Crimson Ties

Chapter One: The Art of Deception

Lila had always prided herself on reading people—a skill that kept her thriving in the art world, where deception was an art form itself. But when Nico Amato sauntered into her gallery’s private auction, she felt something shift. It wasn’t just the way he carried himself with effortless confidence, or how his eyes lingered just long enough to be dangerous—it was the way he seemed to know things about her that she hadn’t told a soul.

At first, he was just another potential buyer. His reputation as a billionaire tech mogul preceded him, and Lila wasn’t one to turn away a high-roller. But something about his smile—sharp as broken glass—warned her there was more to him than the smooth-talking CEO he claimed to be. She should have walked away. But then again, she had always been drawn to dangerous things.

Their first meeting was electric, a verbal sparring match beneath crystal chandeliers. He spoke of art with the ease of someone raised on it, yet there was something too precise about the way he dissected every painting, as if looking for hidden codes. Nico’s charm pulled her in, but his sudden disappearances and whispered phone calls hinted at something darker.

When Lila learns Nico isn't just a billionaire but an heir to one of Italy's most feared mafia families, it’s already too late—her heart is tangled in the web he’s spun. Every encounter between them is a dance on the edge of a knife. She sees glimpses of his violent world: the shadows of bodyguards that follow him like ghosts, the business rivals who seem to vanish, and the cryptic warnings from his closest associates.

The deeper she falls for Nico, the more dangerous the stakes become. Lila knows that staying in his world means becoming part of it. But leaving isn’t so simple either—because the Amato family doesn’t forgive, and Nico isn’t a man who lets go of what he claims as his own.

Now, Lila must make an impossible choice: betray the man she’s come to love and run before the darkness closes in, or embrace his world and risk losing herself to it. But with every secret she uncovers, the line between love and destruction blurs—until she can’t tell where passion ends and danger begins.

And the question remains:
Is Nico her escape from a life of monotony, or the beginning of her undoing?

Hey 👋☺️ guys
It's my first novel 😍😘and am really excited.....XOXO😎💕💞👅👥