LOGINThe craziest thing I’ve ever done was let a dangerous man touch me, and not pull away. “Trust me.” Words like that could mess you up in this line of work. Then he did something I didn’t expect, he stretched out a hand. Even I knew when not to doubt a helping hand. I sighed. Well, roadkill it is then. I clasped his hand and his firm grip pulled me up out of the line of fire. *** Cake Coogan survives by her fists and her fury, spending her life fighting in underground rings to keep herself and her mother alive. But one stolen payout, one stranger’s intervention, and one accidental bag switch drops her into the crosshairs of Nico Vescari. Nico Vescari; mafia heir, feared and ruthless, a man who kills with a steady pulse—wants his money back. What he gets instead is Cake: the girl with the iron fists, mismatched eyes, and a journal he should never have read. Fascinated, furious, and threatened by how she makes him feel, he gives her a choice that isn’t a choice at all—marry him for a year… or lose the only family she has left. Cake becomes both weapon and wife. She’s pulled between power plays, underground fights, and a man whose touch feels like fire even when she swears she hates him. Nico’s family is dangerous, his enemies worse, and his rules suffocating, but the most lethal thing between them is the feral desire none of them want. As bodies fall and alliances burn, Cake is forced to choose between revenge and the man who has broken her, protected her, and ruined her life in equal measure. In a story of obsession, and betrayal,only the strongest survive. And Cake Coogan is not prey.
View MoreEPILOGUE~CAKE~ I woke up before the sun. Our son, Arlo Enzo Vescari, was still sleeping soundly in the crib beside our bed, tiny fists curled near his face.Naming him had been one of the easiest decisions Nico and I had ever made. Enzo had spent the past year carrying this family on his back. Naming our son after him felt right.He had pretended not to care when we told him.The man had stared at the birth certificate for almost a full minute before looking away and muttering something about us being dramatic. Later that night, I caught him sitting beside Arlo’s crib alone, holding one of the baby’s tiny socks in his hand.Nico swore he had never seen Enzo that close to tears.I had.And somehow, that made me love the name even more.I had been ovulating for two days straight. Nico stirred when I climbed on top of him, his hands finding my hips like they belonged there. He was hard before he even opened his eyes.“Morning,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.I didn’t answer with
~NICO~The meeting had been going for almost two hours. I sat at the head of the table and listened as the new council members discussed the expanded shipment routes through the eastern ports. Two years passed and I already rebuilt what was lost. I had chosen every person sitting around this table myself. Only those who had stood by me when everything fell apart earned a seat. Russell was one of them. His loyalty had been absolute. I gave him the position without hesitation.The routes looked solid. Profits were climbing steadily. The families who had wavered during Tomaso’s betrayal had either fallen in line or been removed. The clan was stable again. Not the same as it had been under my father, but better in some ways. I had learned the cost of trust the hard way.My mind drifted to Cake.Two years had changed us. The contract that brought her into my life was long gone. I destroyed it myself and signed new marriage certificates instead.Somewhere between the fights, the grief, and
~CAKE~I sat on the terrace of the villa with a glass of orange juice in my hand, scrolling through my phone for the third time in ten minutes.France was nice.For the first week, I thought I would enjoy it. By the second week, I was ready to start arguments with strangers for entertainment.Almost two months had passed since the war.Two months since Tomaso died.Two months since the Vescari mansion burned to the ground.Most days, Nico slept longer than he used to. Gustavo said that was normal. Apparently almost bleeding to death came with side effects.Personally, I thought he was being dramatic.I took a slow sip of my juice and let my thoughts wander back.Not to the worst parts. I tried not to think about those too often. Whenever I did, I usually ended up staring at a wall for the rest of the day.Just the shape of it all. Everything that happened after that night.Tomaso was dead. Nico killed him in the old courtyard of the Vescari mansion.I only saw part of the fight.By th
~CAKE~Elianna stood beside the black SUV with her arms folded tightly across her chest while Javier loaded the last bags into the trunk. The engine was already running, a low rumble that matched the tension in the air. She looked at me like she was waiting for me to change my mind.“You can still come with us.”I looked away, staring at the dark lawn instead. “No.”“Cake.”“No.”Javier wisely kept his mouth shut and continued securing the bags. He moved with the efficiency of someone who had done this kind of thing many times before. I appreciated that he didn’t try to convince me. At least one person understood that pushing me right now was pointless.Elianna blew out a frustrated breath. “You are being impossible.”I snorted. “You only noticed that now?”She wasn’t amused. Neither was I, if I was being honest. The difference was that sarcasm was cheaper than therapy, and right now I needed every cheap defense I could get. My stomach still ached from the surgery, and I wasn’t about
~NICO~ “She called you a bitch.” Enzo’s amused voice is the last thing I want to hear right now. The sound of it echoes in the silent VIP corridor and grates on my last nerve.I ignore the idiot, my hand sliding into my pocket. But the smooth tingle of her wrist in my palm refuses to fade.“She’
~CAKE~I’m sitting at the back of Eliana’s SUV, staring out the window while she complains.“Like who does that?” She fumes, her voice soft and incapable of rising above a certain octave. “How else am I supposed to get work experience without getting hired?” I hum in agreement, my mind occupied wi
~CAKE~ It’s four in the morning when I unlock the door to the apartment and find two men standing inside like soldiers. My senses dulled after the long walk through the quiet streets of Rome, immediately coming alert. My mother is seated at the kitchen table, looking frail in the weak light, her
~CAKE~ I’ve always been a fighter. From my childhood, when I answered the bullies with my fists. I’ve always loved violence, craved it, and went out of my way to make sure I punch someone. It’s no wonder that I’m currently in the business of beating people up for money. It’s no wonder that I’m da






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