Lila Simmons had plans - to escape her toxic home, graduate quietly, maybe disappear for good. But all of that ended the night her drunk, abusive father signed her life away to pay his gambling debts. He didn't just give her away-he sold her. To Antonio Russo. The world's most powerful, ruthless, and feared mafia king. A man who owns half the world, and now... her. Lila becomes his. His property. His responsibility. His problem. But the more she resists, the more Antonio is drawn in. Because she's not like the others. And for the first time in his cruel, calculated life... Antonio Russo doesn't want to break her. He wants to keep her. But love doesn't come easy when your world is built on control, secrets, enemies, and war.

The Russo family-Italy's most feared and revered mafia dynasty-was built on blood, loyalty, and legacy. For years, Don Salvatore and Donna Giulia ruled the underworld with their seven sons, longing only for a daughter to complete their empire. Their prayers were answered in the form of twin girls: Isabella, the perfect golden child... and Alessia, the heart of the family. Until everything shattered. At just three years old, Alessia was framed by her own twin sister for a crime she didn't commit. Betrayed by the family who once adored her, she was exiled to a place darker than hell-a so-called "boarding school" that turned children into weapons. There, Alessia died. And in her place, Lucifer was born. Trained as an assassin. Sold to the Mexican mafia. Tortured. Transformed. At thirteen, she slaughtered the very cartel that owned her-and rose as its queen. By seventeen, she was the most feared assassin in the world, the CEO of eleven global empires, and the beloved "Rani" of India under her new family: the Kaalarajyas. Her identity? A ghost. Her pain? A legacy. But the past has a pulse-and it's time to collect. Now, Alessia is coming back to the world that betrayed her. Not to forgive. Not to be welcomed. But to make the Russo family kneel. They called her dead. They called her a monster. They forgot... she's a Russo too. Ruthless by Blood is a tale of betrayal, rebirth, and the rise of a queen who was never meant to survive-but was born to rule. What will happen if they find out the truth? read- to find out. #4 in assassin- 02/10/25