Lucian Thorne doesn’t just own the market; he owns the room. Cold, ruthless, and devastatingly handsome, the billionaire CEO is used to getting anything and everything he wants. And for years, the one thing he wants—the one thing he can’t have—is Nova Reed.​Nova walked away from Lucian’s toxic orbit years ago, swearing she would never become another one of his fleeting conquests. She has built a successful life on her own terms, fiercely independent and committed to a career that puts her directly in competition with his empire. She’s the smart, beautiful adversary who holds the power to cripple his next billion-dollar deal.​When fate throws them back together at a high-stakes corporate auction in his opulent penthouse, the air crackles with unresolved history and scorching, undeniable chemistry. Lucian sees this as his last chance to claim the woman who haunts his every thought. He’s prepared to use every weapon in his arsenal—his power, his charm, his absolute control—to make her yield.​Nova knows better than to trust the promises in his eyes. She knows the danger in his touch. But as Lucian systematically dismantles her defenses, forcing her to confront the passion she desperately tried to bury, she finds herself asking a dangerous question:​What if the man determined to ruin her is the only man who can truly save her?​He wants control. She craves freedom. But in a battle of wills, where the prize is everything, the only certainty is that the one he wanted was always her.