My breath caught in my throat the moment my eyes dropped between his legs.

Oh God.

His cock was hard, heavy, long, impossible to ignore. Panic filled my chest.

“Is… that going inside me?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. My voice didn’t even sound like mine, small, breakable.

“Oh, sweet doll…” His voice dropped, gravelly and dark. “It’s not just going inside you.”

He stepped closer, towering over me. My skin heated as his hand wrapped around himself, stroking twice. He swelled even larger, as though to prove the threat in his words.

“It’s going to stretch you wide open. You’ll feel me for days. You’ll walk with the memory of me buried deep, dripping down your thighs. You’ll cry from it, shake from it, and still… you’ll beg for more.”

“Oh…” The sound tore from me, heavy with terror.

I was sold for three million dollars to the man who killed my father.

Dante De Luca, older, ruthless, dangerously handsome and untouchable.

He didn’t buy me for a night.

He bought me for a lifetime, to make me his mistress… and then, his wife.

Trapped in a contract marriage, I vowed never to love him.

But my body betrayed me.

His possessive kisses. His punishing touch.

I found myself wanting more. Craving him. Yearning for everything he gave.

Dante wanted revenge, because my father killed his wife and stole his Mafia kingship.

He wanted to punish me.

He wanted to break me.

But somewhere in his quest to cause me pain… he began to fall and save me, even from my own father.

Now, when loyalty calls upon me, I’m torn.

Between the man who raised me… and the man who owns my heart.

: Dressed To Be Auctioned

Author’s Note

This book is a must-read because it holds everything you’ve been craving in a dark, addictive romance.

This story is intense. It is brutal. It is steamy. It is dangerous. Inside, you’ll find hate-to-love, obsession, betrayal, revenge, dominance, and the kind of forbidden passion that sears itself into your soul.

Gianna, the heroine, is everything I’ve always dreamed of writing, strong, brave, soft, untamed. She defies. She resists. But eventually, she surrenders… not out of weakness, but because love this forbidden cannot be denied.

Dante, the man who swore to ruin her, is a world unto himself. In his kingdom, there are no rules. He is controlling. Obsessive. Jealous. Ruthless. A dark ruler forged from hate and vengeance. Yet the woman he vowed to destroy becomes the one he is willing to give up everything, even his life, for.

Together, they are chaos and fire. Destruction and love. The beginning of an ending that should never exist.

Trigger Warnings

This book ventures into dark places. Some scenes are raw. Some are heavy. And not everything is safe. It contains sexual content, abuse, and emotional intensity that may not be for every reader.

Remember: this is fiction. Names, places, and events are creations of imagination. If any detail bears resemblance to reality, it is purely coincidental.

This book is everything, addictive and unforgettable. There is no escape once you step into Dante and Gianna’s world.

Gia’s POV

They dressed me like I wasn’t even human anymore, just something to be auctioned off.

The skirt barely covered my thighs, riding so high it felt obscene. The top was worse, sheer and clinging like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. My breasts pressed against the fabric, nipples visible, as though I was meant to be displayed. Bought.

The heels cut into my ankles, my legs trembling with every shift of weight.

Then my aunt smeared dark red lipstick across my mouth like she was painting on a mask.

“Stop fighting, Gianna.” Her voice snapped sharp, nails digging into my arm as she spun me toward the mirror.

“Look at yourself. This is what they want. What they’ll pay for. You’re going to smile when you walk out there and let those men bid for a night with you.”

My throat burned. Tears blurred my reflection.

“Please… don’t do this. There has to be another way. You can’t sell me to those monsters. I’m your only family.”

“Family?” Her laugh was bitter.

“Your father’s debts destroyed us. You’re all I have left to bargain with.”

Panic gripped my chest. “Then let’s talk to Vincenzo. We’ll find another way. I’ll work…anything. I’ll pay it back, even if it takes years.”

“Oh, my sweet, naïve girl…” Her voice softened for a heartbeat, then hardened again. “Vincenzo isn’t going to wait years. He wants his money now. And if you refuse the auction?”

Her eyes cut into me, cold and merciless. “We’ll both be dead by morning.”

She shoved my shoulders back, forcing my spine straight.

“Vincenzo promised us twenty percent of whatever you’re sold for. That’s enough to start over.”

A sob caught in my throat. “Twenty percent? Is that all I’m worth to you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “This isn’t just about you. I gave up my life for you—for your father. When your mother died, I stayed. I raised you. I sacrificed everything. Don’t you dare question my loyalty.”

She silenced me with a hand, her breath hot and bitter against my cheek.

