Novels by Crown

“Captain Black—no,” Master Luca Blackwood corrected gently, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “You’re far too stiff for my taste. Rise. We’re not on a battlefield, and I’m no king to kneel for.”He gestured toward a chair nearby. “Sit. Let’s speak as men.”I moved to follow him—but halfway there, his step faltered.It was subtle. A hitch in his breath. A moment where the weight of his own body betrayed him.“Sir—” I caught him just as his knees buckled, my arm sliding around his back before he could hit the floor.His weight was lighter than I expected.“Are you alright?” I asked, steadying him.He waved it off, though he leaned into me more than pride would have liked. “It’s nothing,” he said, voice calm, almost amused. “Everyone has an end, Soren. Mine’s simply stopped pretending it’s far away.”There was no fear in his tone. Just acceptance.“This body’s carried me through wars, blood, and things history prefers to forget,” he went on quietly. “But even black Raptor can’t outrun

They dragged me deeper into the villa, the blindfold tight over my eyes, stealing sight but not awareness. I didn’t need vision. The floor told its own story beneath my boots—the subtle tilt of corridors, the shift from stone to polished wood. The air kept changing too. Cool. Warm. Dry. Filtered. Controlled.Elevators gave themselves away every time. That faint drop in my gut. The low hum riding up my spine.This wasn’t a villa.It was a fortress built to confuse, to trap, to swallow people whole.And yet, my focus stayed sharp.Black Raptor.A name spoken like a warning in the underworld. Not a man you hunted—one who allowed himself to be found. A shadow wearing flesh. People said meeting him meant you were already dead and just hadn’t realized it yet.The guards tightened their grip, fingers digging into muscle. Iron hands. Silent men. Smart ones. But they were uneasy. I felt it in their steps, too quick, too stiff. Their breathing betrayed them.They knew whose house this was.And

Noctis Villa.)The car’s engine died, leaving an eerie silence that made the villa loom even larger. I stepped out, adjusted my suit, and let my gaze sweep over Villa Noctis.Perched on the northern edge of town, the villa’s walls were tall, jagged, and crowned with iron spikes. Its reputation wasn’t the sort that thrived in rumors alone; it had teeth. Politicians, power brokers, even law enforcement treated it like sacred ground, careful to tiptoe where others might dare stomp. Law here wasn’t law—it was whatever the owner decreed.Legends clung to the villa like smoke. Some whispered it was the seat of a mafia lord, a devil clothed in Armani. Others swore men had vanished after crossing its gates, only to resurface days or weeks later—dumped in forests, rivers, or abandoned alleys, their fate a warning etched in fear.I scanned the perimeter. The guards didn’t move, but I felt them. Their presence was sharp, lethal. Tailored suits hid weapons like a magician’s sleeve hides tricks: k

Lyra jolted awake, her small body twisting violently. Convulsions racked her limbs for a moment before her head tipped forward, and thick, dark blood spilled from her mouth. Then, as suddenly as it started, her body went still. Calm, but fragile.Mara pressed herself to Lyra, wrapping arms tight around her trembling frame, burying her face in her daughter’s hair. Sobs shook her, quiet at first, then ragged. “She’s… she’s breathing,” Mara whispered, her voice cracking. “She’s really breathing.”I knelt beside them, hands hovering close, ready to act if she faltered again. My chest felt tight, heart hammering. “How long has she been like this?” I asked, voice low but firm.Jasper’s shoulders slumped. “Five months,” he admitted. “It started with fatigue, small fevers… we didn’t know. Every month, it just got worse.”I exhaled slowly, keeping my hands steady. “It’s Nyx toxin,” I said.Mara froze, her body stiffening around Lyra. “Nyx toxin? That… that can’t be. That’s… a death sentence.”

Jasper stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of me. His jaw locked tight, a familiar tell. When he spoke, his voice was controlled.“Mara, that’s enough. He’s my brother. My blood.”Mara’s gaze snapped to him, cold and cutting. The room seemed to shrink under it.“He’s an assassin, Jasper. A government weapon. A man who leaves bodies behind. I will not have him under my roof.”“That’s not who he is,” Jasper shot back. “Soren isn’t like that.” He didn’t look at me when he said it, but I felt the weight of his defense all the same.Mara let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “You’re blind. Or stupid. He’s a killer, Jasper. A murderer.”The word hit harder than it should have. I felt my shoulders tense, my hands curling once at my sides before I forced them still.“He’s staying tonight,” Jasper said, stepping closer to her now. “It’s late. Where do you expect him to go?”“I don’t care,” Mara snapped. “I won’t share a roof with a murderer.”Jasper’s face flushed red, heat rising

Soren Black.(Blackspire Penitentiary)The gates of Blackspire Penitentiary groaned open like a beast finally exhaling after years of holding its breath.Five helicopters chopped the sky overhead, rotors beating the air into submission. Blacked-out police cruisers formed a silent ring around the perimeter, no sirens, just the low growl of engines and the flash of red-blue lights swallowed by the gray dawn.I stepped beyond the threshold, slinging the thin canvas bag over my shoulder.I pulled in a breath.A figure approached across the cracked concrete apron. Late forties, two stars pinned to broad shoulders, He wore a Stern expression.I snapped a salute. “Director Warde.”For a heartbeat the silence stretched thin and brittle between us.Then his mouth twitched. “You’ve gone Fat, Soren.” I let out a rough laugh. “Five years of prison slop will do that, sir.”We both broke then, the sound rolling out low and real.For a heartbeat, we were just two men laughing under a hostile sky.H

