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*

His tongue coiled against mine, tasting as I slid mine against his. He tasted sweet, and I wanted more. It was all I could do to clamp my hands against the table so as not to wrap them around his neck.


He was slow but twice as passionate. He wasn't gentle, and there was a sense of urgency, as though he was intent on exploring every inch of my mouth—and even then, it still wasn't enough, something I understood all too well. Soon, I couldn't hold back anymore.


I took his lips in mine and kissed him back, my hand slipping around his neck, which made him pause for the barest of seconds—only for him to continue with more intensity and fervor. His lips ground against mine as his tongue tasted every inch of me, and I him. Our breaths were heavy, uneven, and I could hear nothing else until the waiter appeared in front of our booth.


Chapter 36 - Cold