Covert Narcissist

Adrian Cain has no past. At least, not one he remembers. He woke up at eighteen with a name, a guardian, and a carefully constructed identity that led him to build one of the most powerful tech empires in the world. Now, as the CEO of CainTech, Adrian is feared, admired, and emotionally impenetrable, his past locked behind clinical amnesia, sealed files, and a steel wall he doesn't dare breach. Until the suicides start. After two employees from his most classified division die under suspicious circumstances, trauma counselor Sera Vaughn is brought in to assess the psychological impact on staff. But Sera has her own reasons for stepping into CainTech, her older brother vanished fifteen years ago, and the only lead she has left is a face in an old photograph: Adrian’s. But his name back then wasn’t Adrian. It was Daniel Ward. As Sera begins digging into Adrian’s history and as Adrian’s carefully managed psyche begins to crack, long-buried memories start surfacing: a mysterious basement, whispered codewords, and a girl calling his real name. What neither of them knows is that they were both part of a covert experiment known as Project Phoenix, designed to erase identities and rebuild human obedience from the ground up. Together, they uncover a trail of lies, altered files, and fractured lives along with a chilling truth: Adrian may have been programmed to forget what he did… and who he destroyed. Now hunted by the people who created him, stalked by a version of himself he doesn’t remember becoming, and drawn to a woman whose trust he doesn’t deserve, Adrian must face the darkest corners of his past before they both disappear into it. Because some memories don’t stay buried. Some were never meant to.

Five years ago, CIA operative Maya Serrano was assigned a covert mission: get close to Lucien Moretti, the elusive son of a powerful mafia boss, and help take down his family’s illegal arms operation from the inside. Her job was to gain his trust—by any means necessary. She never meant to fall for him. But somewhere between one single meeting and a night spent under satin sheets, their chemistry turned into something real. The next morning, Lucien was arrested in a high-profile sting. Maya vanishes shortly after—determined to protect a secret after she’s abandoned by the agency. Now, Lucien is out of prison. Hardened, calculated, and more dangerous than ever, he’s taken over the Moretti empire and rebuilt it into something darker—and far more ruthless. He’s spent years hunting the woman who ruined him, obsessed with finding answers and making her pay. When he finally tracks her down, she’s living under a new identity and working as a private security consultant—completely unaware of who he’s become. However, their parts are fated to cross during a government investigation into his company. But this time, he won’t fall for the act. This time, she’ll break. But the moment he sees her daughter, everything changes. Because the little girl has his eyes. Now, the game of revenge spirals into something far more dangerous. A figure from the past is blackmailing Maya with the truth only he knows. The Moretti family will do anything to get Lucien out of the way—even if it means going after the people dear to him. And Maya will do anything to protect the life she now has. As the lines between love and hate blur, Lucien and Maya are forced to make choices that will either make or break them.

In my third year of covert work along the border for Alpha Cole Grayson, the chairman of the Alliance, I was urgently summoned back to my pack by my mother. Apparently, my mom has used the pack's benefits as leverage to pick out a powerful mate for me. All the she-wolves envy me. After all, my mate is Alpha Leo Wagner of the Moon pack. He's the most outstanding werewolf among his peers, be it his identity, social standing, or capabilities. When Alpha Cole receives the news, he has a tiara custom-made before having it delivered to the venue where the marking ceremony will be held. "Thank you for your contributions to the Alliance over the past three years. I hope you'll live a happy life from now on." These are the words Alpha Cole left me with before leaving. But when I arrive at the Moon pack, I find out that Leo's secretary, Aria Thornwell, has worn the tiara. I berate her angrily, "That's the tiara representing the Luna's status! Give it back to me!" But Aria merely polishes the tiara on her head. She shows no intention of wanting to remove it. "What do you mean 'yours'? This is my tiara! Leo has already ordered me to attend the marking ceremony as your representative! "You're just a lowly she-wolf from a backwater pack, after all! You'll only humiliate everyone by attending such a grand ceremony!" I huff coldly before tearing the tiara off Aria's head. With her screams serving as the background ambience, I use my mind-link to contact Leo on the spot. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation right now. Otherwise, I don't mind stripping the Alpha title off you."