To the world, Nero Vance is a visionary billionaire of pure elegance and immense wealth. To the underworld, he is an apex predator. When a sudden syndicate war leaves Ava Cavour’s family vulnerable, a tactical contract marriage forces them under the same roof.Trapped in an opulent paradise on the Amalfi coast, they play a lethal game of psychological chess. She’s a brilliant corporate spy trying to steal his secrets; he’s a ruthless cartel boss determined to command her loyalty.But in a world built on dark secrets and gilded lies, their forced proximity turns a toxic rivalry into an intoxicating obsession. They don't do soft love—they do empire.

CHAPTER ONE: The Girl in Villa ThirteenMy name is Ava Blackwood, and if there was one single, undisputed truth everyone at Ravenshire Academy knew before they even unpacked their designer trunks, it was this: Never trust a Blackwood.The funny thing was, I entirely agreed.I stood before the towering iron gates of the academy, my knuckles white as I gripped the handle of my battered suitcase. A miserable, freezing rain drizzled from the bruised morning sky, but it didn't dare touch the school grounds.