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*

I was losing control. I could feel it as pulled her closer to my body until I could feel every bit of her through the gown she wore. It was black but the material was light and made it easy enough. Her lips were extraordinarily soft. Even more surprising was the feeling of her kissing me so slowly I could trace the thought in her head before it manifested.


The sound of her heart hammering in her chest in tune with mine but I wanted more. I knew there was more and control wasn't something that pleased me not when it came to the one thing control wasn't needed.


She nibbled on my lips almost like she was scarred to bite and take whatever she wanted but the constant feel of her tongue was enough to appease me as I wrapped my arms around her waist. It was nice and I was almost content until I felt her pull away.


Chapter 41 - Losing Control