Carmen Castilo was the only daughter of one of the most powerful mafia dons in the city—until the night her father was shot in front of her.

At his funeral, while the family mourns, Carmen disappears.

Kidnapped from her own home and drugged, she wakes beneath blinding lights in an underground auction where the most powerful criminals in the world gather to bid—not on weapons or territory, but on her.

To them, Carmen isn’t just a woman.

She’s the last piece of her father’s empire.

The final bid reaches a staggering one billion dollars.

The buyer is Nico Romano—the stepbrother she betrayed five years ago.

Once cast out of the family after Carmen accused him of treachery, Nico returns more powerful, more ruthless, and determined to collect the debt he believes she owes him.

Escape is impossible.

Alone, stripped of allies, and trapped under Nico’s control, Carmen is forced to play by his rules—a calculated system of rewards and consequences he calls repayment.

But Nico isn’t the only one playing a game.

While he believes he owns her, Carmen is quietly rebuilding what was stolen from her. Someone murdered her father, and the deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that his death—and her reason for getting Nico’s exiled—may have been part of the same carefully planned conspiracy.

Surrounded by enemies and secrets, Carmen must reclaim her father’s empire before it falls permanently into the wrong hands.

And the one man who might damn her soul…may also be the only ally powerful enough to help her win.

*Please this is a mafia story. If you’re uncomfortable with blood and killing this is not the story for you*

"Did you know that the ears are one of the parts of the body that are completely unnecessary—unless you're using glasses?" I told her, not surprised to see her meet my gaze with venom in her eyes and all the anger she could muster.


She was furious—truly furious—and if she wasn't tied up, she would have thrown herself at me, tearing me apart with her teeth. "Kill me!" she screamed in anger. "I'll tell you nothing," she continued, and I let out a pitiful sigh—a long one filled with exasperation.


"Really? Here I thought you'd want to make up for the wrong you've done, or at least save your mother's life. She's the reason you agreed to do it, right?" I sighed, my gaze low and calm as I watched her head jerk up in shock and equal parts fear.


Her body trembled as tears welled up in her eyes—enough that I almost rolled mine. It was always the same sad story, the same background. I'd seen enough of it.


Chapter 29 - Danger lurking