Novels by ICITY

Chapter Five: A New GuardRichard Miller arrived at the hospital forty minutes after receiving the call, his face pale, his hands unsteady as he pushed through the emergency room doors and found his daughter sitting in a private room, unharmed but shaken, a police officer taking notes nearby."Serena." He crossed the room in three strides and pulled her into his arms, holding her the way he hadn't held her since she was a child. "Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?""I'm fine, Dad. I'm fine." She held onto him for a long moment before pulling back, her voice steadier than she felt. "He saved me. The man who found me in the garage — he saved my life."Richard turned, finally noticing the man standing quietly near the window, arms crossed, watching the room with the careful attention of someone still assessing threats even in a hospital surrounded by police officers. Axel had refused medical attention for the minor cuts on his knuckles, insisting he was fine, and had spent the last half ho

Chapter Four: The First AttackTwo days after canceling her wedding, Serena Miller attended a charity gala at the Whitmore Hotel — a commitment she'd made months earlier and refused to cancel, no matter how many reporters camped outside the Miller mansion hoping for a photograph of the runaway bride."You don't have to do this," Talia said, adjusting the strap of Serena's emerald green gown in the hotel's private elevator. "Nobody would blame you for staying home.""If I stay home, they win," Serena said, checking her reflection in the elevator's mirrored wall. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was perfect. Nothing about her appearance suggested a woman whose entire future had collapsed in the span of one overheard conversation. "I'm not going to hide from Mason Briggs. I'm not going to hide from anyone."Talia smiled, though worry still lingered behind her eyes. "That's the Serena I know."Downstairs, the ballroom of the Whitmore Hotel had been transformed for the evening — crystal ch

Chapter Three: Broken VowsThe morning of what should have been her final wedding preparations, Serena Miller sat in her father's office with her hands folded in her lap and told him she was calling off the wedding.Richard Miller set down his pen slowly. "Say that again.""I'm not marrying Mason." Her voice was steady, though her heart hammered against her ribs. She had rehearsed this conversation a dozen times in the shower, in the car, in the mirror, and every version ended the same way — with her father's face going pale, then red, then confused. "I overheard him two nights ago. He's been planning this since he was twelve years old, Dad. He doesn't love me. He wants the company. He said it himself, to another woman, in his own apartment."For a long moment, Richard said nothing. Then he asked the question she'd been dreading. "Do you have proof?""I have my own ears.""Serena." Her father's voice was gentle but firm, the voice he used in board meetings when he needed to steer a ro

Chapter Two: No NamesAxel Vaughn had not planned to attend the masquerade.He had planned, as he did most nights, to sit alone in his small apartment above a laundromat in Queens, drink one beer too slowly, and stare at the ceiling until exhaustion finally dragged him into sleep. That was the routine that had kept him breathing for the past two years — routine, silence, and distance from anything that resembled the life he used to have.But his old friend Marcus, one of the few people from his past who still bothered checking in on him, had shown up at his door that evening with two tickets to a charity masquerade and a look on his face that said he wasn't leaving without Axel."You've turned into a ghost," Marcus told him, standing in the doorway like he expected Axel to slam the door in his face. "Ghosts don't leave their apartments. Ghosts don't answer their phones. I'm not asking you to come, Axel. I'm telling you. One night. Wear a mask. Nobody has to know who you are."Axel alm

Chapter One: The Bride Who DoubtedThe Miller mansion glowed like a jewel box that morning. White roses filled every hallway. Silver ribbons wrapped around the staircase. Somewhere in the kitchen, a small army of caterers argued about cake tiers, and outside, workers were still building the wedding arch on the east lawn, the one that would frame Serena Miller and Mason Briggs in front of three hundred guests in six days.Serena stood at her bedroom window, watching the arch take shape, and felt nothing.That worried her more than anything."You're supposed to be smiling," said a voice behind her. Her best friend, Talia Reyes, walked in without knocking, carrying two cups of coffee and wearing the expression of someone who already knew the answer before she asked the question. "Brides smile. It's in the contract.""I'm smiling on the inside," Serena said."Liar." Talia handed her a cup and sat on the edge of the bed. "You've had that look for two weeks. The one where your face is doing