Before the Storm
NewEraCulture · Completed · 52.0k Words
Introduction
"Well then, I'm sorry to inform you that there's a rampant need for glasses today" he replies.
Lorraine Stuart, your not so normal typical young woman. With having to deal with the disappearance of her twin brother to trying to cope with her hot-tempered father whilst striving to find herself amidst it all. Things have definitely been difficult for her.
But what happens when she is thrown into a fake engagement with Alexander Wayne, a hazel-eyed cocky man whom she detests.
Not to worry, the feelings mutual. At least that's what they thought.
As feelings are emitted, secrets unraveled, mysteries solved, will she be able to hold herself firm?
Will those two begin to fall in love, or would it just be an engagement pact?
And most of all, would they be able to protect themselves just before the storm?
Chapter 1
What kind of trouble have I gotten myself into?
Am I in some kind of danger? Seriously, who did I offend? Were the questions spinning in my head as I stared at my best friend, throwing her my signature grave look.
"Damn Lorrie, you look like a whole pile of shit." Amelia states in her light Spanish accent, her mock worry evident as she ignores my expression.
"Oh, why thank you." I reply in a sarcastic drawl, rolling my eyes.
Amelia and I have been best friends for the longest time. I really can't seem to think of a time when I didn't know her.
I side-eye her heavily, taking in her features.
"'Melia, why the hell did you bring me here at Eight in the morning?" I finally ask, running my fingers through my very rough hair in frustration.
"Oh, for Christ's sake, stop complaining, and calm down!" She grounds out, rolling her eyes at me.
We continue bickering as an all too familiar voice pipes up from behind me, making me startle.
"Oh, wow. I never thought you'd actually bring her. Thought I'd have to put her on a leash."
"Please don't tell me that you guys planned this." I immediately question. Knowing those two, they're capable of doing the craziest of things as long as they're together.
"Aww, have a little more faith in Amelia," he paused to take his seat, "It was all my idea Looney. She was just my handyman." Carter muses, smirking at Amelia.
"Oh, I should've known that it was you, Macbeth. Honestly, I can't expect anything less from you." I curl my lips into a fake smile, causing Carter's grin to falter.
"You need to quit calling me Macbeth. God, I hate it!" he grumbles.
"Then stop calling me Looney, you know how much I despise that name!" I retort. He gave that horrid nickname to me in junior school, and I've hated it ever since.
"You know I really can't, even if I wanted to." He gives me a lopsided grin, and I flipped him off.
"Suit yourself, Macbeth."
"Okay! shut up and Carter, please explain the reason for this meeting and exactly why you couldn't just do it at our apartment." Amelia exclaims, putting an end to our bickering. She sends a sharp glare at Carter.
"Ah! Yes, well Looney-"
"Don't you ever call me that." I snap at him.
"First of all, none of you would have even woken up if I did it at your place." he said, and we reluctantly nod in agreement. Let's just say, we are lazy.
"Well Looney, I did a bit of searching and I think that I helped you score a date with a friend of mine. His name is Wren-"
"Hold up, I never said I was interested in going on a date. No, not after him." I said with displeasure.
"Could you stop interrupting me? Please," Carter stopped me with mock irritation as I roll my eyes at him.
"Look Looney. He, well - we - just want you to move on from what happened with Nate." Melia coos softly, concern filling her eyes.
"I have moved on! I'm just...not ready to start anything with anyone. At least, not yet." I defended weakly, my voice sounding fake to my own ears.
"Please just give it a go. Try it just this once, for us." Carter said while trying to give me a puppy face, miserably failing as he resembled more of a startled catfish.
"No." I stood my ground.
"Come on, please? I'll buy you cookies and cream." Carter says suggestively, moving his eyebrows up and down.
Damn, they've found my weak point! They both know that I can't deny cookies and cream. Sneaky bastards.
I analyze the scenario mentally. I hope I'm not going to make the same mistake as last time, but it's worth a shot.
"Okay, fine." I finally relent.
"Yes!" they chant at the same time, throwing high fives to each other.
"I really do hope I'm not making a mistake by agreeing with you." I clarify because, in all sincerity, I really don't need anyone to add to my problems. I have enough already.
"Trust me Looney, all or nothing." Carter assured me with a winning smile, and that was all it took for me to calm my nerves. If I know Carter for one thing, it's that he'll always do his best.
