After a devastating tragedy shatters the renowned Romano crime family, Don Leonardo Romano sends his only child, twelve-year-old Valentina, to a boarding school across the Atlantic, far from New York and the dangers that accompany their family's "business." But boarding school could only harbor Val for so long, and, upon graduation, she finds herself flung back into a world driven by money and divided by blood.

As her father's only heir, the fate of the Romano family weighs heavily on Val's young shoulders. Determined to please her father and uphold the family's power over the underground of New York, Val vows to strengthen the Romano name by any means necessary, even if that means selling her heart to the highest bidder...

As the Romano family's most notorious hitman, Matteo Costa is well-acquainted with the most depraved corners of New York's underground. So, when Valentina Romano arrives back in New York with intentions to take her place as heir to the Romano crime family, he is confident she won't last long in their dark world. The last time he saw her, she was a spoiled, inexperienced little girl, and he couldn't believe that she'd changed after six years in a posh board school. The New York mafia would chew her up and eat her alive, and yet...

Matteo knows his feelings for the Don's daughter are wrong, but she left New York as a girl and returned a woman. And a smart, cunning woman, at that. Upon receiving orders to serve as Valentina's personal guard, Matteo knows it won't be easy keeping the Romano principessa alive, especially when the rival crime families set their sights on the young heiress. But, as their relationship grows, Matteo realizes that his own desire might be the greatest threat to the Romano dynasty.