I grabbed the file. Four large words were printed neatly on the cover.Aurelius Vanguard Holdings.I paused and looked at Clara.She met my gaze with a gentle smile and gestured for me to continue.The file was thin—surprisingly so. Only eight pages in total. Still, I read every line carefully, not skimming a single word. The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of paper. By the time I finished, ten minutes had passed. I closed the file and placed it back on the table.At some point, lunch had arrived.The dining table was now filled with an assortment of refined cuisines—steaming dishes arranged with precision, each plate looking more like art than food. I took my seat, but my attention wasn’t on the meal. My thoughts were still tangled in the contents of the file.I finally spoke. “So the legal representative of this company… is me?”“That’s correct, sir,” Clara replied calmly. “Aurelius Vanguard Holdings has an authorized capital of one hundred and fifty million dollars. This

“Yep.” Alina nodded again, slower this time, as if each movement weighed a little heavier than the last. “Although I don’t know what his relationship is with the Cole Group, judging from that woman’s attitude toward him, he must hold an incredibly important position.” Sabrina fell quiet for a second, then let out a low murmur of realization. “So that’s why you wanted to get back together with him.” She scowled, shaking her head in disbelief. “Still… I don’t get it. It just doesn’t make sense. If he really was a rich kid, why did he choose to live such a shitty lifestyle? He even worked part-time just to buy clothes for you. Is there something wrong with his head?” Alina frowned slightly, just as confused. She thought for a long moment before speaking again, her voice tentative, as if she were testing the idea out loud. “What if… it’s like one of those movie plots?” she said. “What if he pretended to be poor so he could find his true love? Someone who would love him for who he is, n

After Sabrina's outburst, the entire lecture hall went silent. Sabrina gave me a smug look topped with disdain and ridicule. With an indifferent face, I opened my mouth. Just as I was about to speak, another voice interrupted me."Sabrina, stop talking dirt. You have been dropping dirty words in every other sentence. Even your mouth reeks of filth now."I turned my head. The person who interrupted was Mario's girlfriend, Lena. Since I borrowed money from Mario in the past, we did not have the best relationship.She looked down on me and would often ridicule me. What was up with her today? I was a little surpsised with this development but I quickly made the connection. She must have learned about what happened at last night's farewell party. She knew that I was no longer the poor loser they all threw cusses at.Instead, I was now a rich person who could spend 40K at the drop of a hat. That would explain her sudden change in attitude toward me. Ay, humans are so materialistics.I sighed

I could hear the low murmurs of several boys sitting near me. Their voices were hushed, but not enough.“…No wonder everyone’s obsessed with Ms. Rhodes.” “Yeah, people lose their minds the moment they see her.” “I heard she’s cold on the outside, but not as untouchable as she looks.” “Come on, you’re just spreading nonsense.” “I’m telling you what I heard from seniors…”Their whispers were filled with speculation, jealousy, and crude curiosity.It made my jaw tighten.I turned toward them sharply, irritation flashing through me. “Shut up,” I said coldly. “If you’re not here to learn, then leave.”My voice came out louder than I intended.The lecture hall froze.Ms. Rhodes paused mid-sentence and looked in our direction. Her gaze was calm, sharp, and unreadable. Dozens of eyes followed hers, landing squarely on me—and then on the boys beside me.The whispers died instantly.The students next to me stiffened, their faces flushing with embarrassment. They shot me resentful looks befo

The night passed quietly.When I opened my eyes again, it was already nine in the morning—time to start a new day.Victor’s bed was empty. He clearly hadn’t returned to the dorm last night. Lucas was gone too; he was probably already at the library, buried in books like always. The only one still around was Mario, sprawled across his bed, snoring like the world owed him money.I shook him a few times, trying to wake him up so we could head out together.“Five more minutes…” he mumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head.That told me everything I needed to know.After washing my face and getting dressed, I headed to class alone.I had two morning classes today, and the first one was Introduction to Management. The lecture hall could seat about two hundred people. Normally, only around a hundred students from our department were supposed to attend.But when I walked in, I froze.Almost every seat was taken.Not only that—most of the students weren’t even from our departm

He shot me an incredulous look, his face flushed a deep, furious red. His expression twisted, teetering on the edge of hysteria.“You’re fighting back?” he screamed. “You actually hit me? You just fucking hit me?!”I snorted.“You were about to kick me,” I replied calmly. “If I didn’t fight back, wouldn’t that make me an idiot?”Before he could react, I charged forward.My leg snapped out at full speed, my kick landing squarely in Victor’s stomach.“Ack—!”Victor let out a miserable scream as his body lurched backward. He lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, collapsing in a heap. He clutched his stomach, hunching over like a prawn, tears streaming down his face. He looked utterly pitiful.“Ethan!” he cried hoarsely. “Do you know how much money my family has?! You’ll regret this! I’ll kill you!”I chuckled softly and walked toward him at an unhurried pace.That did it.Victor’s eyes widened in fear. Trembling, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and bolted out of the dor