It starts with a contract, not a love story. After a mission in Spain goes wrong, Aleksandra Mikhailovna Dragunova, Moscow's Bratva princess, is ordered to marry the lion of Sicily to stop a war. One wrong deal. One betrayal. One forced marriage between two empires that should never mix... and a slow-burn obsession that could burn them all. Hunted by her own world and driven out of every safe house and city, Aleksandra has one way left to survive: align with the Spadaro family. A ring she never wanted becomes her only shield. Domiziano Massimo Spadaro, Underboss and the heir to the Black Lion's crown, was raised on blood oaths and loyalty. His loyalty is the kind that makes men fear his name more than the law. When the contract lands on his desk, he doesn't see a bride; he sees a liability wrapped in strategy. A Dragunov. A woman he is ordered to claim, never trust. Aleksandra led men who killed at her word and bled at her feet. Her rules were simple: freedom over fairy tales. Power over promises. Control over love. They walk into the marriage as enemies, bound by ink, not choice. They promise themselves one thing: do not fall. ~~~ "He was supposed to be my protection. Not my addiction." ~ Aleksandra Dragunova