valente

"Hate was the only thing between us—until it wasn’t." -ISLA- Revenge is my birthright. Ever since the fire that claimed my brother and shattered my family, I’ve rebuilt the Moreau empire from the ashes. But every brick I’ve laid, and deal struck has come with one goal in mind: uncovering the truth behind that night. Ciaran Valente is the man I’ve hated since I learned how to hate. Infuriating, cruel, and too clever for his own good, he thrives in darkness, just like I do. But when the ghosts of my past tie his family to my brother’s death, my hatred becomes the least dangerous thing between us. Because Ciaran doesn’t just step into my world—he consumes it. He sees through my armor, breaks down my defenses, and dares to turn my pain into something far more dangerous than vengeance: desire. But love doesn’t exist for people like us. Only power. Only lies. And when the masks come off, one truth will destroy us both. -CIARAN- Isla Moreau is my personal form of torment. Sharp-tongued, calculating, and as untouchable as ice. I’ve craved breaking her for years—not just to prove I could, but because there’s nothing more tempting than watching a queen fall. But Isla isn’t a game. She’s fire wrapped in steel, and she hides secrets even darker than my own. When the past collides with the present, revealing the cracks in our perfect façades, I discover something I didn’t think I was capable of: obsession. She consumes me—mind, body, and soul. But while I want to own her, she wants vengeance. While I crave her surrender, she wants the truth. And in the end, we’re not just enemies. We’re fated to ruin each other.

Five days before my wedding, a group of MadeMen drag me to an underground casino. "I'm the fiancé of Lorenzo Gambino, Don of the Gambino family and Gambino Corporation! Think of the consequences you'll face if you dare touch a hair on my head!" My stern warning is met by mocking laughter. I curl up in agony under the brutal blows of their baseball bats; they pierce my ankles with sharp blades, severing my tendons. I gather the remnants of my consciousness to shield my abdomen, where my and Lorenzo's child grows. Lorenzo finally arrives with hired mercenaries. He razes the underground casino to the ground and saves me. I lie on the hospital bed and force myself to hang on. I don't want to end up in a coma. Unexpectedly, I overhear Lorenzo's conversation with a doctor. "It's not too late to operate, Boss. If we delay this any longer, Ms. Jones won't be able to stand anymore! There are many other ways for you to marry Ms. Valente—why did you have to do this to Ms. Jones?" "Being crippled is the only way Renee will obediently accept my and Kelly's child. I can keep a cripple by my side but not a troublemaker. Kelly values ceremony more than anything—I promised her I would give her a perfect wedding," Lorenzo says coldly. "But… Ms. Jones is pregnant. She's four months along…" "Make her miscarry, then." Tears stream down my face without anyone noticing. It turns out no one wants to bless the wedding I've been looking forward to. If so, any woman who wants to be Lorenzo's wife can have him. He's just a small mafia boss, anyway. I'm going back to being the heiress of the East Coast mafia's Don. I'll be the queen of my own life.