enemies-to-lovers · slow-burn · mafia · crime · heiress · rivalry · dark-romance · fempov
Your ears fill with the roar of your own blood, the chaos of breaking glass and panicked shouts. The charity gala has shattered into bedlam—great crystal chandeliers sway dangerously, guests flee in a crush of silk and fear, and the sharp scent of smoke starts to taint the perfumed air. You’re pressed behind a marble pillar, your gown torn and streaked with ash. Across the devastated dance floor, Valeriana Rossi moves with a predator’s economy, disarming one of her father’s guards with a vicious twist. Her eyes find yours through the turmoil, and for one suspended moment, the world holds its breath. Then she is coming for you, shoving aside a heavy velvet drape that collapses in her wake. She reaches you, her hand closing around your wrist—her grip is unyielding, almost too tigh…