Celine Holmes was nine the day her world ended. One moment, she was laughing in the back seat of her father’s car, excited for her birthday trip. 
The next time, she woke up in a hospital bed, broken, with a bandage on her head and legs, and alone. Her parents vanished from the face of the earth.
She knew instantly that life would never remain the same again.
After her recovery, she was sent to a foster home, where a wealthy couple, Mr and Mrs Klein, took her in. 
They called her a blessing as they welcomed her with open arms and promised her a new beginning. For a while, she believed them. She thought maybe this time, she could belong again.
But good things never lasted long in Celine’s life. Mr Klein lost his job, and his kindness turned into cruelty. 
He drank too much, gambled too often, and blamed her for every misfortune that had befallen him and his family.
The family that once smiled at her began to turn. 
His sons, now nineteen, looked at her differently, not with brotherly affection, but with a lustful gaze. 
When she resisted them, their cruelty deepened. And whenever Mr Klein lost to a gamble, he took it out on Celine.
Then one day, everything changed again. Mr Klein’s gambling caught up to him. 
The man he owed was no ordinary creditor; he was Cassian Damien, a feared mafia boss with a reputation for collecting debts in blood. 
When Cassian came for his payment, Mr Klein offered the only thing he had left: Celine.
She overheard the deal and tried running. But you can’t outrun the kind of man who sees three steps ahead. 
Cassian came for her unexpectedly and took her away. He locked her away, not as a wife, but as a slave meant to satisfy his dark desires.
But Cassian didn’t expect her to be the fire to his cold heart. Her defiance. Her refusal to break. And against his will, something in him began to change, trying to win her affection.
Luciana, his ex, was the first to notice the way he looked at her. The way he hesitated in dishing out her punishment was unlike anything he had done before. 
Jealousy turned to fury, and she began to scheme. 
In the middle of it all, Cassian’s younger brother, Alexandro, returns. He was softer, kinder, and drawn to the same girl Cassian couldn’t let go of.
In a world ruled by violence and vengeance, Celine was caught between two brothers, haunted by her past, and desired by the mafia rivals who also wanted to claim her for her beauty and spirit. 
But the soft girl was gone; she wanted revenge and freedom, and she would use Cassian’s  obsession to get what she desired.

Madison moved closer, lowering her voice. "Listen to me, Celine. You don't understand the kind of man he once was. The things he has done."


I swallowed. "What kind of things? Now you are scaring me even more."


Her eyes darkened, and she looked away briefly before answering. "Cassian wasn't always like this, cold and controlled. He used to be worse…soulless, he made examples of people. Especially the women he owned."


My stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"


"He had this… ritual," Madison said slowly. "When one of his slaves disobeyed him or crossed a line, especially one that had to do with the family business, he wouldn't just punish her. He would humiliate her. Sometimes in front of his brother, sometimes in front of his men. Even his uncle." Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper. "He would make them do things to her body, and he would watch."


I felt my skin crawl, but I wasn't so surprised.


Chapter 42 - Soulless