The Beast Won't Let Me Sleep

In the glittering circles of high society, few names carry as much infamy as Adele's. Rumor casts her as a woman of chilling ambition—one who wed an elderly marquis and drove him to an early grave, then entangled herself with her stepson in a ruthless hunger for power. True or not, the whispers have done their damage: Adele is coldly shunned at every gathering, condemned to drift through ballrooms and salons beneath the scornful gaze of polite company. Everything changes when she encounters Count Vyce, the most coveted gentleman of the era. Yet the count conceals a truth that upends Adele's carefully guarded composure—he is Chris, the penniless boy she once sheltered and cared for before casting him aside without a backward glance. The fragile child of her memories has vanished, replaced by a composed, confident nobleman who approaches her openly, his attention unhidden and unashamed. His pursuit leaves Adele deeply unsettled. Is Chris drawn to her by an affection that somehow survived their painful parting, or does something far more enigmatic stir beneath his charming demeanor?