If I were not his daughter

Italy, 1863.

Arabella D'Alestri has been raised behind marble walls and iron gates, the only daughter of the richest-and most feared-man in northern Italy. Draped in silk and watched by society, she is expected to marry well, speak softly, and never question the life chosen for her.

But in the quiet of the stables, far from chandeliers and arranged dinners, Arabella finds something dangerously real.

James, the estate's stable worker, was not born into wealth or privilege. He works with his hands, keeps his head lowered, and knows exactly how far above him the D'Alestri name stands. Yet when their paths cross in secret glances and stolen conversations, a bond forms-slow, unspoken, and impossible to ignore.

In a world ruled by reputation, power, and a father whose word is law, even friendship is forbidden.

And if they are discovered, it will not be scandal that destroys them-

It will be the man who owns everything.