CYRA MCKENZIE

"You ruined a five-thousand-dollar suit, Andrea Rostova. How exactly do you plan to pay for this?" When struggling art student Andrea Rostova spilled champagne on the "Prince of Steel," she expected to be fired. She didn't expect Maxwell Harrington to offer her a deal: play his fake fiancée to ward off an arranged marriage, and he would pay for her mother’s life-saving treatment. Andrea signed the contract, thinking she could keep her heart safe. But as the fake smiles turned into real passion, the boundaries of their arrangement blurred until Andrea was no longer just a pawn, she was in love. But Maxwell’s world is built on ice and secrets. Manipulated by a jealous ex-fiancée and his own deep-seated trust issues, Maxwell brutally casts Andrea out, believing her to be a gold-digging spy. Heartbroken and alone, Andrea discovers she is pregnant. Knowing the Harrington contract claims ownership of any heir, she disappears into the shadows to protect her child. Four years later, the secret is out. Maxwell, now hollowed out by regret, finds Andrea in a quiet coastal town and discovers the daughter he never knew existed. Furious at her disappearance but consumed by a possessive need to reclaim his family, he issues a cold ultimatum: return to his mansion for six months, or face a custody battle she can’t win. Forced back into his gilded cage, Andrea must decide if Maxwell is the man who broke her, or the one who will go "scorched earth" to protect them from the enemies closing in.

I didn’t even see him move until he was behind me, hands strong on my hips, pressing me flush against him. My breath hitched at the heat, at the impossible force of him. “Kade…” I whispered, trembling, wanting him more than I should. His lips brushed my neck, and I shivered violently. I was helpless, lost to him, every nerve on fire. My hands clutched at his chest, but he was already in control, claiming every inch of me with possession that both terrified and thrilled me. When he groaned my name, low and rough, I knew there was no going back. I wanted him, all of him, and I would let him have me. And it didn't matter if he was the Mafia King and I was the Nanny. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Amelia Rose was never meant to survive. ​ At twenty-two, she works three jobs to keep her drug-addicted parents alive, only to be beaten and sold by the very people she sacrificed everything for. When she wakes chained in a black-market auction house, her fate is sealed with a single, devastating bid. ​ Four billion dollars. ​ Kade Silvano is a man of cold calculations. A respected CEO by day and the unforgiving king of the underground by night, he attends the auction to observe, not to participate. Until Amelia steps onto the stage. ​Silent. Defiant. Unbroken. ​ He doesn't buy her to be a hero; he buys her because he refuses to let anyone claim her. He brings her into his fortress under the guise of a nanny for his daughter, a role meant to keep her close and his hands clean. ​ But the "nanny" arrangement is a lie that keeps her safe and him sane. In Kade’s world, mercy is a myth and obsession is a death sentence. As the line between protector and captor blurs, Amelia realizes that falling for a monster doesn't mean you're safe. It just means you're the only thing he's willing to burn the world to keep. ​ In a world ruled by blood and power, love isn't a sanctuary. It’s a cage.