People have spent years turning Zakai into some kind of monster. Scarred by a tragic apartment fire that took place when he was only eleven years old, Zakai has lived most of his life hiding from the world. With rumors surrounding his name and judgment following him everywhere he goes, isolation became safer than being seen. Meanwhile, Kinsley never expected a simple errand job to lead her to him. What starts as grocery store runs and brief interactions slowly becomes something neither of them saw coming. Because beneath Zakai's cold and distant exterior is a man struggling with years of guilt, grief, and loneliness. And the closer Kinsley gets, the harder it becomes to walk away. Some scars never fade, people just teach you how to live with them.

Reentry Case 007: Male, 37, assault with intent to kill, parole conditions strict. Not to be left alone with female staff.

IN WICH: Kennesey Jordan is new to Chicago. She spends her first few days there helping her brother pull off his annual Christmas event. But then she met Justice Bennett - the venue owner with the kind of calm that made noise feel safe. He didn't talk much, didn't smile often, and definitely didn't plan on catching feelings for his homeboy's little sister. Between long nights setting up lights, missed calls, and moments that lingered too long - they both started feeling something neither of them were ready for. The city's cold, the holidays are loud, and love's the last thing either of them was looking for. But sometimes, the quietest things hit the hardest.

𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨，𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝖱𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽．

𖥔 ݁ ˖⋆ ˚❆ 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 ⋆❆˚｡₊⊹ ────── CHRISTMAS HEART ───── 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙷 𝙰𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙸 𝚇 𝙺𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙻 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙷𝙰𝚆𝙽 𝖨𝖭 𝖶𝖧𝖨𝖢𝖧 : 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋. 𝖺 𝗍𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍. 𝖺 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋. 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖺 𝖻𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝖻𝗎𝗒 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈. 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗌𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗄, 𝗅𝗎𝗑𝗎𝗋𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝖺𝗍𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗆 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗇𝖽. 𝗄𝖺𝗂𝗓𝖾𝗋 𝗀𝖺𝗎𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖾'𝖽 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋. 𝖺 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝖽𝖺𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾, 𝖾𝗑𝗁𝖺𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗊𝗎𝗂𝖾𝗍 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽 𝗋𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖾𝗌. 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗂𝖼𝗒 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗉𝗎𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝖺 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝖼

"We hurt each other so good it feels like love."

She thought the debt was her father's. She didn't know it would cost her freedom. When India Royale returns home from a night out, she finds more than silence waiting-she finds him. The cartel's most feared leader, a man with ice in his veins and power in his every word. Her father's betrayal has left her chained to him... not in numbers, but in body and soul. She hates him. She fears him. But nothing terrifies her more than the fire he awakens inside her. Because once you're caught in his world, there's no walking away. Velvet chains don't break. They only tighten.

Everyone's biggest fear when falling in love with someone, is falling for who you 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 they were, instead of who they ARE.