“This is the price your father left for you to pay.”

A tear slipped down my face. For a moment, her tone softened.

“There’s no need for tears. You’re alive because of me. If I hadn’t dragged you through those underground tunnels that night… if those men had found you…” her voice faltered, a shiver breaking through. “God, they would’ve done the unthinkable.”

Her thumb brushed my cheek, tender, almost motherly. For a moment, I couldn’t tell which version of her was real, the woman who once sang me to sleep, or the one who now dressed me like a lamb for slaughter.

“There’s no use shielding you anymore.” Her gaze pinned me in place. “Your father wasn’t the man you believed him to be. He was ruthless in his dealings, and he made enemies. Dangerous. Unforgiving.”

My stomach dropped. “No… you’re wrong. Dad… he wouldn’t…”

Her lips curved with pity. “You were a princess in a tower, spoiled and blind. You never saw the world. You never saw who your father really was.”

Her voice grew meaner. “Now you will.”

She leaned in, whispering the name like a curse.

“One of the men your father crossed was Dante De Luca.”

The name alone made my heart stutter. I didn’t know it, but it felt like a warning.

“He’s the one who came after your father that night,” she whispered, “seeking revenge for something Lorenzo stole from him. In blood. In tears.”

Her voice broke. “He’s the one who pulled the trigger.”

—-----

How did my life turn into this?

Three days ago, I was celebrating my 22nd birthday with cake, laughter, and my father by my side. Then armed strangers stormed into our home, guns blazing, shattering everything.

My aunt dragged me into hiding, but I saw it all, through a hole in the study wall.

And then I saw him. The tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and piercing gray eyes.

I watched, pain tightening in my chest, as he pulled the trigger, like my father’s life meant nothing.

The moment my father’s body hit the floor, I screamed.

And everything changed.

My scream gave us away, but we ran, disappearing into hiding.

Soon, word of my father’s death spread, and dangerous gangs came looking for us.

Vincenzo’s men found us first.

They didn’t care that my father was dead.

They wanted what he owed... half a million dollars.

We didn’t have it.

And now I was about to be sold to the highest bidder.

The curtains opened. I knew it was time.

It was dark.

The stage began to descend, and all I could hear were voices, eager, impatient.

Then the platform stopped.

Spotlights turned on.

And there they were.

A room full of men in tailored suits, with only a few women in glittering gowns seated beside them. The scent of cigars and expensive liquor filled the air.

They were all looking at me. Waiting. Cheering.

I scanned the crowd and realized, these weren’t bored billionaires or casual businessmen.

They looked like the mafia.

Their eyes were glazed with alcohol, their expressions dark with power.

My heart thudded against my ribs so fast I thought I might pass out.

I looked for an exit, any door, any window, any chance. But there was none.

Vincenzo’s men stood at all the exits, guarding the entire space.

Who would help me?

Suddenly, Vincenzo’s voice boomed through the room, cutting through the noise.

“Gentlemen,” he announced, arms spread wide like he was presenting a gift.

“Feast your eyes on tonight’s rarest gem, the daughter of Lorenzo Giovanni himself.”

Gasps and murmurs echoed across the room. Of course they recognized the name. Everyone did.

“Gianna Giovanni is a prize,” Vincenzo continued with a grin that made my skin crawl.

“I know all of you want a piece of her. But that’s not all...”

He leaned closer to the mic.

“She’s untouched in every way. A virgin.”

: Sold To My Father's Killer

Gia’s POV

The word exploded through the room.

A wave of murmurs and animal-like groans followed as their eyes raked across my body with callous hunger.

Vincenzo’s hand clamped around my arm.

His grip was cold and hard as he yanked me forward.

I resisted, taking a step back on shaking legs, but his fingers dug deeper, bruising.

He hissed in my ear, “Move.”

And then I stepped into the light.

It hit me, hot, blinding, exposing me completely.

The room erupted in a chaotic mix of cheers, whistles, groans, applause, and laughter.

Several men leaned forward, some rising to their feet with expressions so vile they turned my stomach.

How could they be this cruel?

Didn’t they have daughters? Sisters? Mothers?

I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to shield myself... what little there was left to protect. But their eyes devoured me anyway, mercilessly.

“Get her hands off that luscious body!” one of the men shouted. “We need to inspect the goods we’re buying, after all!”

Voices echoed in agreement.

“Yeah! Take her hands off!”

“Let us see what we’re bidding on!”

I staggered back as Vincenzo’s furious eyes locked onto mine. He lunged forward, grabbed my wrists, and yanked my arms apart.

