Nicole never wanted anything to do with the shadows of New York’s underworld. A fiercely independent bartender scraping by in Brooklyn, she’s built walls higher than the city skyline to protect her heart after a childhood scarred by abandonment. But when she witnesses a brutal execution in a back alley—one ordered by the man who controls half the city’s shadows—she becomes a loose end the Rossi crime family can’t afford. Damiano Rossi is the untouchable Mafia billionaire kingpin: cold, calculating, and devastatingly handsome. With slicked-back hair, a body forged in violence and luxury, and eyes that promise ruin, he rules an empire built on blood and billions. To silence the witness who could destroy him, he offers her one choice: become his wife in name only, a shield against rivals and feds. She’ll live in his penthouse, wear his ring, play the devoted bride—and hate him every second. Nicole vows to escape the cage of silk and steel, but Damiano’s touch ignites something dangerous in her. Every glare turns to fire, every argument crackles with unspoken want. As enemies close in—a traitorous brother, a vengeful rival family, and her own buried secrets—Nicole must decide if the man she hates is the only one who can save her… or if loving him will be the deadliest risk of all. In a world where trust is a bullet and desire is a weapon, hate might be the only thing strong enough to become love.
