For years, Isadora Volkov has been haunted by the memory of the rainy night her mother was murdered. Determined to uncover the truth, she refuses to let the past rest even as every answer seems to lead her further into darkness.When her sister mysteriously disappears hours before a political marriage meant to unite two rival mafia empires, Isadora is forced to take her place as the bride of Lorenzo Ricci, the feared head of the family’s greatest enemy. To Lorenzo, the marriage is nothing more than a calculated opportunity to gain the Volkovs’ trust and uncover their secrets. Love was never part of either of their plans.But as Isadora’s search for the truth leads her to evidence that links Lorenzo’s family to her mother’s murder, the walls they’ve built around themselves begin to crumble. Torn between vengeance and the feelings she never meant to develop, she questions everything she thought she knew, while Lorenzo begins to realize that protecting his wife has become far more important than the mission that brought them together.As decades of lies, betrayal, and carefully guarded secrets come to light, Isadora and Lorenzo discover they have been nothing more than pawns in a game neither of them chose to play. To uncover the truth, they’ll have to decide whether to let the past destroy them or stand side by side, rewrite the rules, and build a future neither of them ever thought possible.

Freedom was the only thing Tessa Montclair had ever wanted.Raised within the walls of Saint Montclair Cathedral, a place the world believes to be a sanctuary but the underworld knows as a breeding ground for spies, assassins, and loyal pawns. Tessa has spent her entire life dreaming of escape. When she finally succeeds, fate delivers her into the hands of the last man she should ever meet.Ivan Morokov.Feared across the criminal world, the ruthless mafia king mistakes her for a spy and kidnaps her. After realizing she’s innocent, he lets her go… only to discover that the quiet cathedral girl is worth more than anyone could have imagined.She isn’t just another orphan.She is the key to empires.Forced into Ivan’s world as a pawn in a dangerous political game, Tessa soon discovers that every person who claims to protect her only wants to own her. As hidden bloodlines, betrayals, and deadly conspiracies come to light, the girl who once begged for freedom begins transforming into the queen no one saw coming.But revenge has a price.And when love is built on lies, obsession, and captivity, choosing the throne may mean destroying the only man who ever managed to reach her heart.