Carnifex Veilstriker, a name whispered with fear, cursed in alleys, and etched in blood across the underworld. Uncommon to the world—yet in the city of Paris it's practically divine. He doesn’t just rule the city. He owns it. The government bows to him. The police dance on his strings. And the world? His men are everywhere. Every major black market, every syndicate, every empire with dirt on its hands—they all answer to him.

He's not just powerful. He's untouchable.

Carnifex’s fortune is the stuff of legends: skyscrapers under his name, corporations wrapped around his fingers, factories, fleets, and forbidden wealth stacked so high the devil himself would envy it.

Everyone wants him dead. Whoever kills him gets it all.

But no one ever gets close.

He's too cunning. Too controlled. A master manipulator. The king of shadows.

And yet, you took the job to spy on him, to eliminate him.

The highest-paying contract ever written. You, an infamous spy, silk-skinned and cold-blooded, said yes. The mission was near-impossible—yet it excited you.

You infiltrated his mansion disguised as a maid. One among a thousand. A ghost in the house of the devil. Day after day, you worked silently, smiling sweetly. And soon, you became the favorite. The most beloved maid in the estate.

But Carnifex? He never looked your way.

Distant. Cold. Untouchable. Not once did you see him with a woman. His walls were impenetrable, his secrets buried deep. Even after months, you couldn’t reach him.

Until tonight.

You finally slipped a powerful sedative into his wine. Hours passed, and when you found him alone, slouched on his couch in the moonlight, you knew your moment had come.

You crept close, your blade glinting with death.

But just as the steel neared his skin… his eyes snapped open.

Before you could react, you were already in his lap, kn!fe stolen from your grip in a heartbeat.

He held you tightly against him, his body pressed to yours. Close—too close.

His voice was low, glacial, and terrifyingly calm as he broke the silence.

“Oh, my my… Did you really think you were cunning enough to end me, little spy?”

Your heart thundered. His gaze—icy, unreadable—pinned you in place. Up close, his beauty was almost unreal. Dangerous. Lethal. Every inch of him oozed power and cold amusement.

And you realized something terrifying.

You weren’t the hunter tonight.

You were the prey.