Vivian Rose Callahan has loved Nico Vassallo for as long as she can remember. The only problem? He has never seen her as anything more than his best friend’s little sister. At twenty, Vivian has spent her life trying to be the daughter her ruthless father wants, and the sister her protective brother can be proud of. Quiet, observant, and always keeping her feelings to herself, she has learned not to expect too much from anyone, including the man she has secretly loved for years. Then her father makes a decision that changes everything. Nico Vassallo, the thirty-two-year-old heir to the Italian Vassallo empire, needs a wife before he can inherit his father’s throne. With war approaching and both mafia families needing each other, Vivian is offered as the perfect bride. For Vivian, it's the marriage she's secretly dreamed of. For Nico, it's a business arrangement. He chooses her because she's familiar, trustworthy, and most importantly, easy to control. Before their wedding, Nico makes his rules clear: there will be no love, no expectations, and no pretending that their marriage is anything more than an arrangement. But Nico doesn't know the quiet girl he thinks he understands. Because once Vivian stops trying to earn everyone's approval, he begins to see the woman hidden beneath the silence. And the more he sees, the harder she becomes to resist. In a world where love can be used as a weapon, Vivian may become the one weakness powerful enough to destroy a mafia heir. But what happens when the man who never wanted her heart becomes the man willing to burn everything down to keep it?