Carmen Castilo was the only daughter of one of the most powerful mafia dons in the city—until the night her father was shot in front of her.

At his funeral, while the family mourns, Carmen disappears.

Kidnapped from her own home and drugged, she wakes beneath blinding lights in an underground auction where the most powerful criminals in the world gather to bid—not on weapons or territory, but on her.

To them, Carmen isn’t just a woman.

She’s the last piece of her father’s empire.

The final bid reaches a staggering one billion dollars.

The buyer is Nico Romano—the stepbrother she betrayed five years ago.

Once cast out of the family after Carmen accused him of treachery, Nico returns more powerful, more ruthless, and determined to collect the debt he believes she owes him.

Escape is impossible.

Alone, stripped of allies, and trapped under Nico’s control, Carmen is forced to play by his rules—a calculated system of rewards and consequences he calls repayment.

But Nico isn’t the only one playing a game.

While he believes he owns her, Carmen is quietly rebuilding what was stolen from her. Someone murdered her father, and the deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that his death—and her reason for getting Nico’s exiled—may have been part of the same carefully planned conspiracy.

Surrounded by enemies and secrets, Carmen must reclaim her father’s empire before it falls permanently into the wrong hands.

And the one man who might damn her soul…may also be the only ally powerful enough to help her win.

*Please this is a mafia story. If you’re uncomfortable with blood and killing this is not the story for you*

The truth was that I didn't understand why I kept holding back. According to the contract, I could kiss her as many times as I wanted—which would be more than enough to turn her on and get what I desired.


Still, it was fun watching her squirm. Watching her deny that she felt anything toward me. I could wait a bit longer, which was exactly what I did as I sat there, composed, without reaching for her.


It didn't take too long for us to reach our destination, which was closer to the warehouse district—the more depreciated part of town. The streetlights were fewer here, some flickering, some completely dead. There were more alleys, more shadows, and beggars lingering in corners, their eyes dull but observant. It was also the part of town that wasn't too heavily protected by the police… which made it useful.


Chapter 28 - Digging for Truth?