The empire of ashes

He was sent to silence her. Instead, he risked everything to protect her.

Marcos De Luca was raised to obey. As heir to a powerful crime dynasty, he was trained to be a weapon-precise, loyal, and unfeeling. His latest task is simple: eliminate the journalist threatening to expose secrets that could dismantle his family's empire.

But when he finds Vanessa Maren, he doesn't see a threat. He sees a woman grieving her sister's murder, desperate for justice, and dangerously close to uncovering the truth. Instead of pulling the trigger, he makes a choice he's never made before-he spares her life.