clandestine

“You have two choices.” “Become their plaything… or become my wife.” Hana thought being sold by her own father was the worst thing that could happen to her. She was wrong. Because the man who bought her wasn’t just powerful— he was broken in ways that made him dangerous. Abhinav Messina doesn’t touch women. Doesn’t trust them. Doesn’t need them. Until her. “You’ll give me an heir… and in two years, I’ll set you free.” No love or affection. Only rules. But the deeper Hana falls into his world of control, secrets, and obsession— The more she begins to question everything. Because a man who refuses to be touched… was the same man who didn’t push her away. And that might be the most dangerous truth of all.

Inara Hale thought she was just signing a business deal with the devil. Lucien Mercer, the cold and untouchable CEO of Houghton Holdings, paid off her family's debt and tied Inara into a loveless marriage. To Inara, the rules were simple: she gave up her freedom, and in return, her brother's life was saved because Lucien was just an arrogant billionaire who liked control. But Inara forgot that the devil never plays fair. "You know that anyone who breaks the rules has to be punished, right?" Lucien asked. He smirked slightly, a dark expression that made Inara's eyes widen. "P-punished? What do you mean—" Before Inara could finish her sentence, Lucien roughly crashed his lips onto hers again. Kissing her, devouring her as if he were a man running out of oxygen. His hand, which had been gripping Mollie's arm, slowly let go, giving her a brief moment of relief. But his next move surprised her again; those two large hands now grabbed and pressed against her body without any gentleness, so rushed as if he was afraid Inara would disappear. Inara struggled a little, feeling overwhelmed, but he deepened the kiss, letting his massive body press down and cage her without mercy. Behind the punishing kiss and his tyrannical attitude, Inara finally realized a truth far more terrifying than being a prisoner. Lucien wasn't just controlling her life; he was hiding a deep abyss of past secrets. A bloody truth and dark manipulation that didn't just hurt and betray Inara, but ultimately... tore apart and destroyed Lucien himself from the inside. In this flawless cage called marriage, Inara had to choose. Run as far away as possible from the monster holding her captive, or save the broken man hiding behind the expensive suit.