How Does The Smoking Mirror End?

Every orphan dreams of one thing—finding a home. When my parents finally found me, I thought I was the luckiest girl alive. But the moment I stepped through their door, I saw her—a girl my age, dressed like a princess, calling them "mom" and "dad." That girl, Cassia, had been living the life that should have been mine. She was their pride and joy, while I was nothing but an outsider. In front of others, she played the perfect sister. Behind closed doors, she made sure I knew my place. I was her shadow, her punching bag. She was my tormentor—my fake sister. I thought my husband could save me from the misery of that home. He was kind, gentle—or so I believed—until he demanded I give up my unborn child, because the only baby he wanted was hers. Betrayed by the two people I trusted most, my world crumbled as I bled alone on an operating table, my life slipping away. But destiny had other plans. I was given another chance—a chance to rewrite my story. This time, I’m ready. I’ll expose Cassia for who she truly is. I’ll protect everything that was stolen from me. I’ll no longer be the weak girl in her shadow. I’ll become my own strength, and Cassia will never have power over me again.

After their biological son returned, my parents sent me away to Exile Island. Once one set foot on that island, one would become prey for the wealthy. Yet, they ignored my pleas, allowing those rich men who arrived on the island to take turns tormenting me. In just a few days, photos of what I had suffered on the island were sent straight to my fiancée, the heiress of an elite family from the capital. She didn’t speak up for me. Instead, she turned around and publicly announced her engagement to the true heir. During an interview, someone asked her about me. Her whole body trembled with anger as she snapped, “Him? I never expected he’d turn out like that, running wild overseas, sleeping around like some kind of degenerate. It’s disgusting.” My parents put on a show of heartbreak. “We sent him abroad to study out of kindness. Who knew he’d behave so disgracefully? From now on, the Yule family has no such son.” After I was tortured to death on that island by those so-called rich people, my fiancée and the true heir held a wedding worth tens of millions. It was broadcast live across the internet, drawing unprecedented attention. However, even more spectacular than their wedding was the wedding gift I had sent them.

Ezra returns after three mysterious years, armed with a vengeance that unfolds like a carefully set trap. The shadows of her past conceal wounds inflicted by those she once trusted, and now, Ezra is here to settle the score. With a heart full of secrets, she navigates the tangled web of deceit, each revelation a shard of the broken mirrors that once reflected her truth. As the plot thickens, the sins of the past come to light, and Ezra's pursuit of justice leads to a gripping narrative where every secret exposed is a mirror shattered, revealing the distorted reflections of those who wronged her. Brace yourself for a suspenseful journey through revenge, redemption, and the shattered mirrors that hold the unspoken truths of Ezra's compelling tale.

The once-glorious empire is in ruins, its capital buried beneath ash, following a bloody uprising. A competent scavenger who has been hardened by grief, Zara endures in the broken world, plagued by memories of the empire's devastation, particularly the ruthless purge that claimed her family's lives. She discovers a secret amid the rubble: a wounded man named Kael who says he is the final heir to the crumbling empire. Zara reluctantly consents to assist him, viewing his survival as a way to make amends. But Kael isn't interested in bringing back the empire he was born into. Rather, he is dangerously knowledgeable about a weapon that could upset the delicate balance of power in the world. An unforeseen attachment forms between Zara and Kael, complicating their objective as they create an uneasy alliance to traverse the lethal world of bounty hunters, imperial loyalists, and rebels. Zara is compelled to face her own troubled past—including the potential that her long-lost brother is still alive and fighting for one of the factions—as they delve deeper into the empire's hidden secrets. After the rebels kidnap Kael and torture him to find the weapon, Zara must decide whether to risk everything to save him or let him perish. Zara and Kael are pushed to the limit by their increasing love and the burden of their common past as they work against the clock to destroy the weapon and keep it out of the wrong hands. Will the fires of their decisions consume them or will they find salvation in a world of ashes?

The night I find out I'm pregnant, my family's villa suddenly goes up in flames. I endure the suffocating smoke and run the risk of being disfigured as I run to my son's bedroom. However, it's empty. Just then, I hear his excited exclamations outside the window. "Monica, you look so cool when putting out fires! I bet you'll get first place in this upcoming Firefighter Challenge!" I'm about to head downstairs to lecture him when a wall collapses and crushes me. As I drift in and out of consciousness, I hear my stern, stoic husband praise Monica Sloan for her courage. If I'm guessing correctly, my husband and son have started this fire to please her. I stare at the door, which is so close and yet so far. I send out one final text before dying of asphyxiation.

She is the last spark of a dying flame. He is the shadow waiting to catch it. Princess Saoirse of Aethelgard is dead—or so the Empire believes. When her kingdom falls to Oakhaven’s iron machines, the last Dragon Princess disguises herself as a lowly servant to protect the world's remaining magic. Her goal is simple: infiltrate the enemy capital, rescue her captured cousin, and end the royal bloodline. Prince Tristan is the Empire’s greatest disappointment. To the court, he is a drunken fool; in the shadows, he is the Viper, a lethal strategist plotting his father’s downfall. When he discovers a "mute" maid with eyes full of murder amidst the ruins, he doesn't expose her. He claims her. Trapped in the dangerous intimacy of the Prince’s chambers, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins. Tristan knows she is a liar; Saoirse sees the sharp mind behind his lazy smile. As their hatred shifts into a scorching, forbidden attraction, they realize they share a common enemy. But with the Emperor hunting the true Dragon, revealing their secrets could destroy them both. The Dragon is hiding. The Viper is hunting. Together, they will burn the world.