Everything in Piper Barrett’s life is clean-cut. Mafia princess, smile, say yes, follow orders. There’s a good girl. This year, at the Barrett Manor where the whole Empire congregates for the summer, she needs to find a suitor, so she can become a wife and follow in the footsteps of every woman in the business.
But this summer, someone in the Empire has some very different plans on how they want her summer to go. Hunter Cadell. Fresh out of prison, psycho, liability to the business. Arrogant, possessive, unpredictable. He’s everything she never dreamed of wanting. But he’s also everything she’s going to need to get through this summer when things start to go awry in the Manor. People are acting weird, rumours are spreading like wildfire, but above all, no one seems to want Piper with Hunter. What do they all know that she doesn’t?

Hunter came to the Manor this summer with his own plans. After being put away by the people he thought he could trust, he lost years of his youth. Now he’s free and he’s about to be reunited with the enemies. Hunter has plans to destroy anyone who’s wronged him. But when he meets Piper, his priorities get hazy..
He may have missed his initiation into the business when he was younger, but this year he's to go through the five trials to be officially welcomed into the Empire. It's the perfect opportunity to put his plans into action.
But can he keep a level head and get the revenge he’s wanted for a decade, or will he throw everything away to protect Piper from the people who had ruined his life, before they ruin hers?