*WAS DELETED AT 600K READS* Adriana Mancini I was raised to bite, not bow. So when they told me I was to marry Nikolas Volkov-heir to the Bratva, enemy to my blood-I didn't cry, I laughed. They thought they could tame me with diamonds and alliances. And for the first time in my life, I realized I didn't have a choice. As for him.. It's the eyes that speak to me. Blank but compulsive with secrets, empty yet dominating with control. Like stone. I wonder, is his heart made of it too? Nikolas Volkov After a bloody feud with the Cosa Nostra, I'm forced into an arranged marriage-to the one woman I can't control. Adriana Mancini. A hurricane in stilettos with venom in her smile. She tests my patience, taunts my power, and tempts my darkness. She thinks I won't ruin her just because she wears my ring. But this marriage was never meant to be peaceful. It was built for war.

❝"𝐒𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞," 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫. "𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞."❞ ꨄꨄꨄ "You're trouble," I whisper against his mouth. A quiet laugh rumbles out of him. "And you're addicted to trouble." "I am not addicted to you." "Yeah?" he murmurs, eyes dragging slowly over my face. "Then why do you shake every time I touch you?" ꨄꨄꨄ Alec Donovan is the kind of boy you cross the street to avoid. Bruised knuckles, a temper no one can control, and eyes that don't just look at you-they warn you. People don't get close to him. And if they do, they don't leave without damage. I was never supposed to be one of them. My life is planned-perfect grades, a future in design, expectations I can't break. My father calls boys distractions, and Alec Donovan is the worst kind. I called him Angel once. As a joke. Because he showed up when he shouldn't have, ruined my night, saved my life-and looked like he regretted both. The nickname should have died right after that. It didn't. Not when he kisses me just to shut me up. Not when he punches the boy who touched me wrong. Not when he looks at me like I'm something worth keeping. He doesn't ask. He takes-my space, my control, the life I thought I had planned. And the worst part? I don't stop him. Because when everything starts falling apart, he's there. Watching. Waiting. Protecting me in ways he never admits. Alec Donovan isn't a mistake. He's a warning. And the truth is- I'm not scared of him ruining me. I'm scared of how much I want him too. ꨄꨄꨄ "𝘏𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘔𝘠 𝘈𝘕𝘎𝘌𝘓... 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭."