Blurb: When Claire Marco enters Damian's world, she's just trying to get to the bottom of her father's mysterious death. The powerful and arrogant mafia king offers her a chilling deal: marry him for six months, and he'll spill the secrets she's been dying to uncover. But this bargain comes with a steep cost. Her freedom, her pride, and maybe even her heart. Damian doesn't believe in love. He lives for control, obsession, and power. To him, Claire is just another pawn in his game, beautiful, compliant, and a bit broken. But what starts as a simple game of possession takes a dangerous turn filled with passion and betrayal. Because some secrets won't stay buried. And hearts can't be tied down by contracts.
The rain hit the city hard, making it feel colder than it really was. Drops sliced through the sky like shards of glass.
I pulled the hood of my worn-out jacket tighter around my face. My fingers trembled, not from the chill but from the letter burning a hole in my pocket. I'd received it earlier today, and it had set everything in motion.
My last name used to mean something. The Marco family was once a powerful name in Spain, running shipping lanes and vineyards.
But after my father's mysterious death and the betrayal that followed, everything came crashing down. I was just seventeen when the wolves showed up.
Bankers, enemies, and traitors came in and stripped us of our legacy. Now, at twenty-three, I was just a shadow of the heiress I used to be.
I was stuck working double shifts at a coffee shop, barely scraping by to pay rent on my tiny apartment with peeling paint and cracked tiles.
But today wasn't about survival; it was about revenge. And it all started with him.
I walked into the lobby of the Seraphim Tower. Sixty floors of glass and steel, radiating danger. Everything about that building screamed power, and it all belonged to one man.
Domain Cross.
They called him "the devil in a suit." Born into the mafia, a billionaire by thirty, and untouchable by the law. Rumors said his hands were stained with blood, but no one had ever proved it. I didn't need proof. My father had whispered his name with his last breath, and that was enough for me.
The elevator doors opened to a private floor. Everything was black marble with silver accents, and the silence pressed down like a weight. I stepped out, my heart pounding as I prepared to face the devil himself.
Damian stood by the window, his back to me. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a custom black suit that probably cost more than my yearly salary.
His presence filled the room, exuding a stillness that felt almost unnatural. Everything smelled like power, control, and danger.
"You're late," he said, his voice deep and smooth, laced with amusement. I swallowed hard. I didn't realize that I was on your schedule.
He turned slowly, and I found myself staring into the cold, gray depths of his eyes impossible to read.
"You're here, because you begged for this meeting," he said. "Don't forget who holds the power."
My knees felt weak under his gaze, and my voice wavered. I clenched my fists. "I didn't beg; I made an offer."
"A foolish one," he replied.
He started circling me like a predator eyeing its prey. "You want access to files about your father. I own them. Want the truth? It comes with a price."
I lifted my chin defiantly. "I'm not afraid to pay."
"Is that so?" He leaned in, stopping just inches from my face. "You think you can handle the truth? That sweet little face of yours will shatter when you see what your father really was."
"Try me," I said, my voice shaking.
A slow, wicked smile crept across his lips. "Alright, Miss Marco. I'll give you the truth. I'll give you everything you want. But you'll belong to me."
I blinked in confusion. "What?"
"I need a wife," he said nonchalantly, walking over to his desk and pulling out a file. "A contract marriage. Public, legal. For six months, you'll play the perfect bride. I'll provide protection, wealth, and access to everything in my empire. In return... you'll give me what I need."
I locked eyes with him. "Why me?"
"Because you're desperate," he said plainly. "And because I want you."
My stomach flipped at his bluntness. He wasn't trying to woo me; he was just stating a fact.
I hesitated. This was insane. But revenge rarely came easy, and I needed him. "Fine," I whispered, my voice shaky. "I'll marry you."
He didn't smile or gloat; he just nodded like everything was going according to plan. "Good," he said. "The wedding is Friday, and you'll move into my penthouse tomorrow. Wear red."
"Why red?"
His eyes darkened. "Because that's the color of sin."
Chapter 1 The devil in suit
02/07/2025
Chapter 2 The Red dress
02/07/2025
Chapter 3 The devils bride in public
02/07/2025
Chapter 4 The beginning of games
02/07/2025
Chapter 5 A traitor in the house
02/07/2025
Chapter 6 The mask starts to slip
02/07/2025
Chapter 7 A deal with the shadows
02/07/2025
Chapter 8 The leash and lie
02/07/2025
Chapter 9 paper chains
02/07/2025
Chapter 10 Dinner with the devil
02/07/2025
Chapter 11 Beneath the mask
02/07/2025
Chapter 12 Poisoned Queens
02/07/2025
Chapter 13 The mole in the mirror
03/07/2025
Chapter 14 Baiting the devil
03/07/2025
Chapter 15 The mother game
03/07/2025
Chapter 16 In the name of the mother.
04/07/2025
Chapter 17 The Devil's bloodline.
04/07/2025
Chapter 18 The Devils choice
04/07/2025
Chapter 19 The Devil's council
04/07/2025
Chapter 20 The Devil's throne
04/07/2025
Chapter 21 The devil you love
04/07/2025
Chapter 22 The knife beneath the crown
05/07/2025
Chapter 23 Blood doesn't lie, but it burns
05/07/2025
Chapter 24 The daughter of the knife
05/07/2025
Chapter 25 The ashes crunched under my feet
07/07/2025
Chapter 26 The fire that names her
07/07/2025
Chapter 27 The crown of ash
07/07/2025
Chapter 28 A throne carved from silence
09/07/2025
Chapter 29 A kingdom without permission
09/07/2025
Chapter 30 Smoke beneath the crown
09/07/2025
Chapter 31 The Room she left behind.
09/07/2025
Chapter 32 The Ash mark
09/07/2025
Chapter 33 The hollow gate
09/07/2025
Chapter 34 Mask and mirrors
11/07/2025
Chapter 35 The general's debt
11/07/2025
Chapter 36 The hollow gate
11/07/2025
Chapter 37 Fire, crown, and ash.
11/07/2025
Chapter 38 Throne are made of glass
11/07/2025
Chapter 39 Blood is a lie
11/07/2025
Chapter 40 The Phoenix protocol
12/07/2025