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 9

The Royal Palace smelled of beeswax and old power.

Julian sat in his wheelchair in the antechamber of the King's private study. He was wearing his dress uniform, the medals pinned to his chest clinking softly every time he breathed.

Duke Elliot stood behind him, his hand resting on the wheelchair handle.

"Remember," Elliot murmured. "The King is generous, but he is a merchant at heart. Everything has a price."

"I have my wallet ready," Julian said dryly, adjusting his glasses. He was nervous. His palms were sweating inside his white dress gloves.

The heavy doors opened.

King Edward sat behind a desk that was large enough to land a plane on. He didn't look up from the documents he was signing.

"Enter," the King said.

Elliot pushed Julian forward.

"Your Majesty," Julian said, bowing his head as best he could from the chair.

The King finally looked up. He had cold blue eyes that assessed Julian's value in seconds.

"Dr. Harris," the King said. "Or should I say, the man who saved my best General."

"I did what any soldier would do, Sire."

"Modesty is boring, Doctor," the King waved a hand. "You took a poisoned blade for a superior officer. That earns you a favor. Ask."

Julian took a deep breath. This was it.

"I request permission to marry Lady Imogen Sterling."

The King paused. He leaned back in his leather chair, steepling his fingers.

"The Sterlings," the King mused. "An old name. Impoverished. Disgraced by her father's gambling debts. Why her? You could have a Duchess. A man of your talent and your family's standing..."

"She saved my life in the desert," Julian said. He looked the King in the eye. "She is the only one I want."

The King studied him. For a moment, the mask of the monarch slipped, revealing a man who remembered what it was like to be young and foolish.

"Very well," the King said. "But the Duke is right. Everything has a price."

"Name it," Julian said.

"My mother," the King said, his voice dropping. "The Queen Mother. The Levine incident has left her... rattled. Her paranoia attracts parasites. I need a medical advisor in her wing. Someone I can trust. Someone whose loyalty isn't to the old guard, but to the future of this Crown."

Julian understood immediately. The King wanted a spy. He wanted someone to watch the Queen Mother, to ensure no more "Levine incidents" happened, and perhaps to monitor her political meddling.

"I would be honored to serve as the Royal Physician," Julian said.

"Good," the King stood up. "Then you have my blessing. Do it tonight. At the Gala. Give the people a show. They love a romance."

Julian and Elliot left the study.

As they rolled down the hallway, Elliot chuckled. "You just sold your soul to the devil for a girl."

"Worth it," Julian said. He checked his pocket. The ring box was there. The real one this time. A three-carat sapphire from the Powers vault.

They reached the entrance to the Grand Ballroom. The doors were open, spilling light and music into the corridor.

Imogen was waiting there. She was wearing a midnight blue gown that hugged her curves. She looked nervous, twisting a handkerchief in her hands.

When she saw Julian, her face lit up. It was like the sun breaking through clouds.

"Did it go okay?" she asked, rushing over.

Julian smiled. He reached out and took her hand.

"Better than okay," he said. "Ready to make a scene?"

Imogen laughed. "With you? Always."

Continue to next part

Betrayed and cast aside by her fated mate, Elara is left broken in the wake of a cruel public rejection. However, the humiliation triggers an ancient, dormant strength within her bloodline. No longer a discarded wolf, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery to master her newfound abilities. As she rises to reclaim her lost authority, Elara must navigate pack politics and lethal enemies to prove that her worth is not defined by a mate.

Action Fantasy Werewolf

7.4

Bound by Fate to the Billionaire

7.4

Forced into an unwanted marriage, quiet schoolteacher Delina Brooks is bound to Andrew Kingsley.He is a ruthless billionaire musician, cold and arrogant, and he hates Delina from the moment they wed. But Andrew's world is not just his own. His glamorous ex-girlfriend, Camilla Laurent, and his manipulative sister, Veronica, are determined to destroy Delina-and reclaim Andrew for themselves. Surrounded by lies, secrets, and relentless enemies, Delina must fight for her dignity, her family, and her future. As fate twists and turns, one question remains: Will the woman he despised become the only one he can't live without?

