Novels by Aster_Pheonix

The evening settled gently over the White family mansion, bringing with it a rare sense of calm. The chaos of the past days had finally receded, leaving behind a quiet that felt earned rather than fragile. Warm lights glowed through tall windows, and the dining room—grand as ever—felt softer tonight, less like a place of strategy and power and more like a space meant for family. Dinner had been prepared carefully, with dishes chosen to be light and comforting rather than extravagant. Eva sat at the table beside Chris, her posture relaxed, though his hand remained subtly close to hers, as if either of them might reach out at any moment without thinking. Across from them sat Elliot and Amanda. Amanda had been unusually quiet since they arrived, her usual easy chatter replaced by a barely contained energy that made her shift in her seat more than once. Eva noticed, of course. She always did. Amanda barely touched her food, glancing between Eva and Chris, then at Elliot, who looked com

The garden was quiet in the way only the White family grounds could be—manicured perfection softened by night air, lantern lights glowing low among hedges and rosebushes. Gravel crunched faintly beneath their steps as Elliot and Amanda walked side by side, the distant mansion behind them slowly fading into silence. Amanda had her arms folded loosely, her expression still bright with lingering emotion. She hadn’t quite come down from the joy of the moment—the surprise, the warmth, the sense that something good had finally taken root after so much chaos. Elliot glanced at her, studying her profile. “You seemed genuinely happy,” he said at last. “About Eva’s pregnancy.” Amanda smiled without hesitation. “Of course I was.” She slowed her steps, turning her head slightly to look at him. “Eva isn’t just my friend. She’s been my best friend since we were kids. I know every ugly chapter it took for her to get here. The losses, the fear, the times she almost gave up.” Her voice softened.

The door closed behind him, and for a brief moment, laughter lingered in the air—soft, disbelieving, almost fragile. Then the room settled again. Chris shifted slightly against the pillows, his expression sobering as he turned his attention to Ethan. “What about Mason?” The name carried no heat now. No fury. Just a need for finality. Ethan straightened. “Cara transported him to the Crimson Legion headquarters shortly after you arrived here. He’s been placed in their highest-security prison—isolated, monitored, and restrained.” “No loopholes?” Chris asked quietly. “None,” Ethan said firmly. “He’ll never be a problem again. Not to you. Not to Eva. Not to the White family.” Chris exhaled, a slow breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Something inside him loosened—not triumph, not satisfaction, but relief. “Good,” he said. He glanced around the room then—at Amanda hovering near Eva, at Elliot standing near the window, at Ethan waiting silently. “Please,” Chris sai

Chris slowly lifted his uninjured hand and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear before it could fall. “Listen to me,” he said firmly, though his voice remained gentle. “Your kidnapping wasn’t your fault. It was mine.” Her lips parted in protest, but he continued. “I was reckless. I underestimated my enemies. I let my guard down—and you paid the price for it.” His jaw tightened. “That won’t happen again. I promise you. No harm, no danger will disrupt our lives like this anymore.” She searched his eyes, as if trying to see whether those words were merely comfort—or a vow carved in stone. “I believe you,” she said softly. At that moment, the door swung open again. “Well, well,” a familiar, amused voice drawled. “Looks like the hero finally rose from the dead.” Amanda strolled in with an exaggerated sigh, hands on her hips. “I was starting to think I’d need to attend your funeral just to confirm you weren’t actually immortal.” Chris huffed weakly. “Nice to see

A day later, Chris woke to silence. Not the eerie, suffocating silence of unconsciousness—but the gentle, familiar quiet of home. Soft sheets cradled his body. The faint scent of polished wood and clean linen lingered in the air. Sunlight filtered through half-drawn curtains, painting warm streaks of gold across the ceiling. For a few seconds, he simply stared upward, blinking slowly. …My room? The realization came with confusion rather than relief. His body felt heavy, as if gravity had doubled overnight. A dull ache pulsed through his ribs, his arm throbbed beneath layers of bandages, and every breath reminded him that he’d been pushed well past his limits. Still, compared to the last thing he remembered—blood, pain, Mason’s twisted grin—it was… peaceful. Too peaceful. His brows furrowed as fragmented memories surfaced. Eva’s scream. Mason’s grip. The burning fury that had drowned out everything else. Then darkness. How long was I out? As if summoned by the thou

The door opened, and Charles strode in. For a man who usually carried himself with composed authority, his unease was unmistakable. His eyes swept the room immediately, landing on Chris’s battered form before snapping to Eva. “Eva,” he said sharply, crossing the room in long strides. “Are you hurt?” She shook her head quickly. “I’m okay,” she said, then corrected herself. “Mostly. Chris—he—” “I know,” Charles said, his voice softening as he placed his hands on her shoulders, inspecting her carefully. Relief flickered across his face when he found no serious injuries. “Thank God.” Her throat tightened. “He saved me. He got there just in time.” Charles closed his eyes briefly, exhaling. When he looked back at Chris, something dark and dangerous passed through his gaze. Gratitude, yes—but also fury at the cost. The doctor cleared his throat. “Mr. White, I’m going to need the room cleared. Master Chris requires complete rest.” Eva stiffened immediately. “I’ll stay.” Charles hesit

Miles remained seated while the room emptied around him. Only after the noise faded did he slowly stand up. By then, a decision had already formed completely in his mind. The apartment had to go immediately. During lunch break, he found a quiet area behind one of the school buildings where almost nobody passed by. Pulling out his phone, he began searching through apartment listings with sharp focus. He examined locations, security systems, building access, surveillance coverage, and even nearby roads carefully. This was no longer about comfort alone. It was about safety. The current apartment had too many weaknesses. It was too exposed, too easy to track, and too small to properly secure. He should have realized it sooner. The only reason he tolerated living there for so long was because he never had better options. Now he did. Listing after listing disappeared under his scrutiny. Cheap buildings with poor security. Luxury apartments with public access points. Crowded are

