Chapter 1 The midwife who examined me once said I was a once - in - a - century beauty - flawless body , the kind of face that could steal a man's soul . That was how I ended up in the bed of the most powerful arms dealer in Shadowland . " No ... it's too much ... I can't take it ... " The heat of his body burned through me , my face drained white with terror . But the man only chuckled darkly , relentless , dragging me into the depths where no one could reach . My vision blurred until the world dissolved . " Relax , " he whispered against my ear , his voice low and dangerous . " The surprise I've prepared for you is beyond imagination . " He bit down on my earlobe hard enough to make me gasp , then laughed with a cruel edge . " Tell me , " he demanded , " between me and Victor Lowe , who's better ? " It all started after my SATS . Naïve enough to believe in a too - good - to - be - true job offer , I walked right into a trap . They sold me into Shadowland . It was hell on earth . Girls dragged in rarely left whole . Some never left at all . The moment I was shoved through the gates , a pack of enforcers surrounded me , tearing at my clothes , jeering about live - streaming my " first time . " Their laughter - vile , hungry - left me with no escape but death . I was about to bite through my tongue when the sharp crack of a gun split the air . A deep voice cut through the chaos ,, " She's mine . ' The room fell silent . No one dared defy him . That was the first time I heard his name . Victor Lowe . The king of this hell itself . To the outside world , he was a celebrated billionaire , a ruthless but admired titan of industry . In truth , he controlled half of the North's black - market empire . Chapter 1 1.30 % Trembling , broken , I clutched at the cuff of his trousers . From that moment on , my fate was sealed . For the next seven years , I transformed from an ignorant girl into the deadliest rose in Shadowland . By day , I handled his dirtiest deals , shielded him from bullets , kept his empire intact . By night , I tangled with him in bed , the only one allowed to glimpse his rare flashes of tenderness . Everyone said Victor adored me to the bone - that marriage was only a matter of time . Until the night he rolled off me , reached for his shirt , and in the same tone one might use to discuss the weather , said , " Three days from now , at the Crestfalls ' gala , you're going to sleep with Alexander . " I froze , as if doused in ice water . " When Seraphina sees it with her own eyes , she'll finally give up and come back to me . " My blood turned to stone . " Seraphina Sterling would never touch anything used by someone else , " I whispered . Victor's lips curved in that cold , familiar half - smile . He pressed a small packet of powder into my palm . " Make him drink it . I'll arrange the room . Then I'll bring Seraphina to catch you both . " Seraphina Sterling . Heiress of one of Shadowland's four ruling families . The woman he could never have . His precious white moonlight . Her heart had always belonged to his greatest rival - Alexander Crestfall . For years they'd fought over her . Their worst fight came the night Victor saved her from an ambush . Still bleeding from a blade that had nearly pierced his heart , she rushed straight past him -straight into Alexander's arms . Victor lost his mind . Wounded and furious , he stormed into Shadowland looking for someone to take his rage out on . That was when he found me - about to be destroyed . Maybe it was revenge . Maybe it was convenience . But that night he played the hero , and I became his shadow . His way Chapter 1 of proving to Seraphina that the love she trampled , someone else would treasure . 1.30 % That everything she dismissed , he could flaunt . So he dressed me in jewels , draped me in gowns . Whatever Seraphina had , I had too . Whatever she didn't , I had double . At a gala , when some drunken trust - fund brat dared to make a crude joke about me , him through the jaw . Victor shot That single act made enemies of an entire family . Even when ten armored trucks cornered us in retaliation , he only smiled , shielding me with his body . " Scared ? " he murmured . " Next time anyone touches you , I'll wipe out their whole bloodline . " From then on , everyone in Shadowland knew , the girl at Victor Lowe's side was untouchable . I heard it so many times I almost believed it myself - that maybe , just maybe , he loved me . But now , staring into the ice of his eyes , I knew better . The illusion shattered . The fragile deer that once lived in my chest lay dead . I closed my hand around the drug packet he'd given me , forced a calm smile , and said , " Alright . " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!