A Ruthless Bargain.

Amelia Nightshade has spent her entire life surviving. Orphaned at a young age and raised by a cruel uncle who treated her like nothing more than a burden, she learned early that the world shows mercy to no one. Working quietly in a small bookstore with her only friend, Iris, Amelia believed she had already endured the worst life had to offer. Until the night she discovers the truth. Her uncle has sold her. As payment for a dangerous debt, Amelia is delivered to Lucien Cross—a cold, ruthless mafia boss and one of the most feared business tycoons in the country. A man whispered about in dark corners. A man whose enemies rarely live long enough to regret crossing him. But Amelia refuses to be another victim. Instead, she offers Lucien a bargain. A contract marriage. Eight months. A temporary wife in exchange for the complete repayment of the debt that binds her to him. Lucien agrees, intrigued by the quiet strength behind Amelia’s fearless eyes. What begins as a ruthless deal soon turns into something far more dangerous. Because Lucien is a man haunted by a tragedy from his past—the brutal night his parents were murdered and his little sister vanished without a trace. And Amelia is unknowingly tied to the very people responsible for that night. As secrets unravel and emotions grow stronger, Amelia and Lucien must face a truth neither of them is ready for. The woman he is beginning to love may be connected to the greatest tragedy of his life.