Victoria Ivanov: She's 20, full of kindness, and the kind of girl who lights up any room she walks into. Victoria always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, sketching dresses and chasing big dreams. But all of that vanished when her alcoholic dad forced her into a marriage she didn't want, just to pay off his debts. It wasn't like she had a choice, especially after living through the horror of seeing him kill her mom. With no way out, Victoria left her dreams behind, stepping into a life she never asked for.
Roman Belakov: At 23, Roman is a mafia boss who's as cold as they come. He took over his father's empire when he was just 19, and he's been running it with an iron fist ever since. Killing people? No problem. It's just business to him. When he saw Victoria, he decided she had to be his, and he used her dad's shady drug deals as leverage. Roman always gets what he wants, no matter the cost.
Thrown together in a marriage built on lies and control, Victoria and Roman couldn't be more different. She's innocent and hopeful, while he's ruthless and broken. Yet somehow, he can't stop stepping in to save her from every mess she stumbles into. Will they find a way to make it work, or will their worlds pull them further apart?
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]