Carmen Castilo was the only daughter of one of the most powerful mafia dons in the city—until the night her father was shot in front of her.

At his funeral, while the family mourns, Carmen disappears.

Kidnapped from her own home and drugged, she wakes beneath blinding lights in an underground auction where the most powerful criminals in the world gather to bid—not on weapons or territory, but on her.

To them, Carmen isn’t just a woman.

She’s the last piece of her father’s empire.

The final bid reaches a staggering one billion dollars.

The buyer is Nico Romano—the stepbrother she betrayed five years ago.

Once cast out of the family after Carmen accused him of treachery, Nico returns more powerful, more ruthless, and determined to collect the debt he believes she owes him.

Escape is impossible.

Alone, stripped of allies, and trapped under Nico’s control, Carmen is forced to play by his rules—a calculated system of rewards and consequences he calls repayment.

But Nico isn’t the only one playing a game.

While he believes he owns her, Carmen is quietly rebuilding what was stolen from her. Someone murdered her father, and the deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that his death—and her reason for getting Nico’s exiled—may have been part of the same carefully planned conspiracy.

Surrounded by enemies and secrets, Carmen must reclaim her father’s empire before it falls permanently into the wrong hands.

And the one man who might damn her soul…may also be the only ally powerful enough to help her win.

*Please this is a mafia story. If you’re uncomfortable with blood and killing this is not the story for you*

Vale was still standing on the podium as I rapidly blinked, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the light. The governor was surrounded on all sides by his aides, like a human brick wall that couldn't be broken down.


Vale looked annoyed, though he hid it pretty well behind a smile, as the host of the event hurriedly walked up to the podium and grabbed the mic for a moment.


"We apologize for the inconvenience that has occurred. It was a technical glitch that has now been fixed and will not happen again," she promised, though the fearful look in her eyes betrayed her words.


The governor was here, and they had messed up. Their reputation was on the line, and it would take a lot of press maneuvering to make sure the media didn't eat them alive.


Moreover, the other high-ranking people in the room didn't seem to be taking the technical glitch in stride either. They were pissed, even though they masked it beneath polite smiles.


Chapter 50 - Blackmail