowly, agonizingly, lowered himself onto one knee. The fabric of his uniform strained against the bandages, and a fresh, hot spike of agony shot through his side, but he locked his jaw against it.

The crowd gasped. A collective intake of breath.

"Imogen Sterling," Julian's voice was strong, carrying to the back of the room. "I told you I would do this when we weren't covered in blood."

Imogen covered her mouth with her hands. Tears streamed down her face, ruining her makeup. She didn't care.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she cried out. "Yes, you idiot, stand up!"

She dropped to her knees to hug him. The crowd erupted. Thunderous applause. The King clapped from the stage, sealing the union with royal approval.

In the shadows near the buffet table, Isolde watched them. She was smiling, clapping.

Then, the room spun.

A wave of nausea hit her so hard she almost dropped her clutch. She grabbed Elliot's arm to steady herself.

"Isolde?" Elliot asked, concern instantly replacing his social smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, swallowing back bile. She instinctively touched her stomach. No. It couldn't be. Not yet. The timing would ruin everything. The thought was a shard of ice in her gut.

She looked up, trying to focus. Her gaze drifted to the stage.

The King was stepping down. As he descended the stairs, a man in a black tuxedo stepped out from behind a heavy velvet curtain.

He was nondescript. Forgettable. But Isolde knew him. Agent Cipher. The head of the King's 'Special Operations' division-the department that handled things that needed to disappear. Not people. Problems.

Cipher caught the King's eye. He gave a single, sharp nod. The King touched his tie-a signal.

Isolde's blood ran cold as she understood. It wasn't an order to kill. It was an activation signal. A green light for an extraction.

She scanned the room frantically. She found her.

Consort Cecilia. The King's wife.

Cecilia was standing near the balcony doors. She wasn't looking at the proposal. She wasn't looking at the King. She was staring at the exit sign with a look of utter, hollow despair.

Isolde remembered the headlines from her past life. Consort Cecilia Dies of Sudden Heart Failure. It was supposed to happen next month.

But the nod. The signal.

They moved the timeline up.

Isolde gripped Elliot's arm tighter, her fingernails digging into his suit fabric. The joy of the engagement evaporated, replaced by the cold, hard reality of the game they were playing.

Julian and Imogen were kissing in the spotlight, bathed in applause.

But in the shadows, the knives were already out for the Queen.

Continue to next part

Seven years ago, Ella's heart was shattered when the man she loved disappeared without a trace. Now he's back-older, dangerous, and holding secrets that could destroy them both. Drawn into a world of betrayal, lies, and enemies lurking in every shadow, Ella must decide... Can she trust Jerry again, when loving him might cost her everything? Passion ignites, hearts collide, and danger closes in with every step. Their love is tested by revenge, deception, and a past that refuses to stay buried. In a game of love and survival, every choice could be their last. 💔 A gripping, heart-stopping romance full of suspense, twists, and a love that refuses to die.

Action Mystery Romance

9.1

Finishing the Puzzle of My Corpse

9.1

Abducted from her mother’s grave, a young woman is brutally tortured by drug dealers targeting her brother, Zack Smith. Despite her desperate plea for help, the forensic pathologist rejects her, blaming her for their mother's death. After her captors discard her remains in a trash can, Zack is tasked with reassembling the unidentified body. He meticulously pieces her back together, unaware the victim is the sister he despised until the truth shatters his sanity.

Action Horror Modern Mystery

9.2

He Saved His Mistress, Not His Wife

9.2

I was trapped under a massive oak bookcase, my leg shattered, dust filling my lungs. My husband, Dante, the Underboss of the Chicago Outfit, finally found me. But just as he lifted the heavy beam to free me, his earpiece crackled. It was news about Sofia, his childhood friend and the woman he truly loved. "She scratched her arm on the car door, Boss. She's hyperventilating. She won't board the jet without you." Dante froze. He looked at me, bleeding on the floor, secretly ten weeks pregnant with his child. Then he looked at the door. "It's just a broken leg, Elena," he said coldly, slowly lowering the crushing weight back onto me. "You are a doctor. You know it's not fatal. Sofia needs me." He ran to comfort a woman with a papercut, leaving his wife and unborn child to be buried alive in the rubble. I miscarried alone in the dark, tracing the number of a divorce lawyer on the floorboards in my own blood. Three days later, while he was peeling grapes for Sofia in a VIP hospital suite, I packed my medical degree and a single gym bag. I didn't go to a hotel. I boarded a military cargo plane to a war zone in South Sudan. By the time the Ice Prince realized his castle was empty, I was already thousands of miles away, and I wasn't coming back.

Action Modern Romance

7.1

Her Vicious Art, His Dark Obsession

7.1

For ten years, my family kept me locked away, forcing me to play the part of a broken, mentally unstable girl. They controlled me with sedatives and treated me like a ghost in my own home, a prisoner in a gilded cage. But I had a secret. I was a world-famous anonymous artist with a hidden fortune, and I had an escape plan. On the day of my cousin's wedding, my rebellion was accidentally witnessed by a dangerous stranger who saw the predator beneath my fragile mask. To silence him, I dragged him into a dark closet. The encounter turned raw and reckless, a violent collision I used as the perfect cover for my escape. I vanished with a new name and a one-way ticket to a new life, leaving him with nothing but a bloodstain and the bitter taste of betrayal. I thought I was free, that I had successfully buried the girl I was forced to be and the man I was forced to use. Three months later, on a superyacht in Monaco, he found me. He wasn't just some wealthy guest; he was the ruthless head of a powerful crime syndicate, and I was trapped in his private penthouse. He locked the door, his eyes black with possessive rage. "The game is over," he whispered. "This time, you're not running."

Action Billionaire Mystery

9.2

I will never be yours

9.2

Rejected by Alpha Kian and forced into exile, Selena abandoned her pack to forge a solitary life in the wilderness. However, fate takes a dark turn when the King’s guards capture her as a perceived enemy, throwing her into the royal dungeons. As she faces the threat of torture, Selena must keep her identity as Kian's second chance mate hidden. With the lives of her loved ones at stake, she wonders if the cold-hearted ruler has changed or remains the same man who once cast her out.

Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Werewolf

8.3

Revenge Is A Daughter's Sweetest Dish

8.3

The first time I died, it was from a cancer my mother couldn' t afford. My father, who had left us for his wealthy mistress, refused to pay for my treatment. In a desperate attempt to save me, my mother tried to sell her kidney on the black market. She was scammed and left to die in an alley. She died of an infection a week before I finally succumbed to the cancer, alone in a hospital bed. I' ll never forget him telling my begging mother that his new family had expenses, handing her a few hundred dollars as if she were trash. Then, I opened my eyes. I was fourteen again, healthy, watching the divorce happen all over again. My father looked at me, expecting me to choose my mother. "Blake," he said, "you' ll have to choose who you want to live with." I remembered the hunger, the cold, and my mother' s broken body. I met her tear-filled eyes, my own heart shattering. "I choose Dad."

Action Modern Mystery

The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

Chapter 10

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