Action Billionaire Modern

7.1

Enslaved By The Lycan King

7.1

His grin spread and he leaned closer to me, his scent overshadowing my senses. "I own you and this entire place, Scarlett. Whatever I decide to do to them is none of your business, is that clear?" "I hate you, Asher. I hate you with every cell in my body!" I seethed through my teeth, but his grin only grew wider. "We both know that you are lying..." His fingers moved to my chest, slowly making their way over my breasts, searching for my nipple. "Your whole body can't survive without me." *** Scarlett's holy union to Asher, the feared king of the Forgotten Lands, was meant to unite kingdoms but behind closed doors, her marriage becomes a prison. Asher wants an heir, a throne, and revenge against the family that once ruled over him. Scarlett is only the means to an end. Caught between a husband who breaks her body yet craves her soul, and a trusted friend whose loyalty hides a thirst for power, Scarlett learns that love in the Crystal Peaks is never gentle. It is claimed, twisted, and betrayed. As war brews, dark magic awakens, and an enemy long thought dead returns, Scarlett must decide who she truly belongs to... and how much of herself she's willing to lose to survive. Because in a world ruled by monsters, the most dangerous thing a woman can be is loved. Book 3 of The Lycan King Series.

Action Romance Werewolf

9.8

He Chose Her, I Chose Freedom

9.8

My husband, Keaton, and my adopted sister, Kaylene, betrayed me. I discovered Kaylene was pregnant with his child, a calculated move to secure an heir for the shipping empire my family built and he now controlled. He painted me as a cold, career-obsessed wife who couldn't give him a child, turning our mutual decision to wait into a weapon against me. When I confronted them, Keaton promised to handle it, but it was just another lie. His deception ran deeper than I ever imagined. When a violent figure from Keaton' s past emerged, revealing he had used stolen money to marry into my family, Keaton chose to protect his pregnant mistress over me, leaving me to be attacked and seriously injured. He left me bleeding on the floor of an art gallery, choosing to shield the woman carrying his child-a child that, I would later discover, wasn't even his. I faked my own death, escaping to Ireland to start a new life, free from his web of lies. But Keaton, consumed by a twisted obsession after learning the truth, hunted me down. He found me, desperate to reclaim what he had destroyed. "You're mine, Blair," he growled, his eyes filled with a possessive fire. "Always have been, always will be."

Action Modern Romance

9.8

His Illness Was A Weapon

9.8

For six years, my marriage was a clinical trial. I was the doctor for my husband Jackson' s severe contamination OCD, enduring endless cleaning rituals just for a touch. Then I found a used condom wrapper in his car. I soon learned he was breaking every single one of his pathological rules for his mistress-kissing her feet, sharing greasy pizza. His "illness" was a lie, a weapon used only against me. When I confronted him, he chose her. To protect his reputation, he threatened to cut off my mother's life-saving cancer treatment. The price for her life? I had to publicly announce I was barren and welcome his mistress and their child into our home. My six years of sacrifice, my entire life, had been a lie designed to control and humiliate me. I was nothing more than a disposable tool. The next day, in front of a room full of reporters, he handed me the script for my public humiliation. I tore it to pieces. Then I stepped up to the microphone and said, "I am here today to announce that my marriage to Jackson York is over."

Action Modern Romance

7.5

My Husband's Secret, My Silent War

7.5

On our third wedding anniversary, my husband's "best friend," Jade, told a room full of people about the night she spent kissing a scar on his hip. My husband, Julian, just laughed. He chose her, not me. That night, I found their secret group chat. They called me "the ball and chain." But the worst message was from Julian. He confessed he'd been swapping my birth control pills with placebos for a year, all while promising to be a sperm donor for her. He had held me while I cried over my "unexplained infertility," telling me I was all he needed. It was all a sick, calculated lie. The next morning, he left for her birthday trip, forgetting it was my birthday too. He told me to stay home. Instead, I got in my car and followed them. I was done watching my marriage die. It was time to burn his world to the ground.

Action Mystery Romance

The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

Chapter 9

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