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*

I avoided Nico like the plague after that. Like by simply glancing at him, I would catch a deadly disease that would send me to an early grave. Even working at the company, I refused to ride with him, giving excuses and taking a different car to ensure we were no longer in close contact.


Something he also allowed, to my relief. But I knew it couldn't last, especially since we needed to find out who was behind the assassination attempts. Still, it gave me enough time to get my thoughts in order.


Moreover, by the third day, he went ahead and sent a letter delivered by the maid in the evening, stating that the next day was to be the reading of Father's will. Something I immediately got ready for.


Choosing to wear black simply for the occasion.


I had just tied the bow of the black gown I had on when I thought of my father, who I hadn't thought about in a while. Was I sure that he would hand over his territory to me?


Chapter 33 - Father’s Will