Driven by revenge for his wife’s murder, River attacks Alexander’s house, disrupting Riley’s engagement party. Her fianc flees, leaving Riley at River’s mercy. Initially cruel and threatening, River is unexpectedly moved by Riley’s courage and resilience. As he holds Riley captive in his lair, his intentions shift, and he finds himself falling for her. Struggling with his dark past and realizing their future is impossible, River decides to let Riley go, hoping she might one day forgive him.

Alessandro D’Angelo. He was my forbidden temptation. My obsession. My ruin. In his arms, I was fire. In his world, I was ash. Then he vanished—without a word, without a trace—leaving my heart and my life in ruins. Now, six years later, he’s back—lethal, relentless, and looking at me like I still belong to him. The masquerade ball was supposed to be just another job—one night, one illusion. I never expected to come face-to-face with the man who shattered me. But I’m not the same woman he left behind. I have secrets of my own—like the son he knows nothing about. His enemies ...

Monsters don't hide in dark alleys. They lurk in plain sight, clawing into your soul with cordial smiles. They wear Armani, they drive Cadillacs, they attend fundraising balls... And they rule the city with a merciless fist. The Familia is a mystery to most, and sitting on its throne is Kage Malvagio. Vile. Sadistic. Painstakingly beautiful. Some say: Ask for forgiveness, never permission. Kage asks for neither—especially when he gets his hands on me. I should hate him. I should run at the first chance I get. But how could the devil be so bad when he looks at me like that?

When I was 16, a gypsy fortune-teller told me my future held darkness and death. She was right. But what she didn’t tell me was I’d lose all my memories and that I wouldn’t recognize the devil when he came to steal my life. Lucca Dyshekov - the Bratva assassin they call Merciless - rose from hell and turned my world upside down. On our wedding day, he taught me real monsters aren’t the ones who hide in the dark. They’re the ones who stare you in the face and steal your soul.

I’ve always gotten what I wanted—by force if necessary. Five years ago, I took Valentina’s virginity and left her behind, never looking back. She was just a means to an end, or so I thought. Now, our families are forcing us into an arranged marriage, and I’ll finally make her mine. But Valentina’s hiding more than just her defiance. There’s a secret she’s kept—a child I never knew existed. When I find out she’s pregnant again, my world shifts. For the first time, I want something more than power. I want her and the family she’s kept from me, and I’ll do whatever it ...