Sunmaru
Bella is eighteen when she leaves her quiet hometown for Manila, carrying nothing but hope and the desperate need to help her struggling family.
Her neighbor, Teresa, promises her a job as a sales lady in a prestigious mall. Believing it is her chance to build a better future, Bella agrees to go with her.
But the moment they arrive in Manila, Bella discovers the horrifying truth.
There is no mall job.
Teresa has betrayed her and taken her to a bar where Bella is treated as something that can simply be bought. Terrified, she runs before anyone can stop her.
She thinks she is finally free—until she crashes into a stranger.
A man whose presence alone is enough to silence everyone around him.
Maddox Valerius.
Thirty years old. Cold, ruthless, and feared throughout the underground world, Maddox is a powerful mafia boss whose name is whispered with fear.
When the men chasing Bella recognize him, they immediately back away.
Instead of handing her over, Maddox offers Bella a deal.
He will give her a generous salary, a place to stay, and protection from the people who betrayed her.
But there is one condition.
She must work under him and follow his rules.
Desperate and with nowhere else to go, Bella accepts.
What she does not know is that Maddox has his own reasons for protecting her.
As Bella enters his dangerous world, she begins to uncover secrets surrounding Teresa, the bar, and the people who wanted to use her.
And the more she learns about Maddox, the more she realizes that the man everyone calls a devil may be the only person standing between her and those determined to destroy her.
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