Dante Valentino is the heir to one of Italy's oldest and most feared Mafia dynasties. Born into blood, raised by violence, and crowned through betrayal, he is a man who has never known mercy.At thirty-two, Dante controls the Valentino empire with an iron fist. Politicians answer his calls. Police officers look the other way. Men who betray him disappear.He doesn't believe in love.He believes in loyalty, power, and fear.Then comes Aria Moretti.An orphan with a mysterious past, Aria has spent her life surviving in the shadows of the powerful families that destroyed her own. She is gentle but not weak, intelligent but unaware of the darkness surrounding her.When circumstances force her into Dante's world, she becomes his wife.At first, their marriage is nothing more than a contract.Dante gives her protection.Aria gives him an heir and a respectable name beside his.But Aria soon discovers that her cold, merciless husband has secrets buried beneath his carefully constructed empire.And Dante discovers something far more dangerous than an enemy.He discovers a woman who makes him want to live.When old enemies return, blood begins to spill across Italy. A traitor hides within Dante's family. Someone is hunting Aria. And the truth about her parents' deaths threatens to destroy everything Dante has built.To protect his wife, Dante must become the monster everyone believes him to be.But to keep her heart, he must learn how to become a man worthy of her love.