Devilish King (Valentino Empire 1)

Theo

My whole life was mapped out, designed for me, before I was even a twinkle in my old man’s eye. I am the heir to the Valentino throne. A kingdom built with blood and dirty money. But one I’ll rule all the same.

My father was the youngest Don to ever be crowned king. However, with any luck, the controlling bastard will drop soon, allowing me to beat his record by a few years.

I love my father—respect the hell out of him. But some of his choices lately, the plans he’s laid out for me, they’re… archaic. I was happy to go along with his proposition, to embody the role I was assigned at birth. Until I met her.

She wasn’t part of his carefully orchestrated game board. She’s not part of the lifestyle. She’d get eaten alive if I were to bring her into the fold.

Those innocent emerald eyes of hers hold me captive from the moment our paths collide. To hell with the plans for my future. This girl, who has no place being in my world, has become its entirety.

Holly

A new job. A new city. A new country. This is the new me. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself as I step off the plane at JFK. New York, I couldn’t think of a better city to force myself out of my comfort zone, to step out from under my sister’s shadow.

My dream once included finding the husband, having the kids, building that white picket fence. It’s funny how things change over time.

My new dream? Experience life to the fullest. Explore and discover who I am, without my other half. Surviving the New York culture shock, without getting mugged or killed, is also high on that list.

That is, until I run into him. And just like that, my life takes a one-eighty. Again. There’s something dark inside him—it calls to a part of me I never knew existed. Can I really go against my moral compass, every belief I’ve held onto so tightly, just to answer it? To be with him?