He leaned into my ear, his breath harsh on my neck.

“If you don’t behave, I’ll chop your aunt’s head off. Do you understand me?”

I froze as terror gripped my insides.

My aunt... she may have sold me out, but she was still the only family I had left.

The only person who had ever stood by me.

So I obeyed.

I stood straighter, spine rigid, forcing myself not to flinch as I faced the crowd.

“Those breasts look juicy!” one man shouted.

“And those legs,” another leered, licking his lips. “I’d fuck her for days and still not get tired.”

Disgust crawled over my skin.

I scanned the room until I found him, the potbellied monster who had spoken.

Greasy brown hair. A face like a cow.

Then Vincenzo laughed.

“Dallio, for the right price,” he said smugly, “she could be yours.”

Another voice rose from the crowd, louder, meaner.

“I’ll be tasting the sweetness between her legs tonight! My revenge on that useless Lorenzo, who handed me to my enemies like trash!”

I stood there in disbelief. My vision blurred with tears. I refused to let fall.

My aunt was right. My father had enemies.

But I never realized how deep the hatred ran.

None of this was my fault.

My father kept me hidden in a small town with my aunt, isolated from the world.

No friends. No boys. No freedom.

He only let me attend university when I turned twenty, and only after years of arguments and begging.

He claimed it was for my protection.

Now…. I believed him.

But I hated him for it. Hated him for dying and leaving me alone in this cruel, filthy world.

I told myself to be brave.

Just one night. Just one night, and I’d survive.

Then my aunt and I would disappear, far, far away, with the twenty percent Vincenzo would pay us. Somewhere I wouldn’t have to sell myself just to stay alive.

I just had to make it through tonight. Even if it destroyed me.

“Let’s begin,” he announced.

“We’ll start the bidding at one hundred thousand.”

“ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND!” barked a voice from the front, thick, guttural.

It was him.

Dallio. The same man with the cow-like face. Sat smugly, raising his drink, the other hand gripping the armrest like he already believed he’d won.

“Two hundred thousand!” someone else shouted behind him.

The numbers started climbing. Fast.

“Three!”

“Three-fifty!”

“Four hundred!”

Voices layered on top of each other like wolves fighting for scraps.

I stood frozen, my body trembling, while they shouted out prices like I was cattle at an auction.

Tears burned behind my eyes again.

I bit down on my bottom lip until I tasted blood. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t fall apart now.

This was really happening.

Any second now, I’d be sold.

And I’d lose everything.

Even my virginity, something I hadn’t even shared with someone I loved.

And it would go to one of these monsters.

Dallio raised his hand again, voice loud and gleeful. “Five hundred thousand!”

A chill swept over me.

My eyes darted to him. I scanned him thoroughly.

He was old. Short. Sweaty.

His round belly pushed against the buttons of his shirt, and when he grinned, those golden teeth gleamed.

He looked like a man who would swallow you whole and leave nothing behind.

Please, God, not him.

I scanned the rest of the room, hoping someone else would win.

Anyone but him.

But he kept going. He was relentless.

“Six hundred!”

“Seven!”

“Eight hundred thousand!”

Others challenged him, but he didn’t back down.

If anything, it thrilled him.

“Nine hundred!”

The room grew louder, but fewer voices joined in now.

Then he stood, puffed up like he’d already won.

“ONE MILLION!” he roared, arms raised in triumph.

A hush fell.

The other men grumbled. Some cursed. Others chuckled and backed down, tipping their glasses in surrender.

My heart sank.

This was it. My fate was sealed.

He spun toward the crowd, laughing, smug. “None of you bastards can top that, right?”

He pointed at me, triumphant.

“Lorenzo’s little brat... is mine!”

My vision blurred.

And then—

From the far end of the room, a voice cut through the air.

Deep. Smooth. Dangerous.

“Five million dollars.”

Everything stopped.

The room fell deathly silent.

Even Vincenzo’s smug expression shifted and his head turned toward the voice. “What…?”

My eyes widened in shock.

Five million...?

Who the hell would offer five million dollars just for a night with me?

My stomach twisted. My mind tried to calculate... twenty percent of five million...

That was one million dollars.

Enough to escape.

To run from this twisted world, from my father’s sins, from the people who saw me as something to own.

Enough to disappear with my aunt and start over.

And thank God it wasn’t that horrible, vicious man who would’ve surely torn me apart.

Vincenzo recovered, his face stretching into an even wider grin than before.

“Well, well...”

Disbelief flowed through me like a fever.

