With scarred wrists and eyes that have seen too much, Sylvia Capote returns from an overseas sanatorium to the fire-scarred family estate in New England, determined to uncover the truth behind her mother's death. Yet she finds her stepbrother, August, waiting for her at the scene of her mother's demise-part gentleman, part jailer. She believed she came back only for vengeance-until he kisses her amidst the ruins, letting her taste blood and ashes. She plays the piano for him, the notes halting at the very measure he had taught her. All that is certain is that now they have only each other, and this manor rebuilt upon sin. * If you believe the hottest embers conceal the most enduring love, and tenderness is the sharpest blade-bookmark this. Regular updates until they find life and death in each other amidst the ruins.

【Hook】 Her arrogant ex-husband forced her to sign divorce papers for the scheming woman he called his Beatrice, unaware that the capital she was about to control would soon acquire his entire empire. 【Blurb】 For three years, she played the role of the docile stand-in wife. When he slid the divorce papers across the table for the sake of the woman he idolized as his Beatrice-a manipulator in saint's clothing-she signed with elegance. But he never knew that the woman he shared a bed with each night was, in truth, the shadow mastermind behind an international luxury cosmetics empire, the designated heir to a hedge fund fortune, and a phoenix risen from ashes seeking vengeance for twelve lost family lives. Her true identity shattered London's elite. As she turned to leave, the Executive Director of Aurelian Capital burst into the room, bowing deeply to her retreating figure. "Madam Aurora, the private jet is ready. The Geneva Summit awaits your chairwomanship." Her ex-husband's wine glass shattered in his hand, the ice-blue calm of his eyes cracking for the first time. The real game had just begun. Even his legitimate elder brother, who had always looked down on her, now gazed at her with something far more dangerous than contempt: desire. When all masks finally fall, the man who once chose a mirage kneels before her, pleading: "Teach me... how to melt for you." 【Content Notes / Trigger Warnings】 - Main Couple: Both are each other's first and only, with a guaranteed Happy Ending (HE). - Themes include: corporate intrigue, emotional manipulation and complex family dynamics. 【Ranking in History】 #1 Heir #1 Heiress #1 Finance #1 Upperclass #1 Kickassheroine #1 Chasingafterher