laurent gounelle

For as long as she can remember, Aria Laurent has heard only one rule from her father: Stay away from him. No explanation. No details. Just hatred whenever his name is mentioned. Adrian Laurent. Adrian Laurent her father’s estranged stepbrother is the black sheep of the Laurent family. While her father built a powerful political career, Adrian built something far more powerful international corporate empire that made him one of the most feared CEOs in the country. Cold, disciplined, and dangerously charismatic. To the world, Adrian is known for his sharp mind, his ruthless negotiations. But behind closed doors, whispers follow him rumors of a private life ruled by control, secrecy, and desires hidden behind velvet doors. Aria has spent nineteen years obeying her father’s command until the night she meets Adrian for the first time at a lavish charity gala. One look changes everything. Because the girl Adrian vaguely remembers is gone. Standing before him is a woman, beautiful, curious, and dangerously fearless. Adrian knows he should walk away. Getting involved with her could ignite a family war and destroy the reputation he spent years building. But Aria has always been drawn to the things she was told to fear. And the more she learns about Adrian, the more she realizes the stories her father told might not be the truth. What begins as curiosity slowly grows into something far more powerful and far more dangerous. Because Adrian Laurent is a man who has always been in control. Until Aria. As she steps deeper into his secret world of power, dominance, and hidden desires, the connection between them becomes impossible to ignore. But when her father discovers the truth, old betrayals and long-buried family secrets begin to rise threatening to tear the Laurent family apart. Now Aria must make an impossible choice: Remain loyal to the family who raised her… Or risk everything for the man she was never meant to love.