“Sold to Dante De Luca,” Vincenzo declared, banging a tiny gavel on the podium like he was officiating a game, not auctioning off a human life.

My heart stopped.

That name... It sounded familiar. I’d heard it before. I was sure of it.

But everything was spinning, too loud, too fast, my mind couldn’t place it.

I searched for him.

The man who had just bought me like I was nothing more than a luxury possession.

But the lights were too bright. Blinding.

I searched frantically. Desperate. Terrified.

I had to see him. To know who I belonged to now.

My eyes moved through the figures—and then I saw him.

Sitting in the farthest, darkest corner of the room, untouched by light.

Like he belonged to the shadows.

Still, composed, but radiating danger in the calmest, most terrifying way.

His jaw was sharp, clean-cut like sculpted stone.

His suit molded to his body with effortless elegance, hugging broad shoulders and a frame built for power.

Then his eyes met mine.

Cold. Intense.

A strange, unsettling feeling rushed through me, like something buried deep inside had suddenly risen to the surface.

Those eyes...

I knew those eyes.

The memory slammed into me like a freight train.

No! It couldn’t be.

But it was.

My knees nearly gave out.

My lungs stopped working.

It was him.

The man from the study.

The one with the gray eyes.

The one who pulled the trigger.

Dante De Luca.

The man who shot my father.

The man who destroyed my life.

Now, owned me.

: Bought My Enemies Daughter

Dante's POV

The moment our eyes met, it was sealed in blood, fate, and vengeance. She was going to be mine.

Lorenzo Giovanni’s daughter. Innocent. Untouched. She was the price, and I would collect in full.

She would carry her father’s punishment on that delicate, beautiful body.

And in time, she would beg for mercy, the same mercy he never showed when he murdered my wife, stole my mafia seat, and left my world in ruins, destroying everything I loved and everything I fought so hard to protect.

My men had been tracking her ever since the night we raided her father’s estate and she escaped with her aunt. Days passed, then the word came. Vincenzo had her, and she was being auctioned off to pay for her bastard father’s debt. That was all I needed... it was time.

She stood trembling, her skin glowing beneath the dim lighting. A slender waist gave way to soft curves and hips, leading down to long legs barely hidden beneath that thin, provocative excuse for a dress. She had the kind of body men killed for. This was the beauty Lorenzo tried to hide from the world. Too bad he failed.

My jaw clenched as I sat in the dark, watching beasts in tailored suits toss out numbers like they were bidding on meat. The worst of them, Diallo, was a bloated excuse for a man. He licked his lips as he shouted out bids. Every time his greedy eyes raked over her, I wanted to rip them out of his skull.

I should have looked away. I didn’t.

Mine.

The word echoed in my head over and over again. She was mine. And no amount of money or legacy would change that.

When I rose from my seat, the entire room quieted. She saw me. Our eyes met. I didn’t expect the heat, how fast and intense it came. Her face was innocent. Eyes wide. Terrified, yes, but I could also sense the defiance. Like part of her would rather die than surrender.

Good. I liked a little fire before I crushed it.

Her lips parted slightly, trembling. She stepped back, like she’d seen a ghost. And maybe she had. Because if she remembered the night I shot her father, she certainly remembered me.

The more I walked toward her, the clearer her face became... and fuck. She was stunning. Too stunning. And it infuriated me that she stood there, exposed, in front of those callous monsters who had only one thought in mind, to ruin her. But that was never going to happen. Because she was meant to be my retribution. Not theirs to ogle. Not theirs to claim.

Now, standing in front of her, every breath I took burned, not from hatred, but from a primal need. She looked so young. So fragile. But I didn’t care. I was a man consumed by vengeance. And I was far too gone to turn back now.

Vincenzo smirked from the stage. “Looks like Lorenzo’s brat is going home with you.”

I didn’t bother looking at him. “My men will handle the payment. I’m done here. She’s coming with me.”

I reached for her.

Then the pig barked.

“Not so fast.”

Diallo.

I turned slowly, gaze narrowing on his bloated, sweaty face. Of all the cowards in the room, he was the one foolish enough to challenge me.

“If none of these men have the balls to speak up,” he said smugly, “I will. You know the rules, De Luca. You don’t just buy the girl and walk out.”

He sneered, licking his dry, cracked lips.

“You fuck her in the viewing room, so we all get to watch.”

My chest tightened with fury. It took everything in me not to smash my fist into his face.

“You dare challenge me, Diallo?” I growled. “You filthy swine.”

