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The Devil's Collateral

Genre:
Billionaire, Dark Romance
Last updated:
14 Sep 2026
By:
Vera St. James
Status:
Ongoing
Language:
English · 18+
9.8 Rating 35 Chapters
420K Views
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Synopsis

Hot Steamy Billionaire Dark Romance Debt Collateral Superyacht Master Artisan Espionage

When her reckless playboy brother gambles away their ancestral horological atelier in Macau, master watchmaker Isla Laurent finds herself facing ruthless private salvage billionaire Nikolai Kincaid—known across European financial capitals as 'The Liquidator'. Nikolai demands fifty million euros or the immediate surrender of her family's six-century-old legacy. When he discovers that the stolen Byzantine celestial sphere holds the encrypted keys to an international criminal syndicate's offshore accounts, Nikolai offers Isla an unforgiving bargain: sign a thirty-day collateral contract binding herself to his superyacht as his private artisan and captive partner. Trapped aboard The Obsidian Sovereign amidst the glittering decadence of Monaco, the volcanic cliffs of Santorini, and the shadowy canals of Venice, Isla must navigate lethal crossfire, high-stakes espionage, and an all-consuming carnal obsession that blurs the lines between captor and savior.

Chapter 1

The Hour of Reckoning

The rhythmic, metallic ticking of fifty antique escapements was the only sound inside the dimly lit atelier on the Rue de la Paix. Rain drummed against the leaded glass transom, streaking the cobblestones outside with the pale gold reflections of Parisian streetlamps.

Isla Laurent leaned over her workbench, the jeweler's loupe pressed against her right eye socket. With steady, practiced fingers, she used titanium tweezers to position a balance wheel no larger than a grain of sand into the cage of an eighteenth-century tourbillon. For six generations, the House of Laurent had crafted horological masterpieces for European royalty and Mediterranean aristocrats. It was a trade of patience, precision, and steel.

The brass bell above the heavy mahogany entrance chimed once.

Isla didn't lift her gaze. "Atelier is closed for the evening, monsieur. Come back tomorrow at ten."

"I am not here to commission a timepiece, Mademoiselle Laurent," a voice replied.

The sound was low, resonant, and scraped with a dark, gravelly authority that made the hairs on Isla's arms stand at attention. The French was spoken with a clipped, aristocratic British cadence, smooth as aged cognac and cold as a winter river.

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The Devil's Collateral at a glance

Chapters
35
Words
44K
Free online
Ch 1–3
Status
Ongoing
Author
Vera St. James
Updated
14 Sep 2026

Latest chapters

Chapter 35: Dynasties Reborn

Two years later. Autumn returned to France in a glorious tapestry of russet, copper, and gold. In the countryside near Rambouillet, twenty…

Last updated: 14 Sep 2026

Chapter 34: The Wedding on the Obsidian Sovereign

Six months later, spring had arrived in the Mediterranean, turning the Amalfi Coast into a paradise of blooming orange blossoms, azure waters,…

Last updated: 14 Sep 2026

Chapter 33: A Proposal in Liquid Gold

The private triplex penthouse of Nikolai Kincaid on the Quai d'Orsay hovered high above the River Seine like an aerial glass palace.…

Last updated: 14 Sep 2026

Chapter 32: The Grand Horological Exhibition

The Grand Palais in Paris was an awe-inspiring cathedral of glass, iron, and light. Beneath its colossal soaring glass barrel vaults, the…

Last updated: 14 Sep 2026
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To readers

The Devil's Collateral is a billionaire and dark romance novel by Vera St. James. It is ongoing with 35 chapters. When her reckless playboy brother gambles away their ancestral horological atelier in Macau, master watchmaker Isla Laurent finds herself facing ruthless private salvage billionaire Nikolai Kincaid—known across European...

On Booknovel you can read the first chapters of every story free, right here on the website. The rest of The Devil's Collateral, and thousands of other romance chapters, are in the Booknovel app for iPhone and Android, with free coins every day and offline reading.

Questions about The Devil's Collateral

What is The Devil's Collateral about?

When her reckless playboy brother gambles away their ancestral horological atelier in Macau, master watchmaker Isla Laurent finds herself facing ruthless private salvage billionaire Nikolai Kincaid—known across European financial capitals as 'The Liquidator'. Nikolai demands fifty million euros or the immediate surrend...

Is The Devil's Collateral completed?

Not yet. The Devil's Collateral is ongoing with 35 chapters so far, and new chapters are added regularly.

Who wrote The Devil's Collateral?

The Devil's Collateral is written by Vera St. James, a billionaire, dark romance romance novel.

Where can I read The Devil's Collateral for free?

You can read the first 3 chapters of The Devil's Collateral free on Booknovel, right here on the website. The rest of the story is in the Booknovel app for iPhone and Android.

How many chapters does The Devil's Collateral have?

The Devil's Collateral has 35 chapters (about 43,955 words), written in English.

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Catalog

35 chapters
  1. 1. The Hour of Reckoning Free
  2. 2. The Devil's Collateral Free
  3. 3. The Cage of Obsidian Free
  4. 4. Gears and Bloodlines In app
  5. 5. Monaco by Midnight In app
  6. 6. The Salle Médecin In app
  7. 7. Ambush on the Quayside In app
  8. 8. The Velvet Stateroom In app
  9. 9. The Aegean Passage In app
  10. 10. The Master Lock Wheel In app
  11. 11. The Santorini Anchorage In app
  12. 12. Betrayal in the Blue Domes In app
  13. 13. Starlight on the Caldera In app
  14. 14. The Alignment of Solstice In app
  15. 15. The Venetian Fog In app
  16. 16. The Palazzo Contarini In app
  17. 17. Blood on the Grand Canal In app
  18. 18. Extraction and Crossfire In app
  19. 19. The Safehouse in Giudecca In app
  20. 20. The Heat of the Lagoon In app
  21. 21. The Quantum Uplink In app
  22. 22. Passage to the Aegean Fortress In app
  23. 23. The Siege of Isla de la Muerte In app
  24. 24. Breaching the Sea Caves In app
  25. 25. The Vault of Sovereign Gold In app
  26. 26. Volkov's Last Standoff In app
  27. 27. Carnal Vows in the Ruins In app
  28. 28. The Fall of the Syndicate In app
  29. 29. The Return to Venice In app
  30. 30. Burning the Collateral Contract In app
  31. 31. Exoneration on the Rue de la Paix In app
  32. 32. The Grand Horological Exhibition In app
  33. 33. A Proposal in Liquid Gold In app
  34. 34. The Wedding on the Obsidian Sovereign In app
  35. 35. Dynasties Reborn In app

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