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*

One of the most common ways war broke out in territories was the death of a mafia don—worse when he or she refused to acknowledge that death was even a possibility.


We had just settled into our private booth. I moved to sit opposite Nico, only for him to gesture that I sit right beside him instead—something I immediately rolled my eyes at.


Nico seemed more focused on arranging the plates we ordered, asking questions about the menu and which food I would prefer to try.


"If he doesn't… that's bad, right?" I pressed.


Nico nodded, picking up a fork and dipping it into his spaghetti before offering it to my lips. I opened them on instinct, surprised by how good it tasted as I chewed.


Nico's gaze was fixed on me as he slowly slid the same fork into his mouth and licked it clean.


Instantly, my heart picked up pace as he met my gaze, pulling the fork out before taking another bite.


Chapter 35 - Desire