He rules a city built on secrets. She's been running from hers for years.

Aliénor Badeaux thought she'd mastered survival.

For eight years, she's outrun the men sworn to kill her, one step ahead of a death sentence she never deserved.

Until one reckless choice changes everything.

A stranger behind the wheel. A getaway in the dead of night. And a man far more dangerous than the ones hunting her.

Luca Fournier isn't just powerful-he's untouchable. Known as The Emperor, he governs the criminal underworld of Paris with ruthless precision. When Aliénor crashes into his world, he offers her protection . . . on his terms.

Cold. Commanding. Unforgiving. And the only man who can keep her alive.

What begins as a desperate arrangement quickly ignites into something far more volatile. Because beneath Luca's brutal exterior is a man who doesn't share. And Aliénor? She's not the kind of woman who belongs to anyone . . . until she does.

But in a world where loyalty is currency and betrayal is paid in blood, the past never stays buried.

And loving The Emperor may cost her everything.