Novels by Bernice Precious

It was three days after the gala and the Shaw house wasn't as frequently drama filled as it used to. The atmosphere was now tense almost all the time as Seraphina did her best to avoid Elias completely as she was horrified by the sudden change in her husband. She dealt with all business from her office, closing herself off from the unpredictable man who had emerged from the shell of her amnesiac husband.Elias, by contrast, was now quieter, ice cold and detached from everybody excluding the chef and Seraphina. Hell, he was desperate for Sera to at least look at him. Other than that, he was a changed man. The amnesia was gone, replaced by the full, terrifying truth that was far too scary than a man with an empty skull. He knew Dorian was watching, and he knew his every move had to be precise. Which was why he refrained from making a move. Yet. Preston, however, was incapable of subtlety. He saw Elias’s quietness as renewed subservience and was desperate for revenge after the humil

The gala ended, and Elias's clock of doom began ticking. Soon, they got back home and the smell of impending disaster lingered on the air. Victoria did not even wait for Elias to take off the black waiter’s uniform. She spun around in the marble ground, her silk gown rustling like dry leaves, and unleashed a torrent of fury.“You goddamn disgrace! You pathetic, insolent worm!” Victoria shrieked, the volume shaking the crystal above their heads. “Five million dollars! You cost us five million dollars! All because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut and remember that you are nothing! You were my ornament of pity, my reminder to Seraphina of what happens when she doesn’t listen to me! And you ruin it!?”Preston, predictably, sauntered down the stairs, a triumphant smirk on his face. “Well, Mother, at least now we know the waiter can talk. Too bad all he can say is rubbish. Thorne is pulling out of the deal. Good job, Elias. You’ve proven you’re a liability to the entire family.”Victoria

The Grand Ballroom of the city’s most exclusive hotel glittered under the weight of a thousand chandeliers.This was the pinnacle of society—a dazzling charity gala meant to impress high-profile investors and solidify the Shaw family’s financial footing.Elias Vance was present, but he wasn’t a guest.Victoria hadn't failed to perfectly plan for him to get humiliated in the social gathering. As usual.While Seraphina wore a gown that shimmered with the value of a small piece of gold, Elias was dressed in a demoralizing, black waiter’s uniform.“You want to serve this family, Elias? Then you’ll serve at the gala,” Victoria had announced, her eyes glittering with malicious glee. “Stay out of everyone's way. Keep your mouth shut. Don’t look anyone in the eye. You are wallpaper, understood?”Elias stood near the kitchen entrance, feeling the heavy, starched collar of the uniform choke him. He watched the spectacle—the polished faces, the glittering jewelry, the toxic mixture of wealth and

Elias walked into the the local market which was lit with fluorescent lights, a whole contrast to the usually oppressive gloom back at the Shaw mansion. Elias walked slowly down the snack aisle, the cheap, worn plastic bag he carried feeling heavy. Victoria had sent him out with exactly thirty dollars and a verbal list of half a dozen premium, imported items."Don't spend a penny over, you leech," she’d hissed that morning. "And if you buy the cheap brand of salmon, Seraphina will be disappointed. And when she’s disappointed, I'm disappointed. Do I make myself clear?"It was a setup. Thirty dollars wouldn't even cover the imported butter, let alone the wild-caught salmon and the French brie. He was being deliberately sent to fail so Victoria would have yet another reason to scold his wife for her poor choice of spouse.Elias was painfully aware of his presence. He was dressed in a faded, patched shirt and old trousers—the designated "chore clothes." His quiet, handsome features an

It was quite a view from the top floor of the Vance Conglomerate Tower in Dallas. And it wasn't just a panorama of the city; it was a testament to Dorian Croft’s power. The empire he'd viciously inherited, sprawled out in front of him. It was a sprawling network of finance, tech, and defense holdings that his cousin had built and that Dorian had ruthlessly seized. Dorian, thirty-five and impossibly handsome, leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, a smile so genuine it could melt ice fixed on his face. To the rest of the world, he was the brilliant, grieving successor—charming, charismatic, and a financial genius who had stepped in to steady the ship after the tragic disappearance of his cousin, Elias.This was the Croft Illusion.Behind the closed, soundproofed doors of his private office, however, the smile evaporated. The charm vanished, replaced by a cold gleam in his steel-gray eyes. Dorian was a master manipulator, a man whose ambition was a bottomless void, and whose su

The smell of old cleaning chemicals and dust was heavy in the air. Elias didn't mind the dark; it was the cold that was truly his tormentor.The Shaw family’s "servants’ quarters" were not merely functional; they were intentionally punishing.It was a single, cement-floored room located in the deepest recess of the basement, usually reserved for storing broken garden tools. Tonight, it was his prison.Victoria had locked him in with a heavy, rusty padlock. Her reasoning was delivered with a sneer earlier that evening. It was simple: "You're a disgrace, Elias. I will not have my reputation ruined by a tramp who cuts his hand on a flower pot. We are hosting the Mayor tonight. Stay out of sight."The party was a lavish, frantic effort to restore the Shaws’ standing after the recent social scandal involving Preston. Victoria needed a win, and Elias knew his visible presence, his very uselessness, was a risk she wouldn't tolerate.Elias sat on the floor, leaning against a cold concrete pil