He's her father's best friend. She's the one line he swore never to cross. But when a freak accident forces them to share a penthouse, temptation becomes inevitable. Aria Blake never expected to spend two weeks living with Ethan Ward-the enigmatic, brooding man she's secretly wanted for years. Her father's business partner. Seventeen years older. Off-limits in every way. But when her apartment floods and her father arranges a "temporary solution," Aria finds herself under Ethan's roof-and dangerously close to everything she's ever desired. Ethan has built an empire on control. Discipline. Restraint. But Aria? She's chaos wrapped in soft skin and sharp wit. And the longer she's in his home, the harder it becomes to deny the heat simmering between them. He knows it's wrong. She's too young. Too forbidden. Too his best friend's daughter. But Aria isn't a girl anymore. And she's not interested in rules. As tension gives way to touch and late-night stares turn into stolen moments, Ethan and Aria spiral into a dangerous game of seduction and secrecy. But with the truth closing in and hearts on the line, they'll both have to ask: Is it lust, obsession-or something neither of them can survive without?

On his fourteenth birthday, Ciaran Vale’s world was drenched in blood — his entire family, slaughtered by a ruthless rival mafia clan. Sworn to avenge their deaths, he rose through the shadows, becoming a merciless kingpin known as The Devil of Mercy Street. Six years later, on the very day his family was destroyed, he exacted his brutal revenge — sparing no one. Except for one. A trembling six-year-old girl in a tiger onesie, clutching a worn bunny doll — the last surviving member of the enemy family. What should have been mercy turned into obsession. He took her in, hiding the truth of his sins beneath a facade of cold protection. Years pass. She grows into a beautiful, vibrant woman — unaware that the man she adores is the monster who erased her past. Now, at twenty-one, the lines between guardian and lover blur, and forbidden feelings ignite in the darkest corners of their fractured world. In a game ruled by blood and vengeance, can love bloom from the ashes… or will the secrets that bind them destroy everything?