Lexus Eze Villa Verde never believed in love. To him, marriage was nothing more than a transaction - a necessary sacrifice to claim the empire his father refused to hand over freely. As the only heir of their family, Lexus had spent his entire life chasing control, wealth, and the approval of a father who only valued obedience. So when he was forced into an arranged marriage with Jasha Hernandez - the beautiful daughter of their business partner - he agreed without hesitation. After all, the plan was simple. Get married. Secure the company. Get divorced. What Lexus never expected was that Jasha entered the marriage with the exact same intention. Cold. Calculated. Untouchable. Their relationship became a perfect business arrangement built on lies, distance, and silent agreements neither of them dared to break. No love. No attachment. No complications. Until the divorce papers were finally signed. Because the moment Jasha walked away... Lexus realized he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Now, the man who once treated love like a weakness is left chasing the only woman who never begged him to stay. But how do you win back someone you were never supposed to love in the first place?

Fifteen years of silence hasn't softened the blow for Marcus. The memory of the night his mother was killed in a hit-and-run is as sharp as a blade, and his focus has narrowed down to one man: the successful businessman who drove away from the scene and vanished into a life of luxury. To draw his prey out, Marcus follows a trail that leads far from the city's glass towers to a secluded province. There, he finds Astraea-the businessman's greatest secret. She is young, innocent, and the only person her father would risk everything to protect. Marcus enters her quiet world with a calculated heart. To him, Astraea isn't a person; she is a tactical move-the bait that will finally bring her father to his knees. But as he embeds himself in her life, the lines between his mission and his reality begin to blur. Does he see her as the daughter of a murderer, or something more? Is he protecting her from the shadows, or is he the most dangerous shadow of all? In a game where the stakes are a life for a life, only one question remains: When Marcus finally has the chance to strike, will he choose the justice he has craved for fifteen years, or will his hand be stayed by the very girl he intended to destroy? Villa Verde Series #1 Languages: English and Filipino