"What I can't even fathom is how you've somehow managed to drag me over here for this."
"Let's have breakfast then." Amelia snorted, already leading the way to a local diner.
After our little breakfast date, Amelia and I headed back to our apartment while Carter promised to join us later. Opening the door, Brooke came into clear sight, roaming around the living room in clear frustration.
Though I haven't really known Brooke for as long as I've known Amelia and Carter, it's safe to say that we are as close as possible.
"Uh...hey there, Brooke. what's with the long face?" I ask, carefully feeling out my words.
Brooke tends to be fierce when she's frustrated, angry or hears a swear word. I'm careful about bringing her wrath down upon me.
"You want to know why? I leave this house for just five days to my parents, and you've both turned this place to Carter's house! This place is so fudging untidy, it looks like a pigsty. That's my problem!" she shouts, buzzing around in agitation.
I snicker at the mention of Carter's house, and her lack of vulgar language when she glared at me, causing me to clear my throat.
"If you're so bothered, you can start by cleaning it yourself." Amelia states, shooting a sly look at me.
I smile sweetly, settling myself on the couch beside her. "You know, the least you could do is tell us how the party went."
Brooke rolls her eyes at us and speaks in Latin.
"Hey, you know not all of us learned Latin in school." I called out.
She glares at us and we immediately understood what she implied as we got up to clean along with her.
Though she's the youngest, she is definitely the most mature one out of all of us.
Three hours later of cleaning the whole apartment and having a long-deserved bath, I flopped onto my bed and sighed.
Turning my head, I look at the photograph by my bedside and let out a deep breath.
"God, your girlfriend is so damn annoying." I chuckle bitterly.
"I know I'm a lot to handle." Brooke stated weakly, sorrow lacing her tone.
I understood the tone in her voice because that's just how I've been living for a long time.
"I miss him." Amelia says, frowning as she sits beside me while Carter leans against the door.
"We all do." Carter says in a subdued tone, looking down.
The fifth musketeer,
The reason for my endless pain,
My twin brother,
Leon.
Last Chapters
#42 Chapter 42
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#41 Chapter 41
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#40 Chapter 40
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#39 Chapter 39
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#38 Chapter 38
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#37 Chapter 37
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#36 Chapter 36
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#35 Chapter 35
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#34 Chapter 34
Last Updated: 1/21/2026#33 Chapter 33
Last Updated: 1/21/2026
You Might Like 😍
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
FROZEN HEART BURNING SOUL
Then the festival comes to her town, and with it comes Ryder Callahan a rough, loud, motorcycle-riding wildfire fighter who looks at her like she is not a monster. Like she is just a girl. A girl he really wants to know.
But Bella is hiding more than her powers. Someone dangerous is coming for her. And the closer she lets Ryder get, the more she puts him in danger.
He says he is not afraid of fire. She says she is not afraid of ice. Maybe together, they can survive the storm that is coming for them both if she does not freeze him out first.
The Softest Chains
The enforcer's redemption
Tyler Rodriguez is the most feared enforcer in professional hockey, six-foot-three of controlled aggression, paid to hurt people and too hollowed by guilt to care about the cost. When a brutal hit sends rival player Danny Martinez to the hospital, Tyler expects hate. What he doesn't expect is Danny's sister.
Sofia Martinez has spent two years rebuilding her life after escaping an abusive marriage, raising her daughter Emma alone, watching every exit, trusting no one who looks like violence. Tyler Rodriguez looks exactly like violence. She knows better than to let him in.
But Tyler keeps showing up. At the hospital. At her school. In the quiet spaces, she thought were hers alone. And for the first time in years, Sofia's threat assessment comes back wrong because the most dangerous thing about Tyler Rodriguez isn't his fists. It's that he listens.
As their forbidden connection deepens, Sofia's ex-husband, Marcus, is watching, and when he files for custody of their daughter, naming Tyler as evidence of Sofia's poor judgment, everything they've carefully built begins to crack.
Tyler must choose between the only language he's ever known and the man he's desperately trying to become. Sofia must decide whether protecting her daughter means keeping her walls up or finally letting the right person through them.
The Enforcer's Redemption is a sizzling, emotionally raw forbidden romance featuring a brooding hockey enforcer haunted by grief, a fiercely independent single mother rebuilding from trauma, and a slow-burn love story set against the backdrop of professional sports, custody battles, and the hardest question of all: can broken people protect each other without breaking again?
Perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy, Devney Perry, and Elsie Silver.
My Husband's Secretary Wore My Dress
Those words shattered Vivian's heart.
For three years, she endured her husband's coldness and his secretary's endless provocations.
She never knew that the woman he trusted most had stolen her identity.
Or that the man she loved had secretly loved her all along.
When the truth finally came out, it was already too late.
Vivian had divorced him.
She had disappeared with his unborn child.
And she had no intention of coming back.
Five years later, the former ballerina returned as the sole heiress of a powerful family.
Standing beside her was a little girl with eyes identical to Caden Lux's.
The billionaire who once ignored her had gone mad.
He blocked her in the dressing room, knelt before her, and even accepted the possibility that another man had taken his place.
Because losing his pride was nothing.
Losing Vivian had nearly killed him.
But after everything he had done…
Could she ever forgive the man who chose another woman over his own wife?
The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife
Rejected By My Family, Desired By The Mafia
While the real heiress struggled to survive, the nanny’s daughter, Talia, was raised in luxury as the beloved jewel of the Laurent family, pampered by Camille’s parents, adored by her three brothers, and even promised to the prestigious Matteo Devereux through a childhood engagement arranged by their grandparents.
Then the truth came out.
Six months ago, Camille was finally brought back to the Laurent family. To protect the family reputation and prove their devotion to their bloodline, the Laurent patriarch transferred 35% of his personal shares into Camille’s name overnight, instantly making her one of the wealthiest heiresses in the country.
It brought anxiety to all the Laurent family. But what they don’t know…is that Camille never needed them.
Behind her elegant smile lies a woman filled with secrets powerful enough to shake the whole family. She's a miraculous healer capable of curing the incurable poisons.
Yet despite everything, her family still chooses Talia.
Every accusation against Talia is forgiven. Every scheme against Camille is brushed aside. Even Matteo, the man who was supposed to be Camille’s fiancé—cannot let go of the woman he always believed belonged by his side.
But while the Laurent family underestimates Camille, another man begins to see exactly who she is.
Dante Moretti.
The ruthless heir of an old-money dynasty. A billionaire CEO worshipped by the public…and the merciless king of a criminal empire hidden beneath the city’s glittering surface. When Dante is poisoned by a rival syndicate with a deadly toxin no doctor can cure, he offers a fortune for anyone who can save him.
Only Camille can. Their deal is simple: she becomes his personal physician, and he gives her anything she wants.
Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2
Ria and the Balaur brothers never imagined how far their family would come.
After surviving betrayal, loss, and the lies that nearly destroyed everything they loved, they dedicated themselves to building a future. What began as a training facility for dragons soon grew into something far greater—a place where dragons and other species from around the world could learn, train, and thrive together.
Now the facility is flourishing. Their children have grown, many finding their own mates among dragons, shifters, and other species from distant lands. The family Ria fought so hard to protect has expanded beyond anything she once dreamed possible, bringing new friendships, new adventures, and a growing legacy of grandchildren.
As old secrets continue to surface, long-held beliefs about dragons and mixed-species bloodlines are being challenged. Truths buried for generations are finally coming to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew about their world.
Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate
He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.
Ex-Wife, Current Wife
For three years, she lived in the shadow of a loveless marriage. She was the woman everyone loved to hate, the one who supposedly "stole" him from his first love. She endured his cold indifference, raised their son—who struggles with a speech impediment—in silence, and traded her own brilliant career for the thankless role of a trophy wife.
But when his long-lost love returns, she is unceremoniously pushed aside to make room for the "real" family.
Enough was enough.
After he publicly humiliates her and chooses the mistress’s daughter over his own son during a birthday party, something inside her finally snaps. She doesn't just want out of the marriage; she wants her life back. With a secret talent for design and a newfound resolve, she walks away from the gilded cage of his estate.
But as she rises from the ashes of her failed marriage to reclaim her status as a top-tier designer, he realizes the woman he treated as a disposable pawn was the only one who truly held his world together.
Now, the woman who once begged for his attention is no longer looking back. Will he be able to earn her forgiveness, or is he finally too late?