He puffed his chest like the bloated pig he was. “If no one else will, I will. We all want a taste of Lorenzo’s precious little virgin. Just because you’re king of the seven territories doesn’t mean you get to keep all the fun for yourself.”

The crowd erupted in vicious chants. Their eyes moved back to Gianna, who stood frozen in fear.

I should have felt satisfied. But I didn’t. What I felt was something closer to rage, not at her, but at them. These men had no right to touch her. No right to even look at her.

Yes, I was going to break her. Yes, I was going to use her body strictly for my pleasure. But not in front of these animals. Never.

I turned to Vincenzo, who simply lifted his hands and shrugged. “Rules are rules, Dante. You know how it goes.”

There was no way I was going to claim her in front of them. The first time I took her would be on my terms. In my bed.

I looked down at her body, the lush swell of her breasts, the curve of her thighs, the way she fidgeted.

No. No one touches her.

Possession coursed through me like fire.

I turned to Vincenzo. “You know this is bullshit.”

He shrugged again, greedy eyes glinting. “Tradition, Don Dante. My hands are tied.”

Liar. Everything with Vincenzo had a price. Including this.

So I named mine.

“Ten million. Now.”

Vincenzo’s eyes widened. And just like that, he folded. “Sold. She’s yours. Get her out of here.”

I wasn’t surprised. Vincenzo was a greedy bastard. For men like him, tradition crumbled the second real money hit the table.

He turned to the crowd. “She’s been bought and paid for. Back off.”

The room exploded in noise. Chaos erupted as Vincenzo’s guards shoved men back.

“No. We want to watch.”

“She’s not yours alone, De Luca.”

“Tap that little cunt for the rest of us.”

That was Diallo again. His fat mouth flapped like he forgot who he was speaking to.

But I didn’t waste another second.

I walked straight to her. Her eyes widened as I grabbed her arm, warm, soft, trembling like a leaf, and yanked her toward me.

There was a spark when I touched her. Something electric. But I didn’t stop to question it.

I slung her over my shoulder as she yelped.

“No. No, where are you taking me?” she screamed. “Put me down. Let me go.”

Her fists pounded against my back as I carried her into the hallway.

“Where are you taking me? Let me go.”

Her screams grated on my nerves. I clenched my jaw. Ungrateful. Didn’t she realize I’d just saved her from a room full of predators?

Then she yelled, “Murderer.”

Of course she remembered. She saw me shoot her father. Saw the blood. Heard the gunfire from both me and my men. Her scream that night, raw and broken, still echoed in my mind. The way she looked at me, like I had ripped her world apart.

And I had.

She looked like she wanted to tear me limb from limb. She would have tried, if her aunt hadn’t dragged her away.

Now, her reaction made sense. But what she didn’t know was what I had planned for her.

She kicked again, and I stopped mid-step. My voice dropped into a growl. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I just saved your ass.”

Over my shoulder, she raged. “Saved me? You bought me, you savage. You’re no better than them.”

“Keep screaming,” I warned, “and I’ll find a way to punish that smart little mouth of yours.”

Her voice cracked with fury. “I know you. I know what you did. You’re the one who shot my father.”

I turned my head slightly as her words echoed through the air.

“You bought me to finish the job, didn’t you?”

She started screaming again, loud, desperate, as we stepped out into the cold night air.

“Help me.”

My men opened the car door. I tossed her inside the back seat like a ragdoll and climbed in after her.

She recoiled instantly, pressing herself into the door like it could swallow her whole.

“Don’t hurt me,” she whimpered. “I know who you are. You killed my father. And now you’re going to kill me.”

I gritted my teeth, voice low and vicious. “Don’t talk. Or I will shut you up. Permanently.”

She started pounding on the window with trembling hands.

“Help.”

Fucking hell. I knew she was a spoiled brat, but I hadn’t expected this.

My patience snapped. I reached for her, grabbing her wrists. Before she could scream again, I clamped a hand over her mouth. Her cries turned into muffled sobs, her eyes wide and wild with panic.

Then precisely, I pressed my fingers to the side of her neck, just beneath her jaw.

Her body jolted. And within seconds, she slumped in my arms.

I didn’t intend to hurt her. Not yet. I just needed silence.

Her body sagged against me, unconscious now. Peaceful. Too peaceful for the fire I knew lived inside her.

I stared at her for a long moment. She looked like an angel in my arms. An angel with the mouth of a viper.

It was going to be fun breaking and taming her. Because no matter how much she screamed, she belonged to me now.

And she was going to learn the hard way what it meant to surrender to me.