Miles stood alone in the apartment long after Mia’s door closed.The silence that remained felt suffocating, heavy enough to press against his chest with every breath he took.For several seconds, he simply stared at the hallway leading to her room while the argument replayed endlessly inside his head.You promised me.You lied to me.You’re all I have left.Miles shut his eyes briefly and exhaled through his nose before dragging a hand down his face.“Well… that was a disaster,” he muttered quietly.The words sounded dry and almost sarcastic, but there was no amusement behind them. There was only exhaustion and the weight of consequences finally catching up to him.He leaned against the wall near the entrance and tilted his head back slightly. The adrenaline from James’ visit had faded, but the tension remained buried beneath his skin.Everything was changing too quickly.Just a few weeks ago, his biggest concern had been surviving another miserable school day and figuring out how to

The moment the door clicked shut behind James, the apartment fell into a suffocating silence. It felt unnatural, like the aftermath of a storm that had not fully passed yet. Miles remained where he stood, his chest rising slowly as he tried to calm himself. His hand was still half-curled from where it had gripped James’ collar moments earlier. Tension lingered beneath his skin, refusing to fade. “Miles.” Mia’s voice broke the silence. It was calm. Controlled. Cold enough to make his stomach tighten instantly. Miles turned toward her slowly. She sat near the doorway, her wheelchair angled toward him while her hands gripped the armrests tightly. Her knuckles had turned pale from the pressure. The softness that normally filled her eyes was gone. Now she was staring at him like she was trying to see through every lie he had ever told her. “What exactly was that?” she asked quietly. Miles opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. For once, he had no excuse prepared. “Mi

Mia’s eyes moved frantically between the two men as confusion and fear swirled inside her chest. But beneath both emotions was something far worse.Betrayal.“…Miles,” she said softly, her voice trembling, “what is he talking about?”Silence answered her.Miles did not respond immediately. His jaw remained tight while his gaze stayed locked onto James with the intensity of a predator refusing to look away from its prey.Mia’s fingers tightened around the armrest of her wheelchair.“You promised me,” she continued, her voice rising slightly with emotion, “you said you were going to stop hunting!”That accusation struck harder than anything James had said since entering the apartment.For the briefest moment, something flickered across Miles’ expression.Guilt.Regret.But before he could answer, James spoke calmly.“And that,” he said evenly, “is where you’re mistaken.”Mia turned toward him sharply.“What?”James straightened himself slightly and brushed the wrinkles from his suit as

Six bodies lay scattered across the shattered subway floor. Blood stained the cracked concrete while broken weapons rested beside lifeless hands. The metallic scent of death lingered heavily in the air, mixing with the faint smell of smoke and dust from the destroyed station. Miles stood in the center of it all completely unharmed, his breathing steady and his expression calm. Not a single trace of panic or exhaustion could be seen on his face, yet his mind was far from relaxed. His cold gaze drifted across the corpses briefly before settling on the single thought that refused to leave him alone. Shield Guild. “So they’ve already started moving,” he muttered quietly. The realization settled heavily in his chest. This was no longer simple recruitment pressure. Sending hunters after him inside the Outlands meant they had already crossed a dangerous line. Whether the order came directly from the guild or from someone acting behind the scenes no longer mattered. The threat was real

Six bodies lay scattered across the shattered subway floor.Blood stained the cracked concrete while broken weapons rested beside lifeless hands. The metallic scent of death lingered heavily in the air, mixing with the faint smell of smoke and dust from the destroyed station.Miles stood in the center of it all completely unharmed, his breathing steady and his expression calm. Not a single trace of panic or exhaustion could be seen on his face, yet his mind was far from relaxed.His cold gaze drifted across the corpses briefly before settling on the single thought that refused to leave him alone.Shield Guild.“So they’ve already started moving,” he muttered quietly.The realization settled heavily in his chest.This was no longer simple recruitment pressure. Sending hunters after him inside the Outlands meant they had already crossed a dangerous line. Whether the order came directly from the guild or from someone acting behind the scenes no longer mattered. The threat was real either

Robert's facial expression turned sour as he was utterly displeased that Sarah was able to see right through his facade without much difficulty. She had always been sharp witted but he expected that her sense of reasoning would be clouded by the excitement of being given a chance to return back to t

At this moment, Robert was only concerned about forming a successful collaboration with Ace Enterprise more than paying attention to his kinship.“Thank you, Father. I'm glad you finally understood what I was talking about earlier. As you can see, there's no need for us elites to mingle with the low

Theodore hurriedly used the clues he had gathered and was able to realize that everything happening right now was Thomas’s idea. It occurred to him that Thomas must have made some sort of deal with Robert to allow Sarah to become an Anderson again in exchange for her helping the family establish a c

Meanwhile, Ryan was utterly disgusted by Sarah's remark and concluded that he was being arrogant considering her lowly status. As a result he was unable to refrain himself from lashing at her in a stern voice despite Robert's warnings. “You are just an ungrateful bitch, Sarah. This family has rules

“I don't know how you were able to pull it off but one thing is surely clear and that's the fact Miss. Evans must be really treating you well if you are able to afford such a lovely dress and luxury car.” Thomas commented in a flattering tone as he made the assumption that Sarah could only afford to

The party progressed without any more significant ruckus after Robert had stated his verdict. Everyone could only hold onto their thoughts and respective dissatisfaction about Sarah and William’s presence since nobody wanted to take any chances of offending Robert. They could grumble and glare at S