Alessia Ferrari is the Don of the Italian Mafia. Whip-smart and dangerous, she is a woman in a man's world, surviving against all odds. Born and raised to become a lethal killer, even the ground she walks on bows at her feet. She has it all, until that is, her father gives her hand away in marriage. Ace Hernandez is the boss of the American Mafia. He's a cold cruel hearted monster. He knows the game all too well and does whatever it takes to win and if that means breaking someone, he could do that with his eyes closed. Fate is vicious when the two are forced to marry. Will two monsters find solace in each other's arms or will they kill each other? ---------------------------- "I don't recall signing up for strip poker." She replied. Her full lips frowned softly but her eyes were filled with amusement. She knew she couldn't beat me, not at this game. "Are you quitting? Are you a quitter?" I mocked getting under her skin. Her lips twitched before she pursed them tightly. The blues of her eyes deepened and she threw me a dangerous smirk. She shuffled and pulled off one of her sandals. Fuck. So we're doing this the long way. She raised it in the air, dangling it off her finger before tossing it aside. She raised a brow at me, she challenged me. I knew I got under her skin. Just as I had anticipated. -------------------------- BE AWARE: Trigger warnings: MATURE CONTENT 18+ (SMUT) SWEARING VIOLENCE/GUN VIOLENCE SELF HARM/SUICIDE (REFERENCES) EXPLICIT LANGUAGE REFERENCES TO RAPE SMOKING/ALCOHOL/DRUGS BLOOD/DEATH/GORE ©️ All rights reserved ™️ The Walnut Tree BOOK ONE OF THE MAFIA SERIES

~~{Steel built one throne, ice carved the other in night's cold glow, Two heirs now rise where silent empires watch the shadows grow.}~~♡ In the hidden world beneath luxury, power, and wealth, there existed an empire ruled not by governments but by families whose influence stretched across countries and continents. These families operated in silence and shadows, their names whispered with respect, fear, and admiration. Their power shaped cities, controlled markets, and determined the fate of those who crossed their paths. Among these powerful dynasties stood two of the most feared and respected organizations in the criminal world: the Italian Valentino Dominion and the Russian Moretti Bratva. For decades, their empires had grown stronger, built on loyalty, strategy, and the unwavering belief that power belonged only to those strong enough to protect it. The leaders of these empires had ruled with calculated precision, but the future of their worlds now rested on the shoulders of the next generation. Two heirs. Two legacies. Two individuals raised in completely different worlds yet shaped by the same ruthless expectations.