*Soon to be published by W by Wattpad Books winter 2026*
When beauty meets her beast-a modern retelling of a classic story with one major twist...this story isn't for sweet little girls.
'Keep the Blarcum name strong.'
That is LORD VAN BLARCUM's du...
Amani cringed. She tried to stop those damn words from leaving her mouth, but they just rolled on out.
She slid her eyes to him sitting next to her. He smelled like warm cedar wood and the scent was so intoxicating. Her eyes trailed longingly over his legs to the green and burgundy tartan over his lap. Her heart pounded as her eyes lingered over his perfectly tailored black waistcoat to the burgundy cravat around his neck. He really looked good in a kilt. It was like she was sitting next to the Duke of fucking Aberdeen!
Stop *fangirling* Amani.
She tore her eyes away from him. She needed to calm down and remember her place. She just saw the damn brunch invite. He was going to meet his ex-fiancée. She was smart enough to know why his mother sent that invite too. Lady Blarcum wanted him back with his ex, but Amani didn't know why.
She didn't know much about the Mionlach, but she'd gathered a bit of information from a quick Google search. There were five main Mionlach families: the Abernathys, Fifes, Lexingtons, Pruitts and Blarcums, and they owned a tenth of the world's wealth between them. The rest of the Mionlach was made up of other successful landowners, business moguls and heirs of other prominent families. There wasn't much information beyond that. Just that they were an extremely wealthy and philanthropic group.
She was going to have to observe the so-called Mionlach. That was one thing she prided herself on as a researcher. She'd always been good at observing subjects in their natural habitat. The Mionlach would be no different. She was going to figure out why Lady Blarcum was so determined to marry her son to Lady Fife.
Marry.
Lady Fife was essentially Lord Blarcum's intended. The thought tugged at her heart. She closed her eyes and let out a breath. It didn't matter. It wasn't her place to care if he was promised to someone. She looked at him again. He'd been staring out the window the whole journey and a scowl was cemented on his face again. But she could see the worry and... fear reflected in his somber green eyes.
Damn it.
That look was why she had to figure this out. Those emotions should never cloud his beautiful green orbs. Lady Fife may have left him at the altar, but he shouldn't be forced into something he didn't want.
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"This way, Miss Blake." The concierge smiled and gestured for her to follow him. She looked at Lord Blarcum, but he was already being escorted into another private lounge. The Mionlach lounge, she assumed.
"Would you like me to take your blazer, ma'am?"
"No! Um, no. I'm a little cold, I'll keep it," she said, tugging her jacket closer to herself. She was not prepared to show off her back. She was already self-conscious of her body. The damn shirt-dress Sara and the girls packed for her barely covered her ass. She broke protocol and used another pair of pants from another outfit to complete her look tonight. She tucked the dress in the pants and she'd just refuse to take off her blazer.
