Blood & Velvet: Trapped in a gilded cage with a monster who wants more than just revenge

He demanded my hand in marriage to save his empire. I accepted to save mine. It was supposed to be a strict business transaction… until the lines started to blur.

Elena Marchetti is twenty-eight, fiercely ambitious, and watching her family’s century-old hotel legacy edge toward bankruptcy. With her father’s health rapidly declining and a ruthless board plotting her removal, she has only one lifeline left: Damian Blackstone. He’s Manhattan’s most powerful real estate tycoon, a man who dictates terms and swallows competitors whole. The business press calls him The Ice King.

Damian agrees to front the $500 million Elena desperately needs, but his capital comes with a scandalous condition. To secure a massive, legacy-defining acquisition of his own, Damian needs to project the image of a stable, grounded family man to a traditional seller. He needs a fiancée. And he has chosen Elena.

The terms of their contract are ironclad: A twelve-month fake engagement. Moving into his sprawling, sixty-second-floor penthouse. High-profile public appearances to sell the lie. Absolutely no emotional attachments.

But as the flashbulbs pop and the media scrutinizes their every move, the careful, calculating distance between them begins to crack. Behind closed doors, Damian hides deep, traumatic scars, and his unexpected vulnerability draws Elena in. Soon, the stolen touches for the cameras, the heated glances across crowded ballrooms, and the intoxicating fake kisses start feeling dangerously real.

With billions of dollars, a family empire, and a ruthless saboteur threatening to expose their secret on the line, Elena and Damian must decide what they are truly willing to risk. Because in a world where business is war, falling in love might be the most dangerous transaction of all.

© 2026 Heatwave Books (Lydbog): 9780466438364

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 22. maj 2026