After a devastating tragedy shatters the renowned Romano crime family their fate weighs heavily on Don Leonardo Romano's only heir twenty-two year old Valentina. Determined to uphold the family's power Val will go to any means necessary even if it means selling her heart to the highest bidder. As the Romano family's most notorious hitman Matteo Costa knows the most depraved corners of New York's underground. So when Val arrives home after college he is confident she won't last long. The New York mafia would chew her up and eat her alive and yet... Serving as Valentina's personal guard Matteo realizes Val has grown into a beautiful, smart and cunning woman. He knows it won't be easy keeping the principessa safe especially when the Romano's rivals set their sights on her. But as their relationship grows Matteo realizes that his own desire might be the greatest threat to the Romano dynasty. Season 1 of The Hitman's Mark WARNING: This story contains depictions of violence that may be upsetting for some readers.

Fifty thousand dollars in exchange for three weeks of sheer commitment and consented submission. It was a simple proposal from the employer to an employee until feelings got in the way. Being a college student and the legal guardian of her two siblings, Arabella Lincoln has a lot on her plate. Money has always been the issue; more bills and expenses every single day, with only meagre part-time wages to cover it all. It was supposed to be pure business with no strings attached; do what he says, and get paid in the end. That was the agreement, and Arabella knew it was like a road to her way home. But what if there's more to him than he lets on? What if each layer she peels off renders her tied to his myriad shades of mystery pulling her closer like a super magnet? He's like a tornado, wrecking her up. But then he's like a touch of sun, thawing the frozen river in her after a long excruciating winter. Drawn to her world of normalcy and simple joy he never knew existed, Adrian Castle discovers more about himself, about her, and letting go becomes more painful than anything he's ever felt in his entire existence. But business is business. He needs to walk away when the deal is done. He's the last person to provide her the love and security she deserves. He's the danger. Will he let her in knowing full well that she doesn't belong to his world full of darkness? The world he so badly tried to escape.

To get through a heartache after the sudden breakup, Arabella moves to New York City to start another chapter of her life. Driven by the hope to make Adrian Castle, the man who left her broken to pieces with an excuse of protecting her against his world, Arabella suffers a mess and as retribution for her pain, she embarks on a journey of self-destruction by embracing the real her no one knows and accepts the challenge of living in the same world Adrian tried to protect her against. But hating Adrian is more difficult than loving him, little did Arabella know until she's once again trapped in that dark and intense love, unable to escape its never-ending, vicious cycle. She falls victim to her own desire while drowning deeply in Adrian's dangerous world of killing or getting killed--the world full of lies, secrets, and so much deception that she learns along the way. In the end, everyone has a secret, and so does Adrian Castle who learns the real meaning of pain when it's time to face the wrath of his past. Some of the lives he took, the hearts he broke, and the families he destroyed--whether willingly or not--come back to haunt him, and eventually demand the one thing he cherishes the most. The love that feared no danger, the one that overcame excruciating pain will once again be tested by the ugly truth Arabella uncovers about Adrian Castle. Perhaps he's not the man she thought he was, and maybe he's indeed nothing but a cruel, emotionless monster who destroys everything he touches.