Aria Sinclair knows how to run an empire. She knows how to handle enemies, clean up blood, and make sure nobody mistakes her silence for weakness. What she doesn't know is how to make room for Malachi Vaughn in a life she built without him.

Now he's showing up every day, and it has nothing to do with business or war. He's coming for them.

Behind closed doors, Aria and Malachi are trying to figure out what family is supposed to look like when neither one of them knows how to live anything close to normal. Every visit makes the line between their separate lives harder to keep intact, especially when the one thing they can't afford is for the wrong people to realize exactly what they're protecting.

Outside those doors, nothing has slowed down. Meridian is still moving, and their people are digging for answers while both empires deal with fires of their own. Loyalty gets tested, boundaries get crossed, business gets bloody, and enemies keep making the mistake of believing either one of them can be pushed without consequences.

Secrets don't stay buried forever, especially when there are people watching for weakness.

Aria and Malachi already know what happens when business turns personal.

This time, what's between them could finally give their enemies the one thing they've never had before: something to lose.