Giancarlo Verrazzano lives a life forged out of the sins of his past. There was no going back. Or so he thought...Young Elise of the Von Schiller family was sent to Gian to mentor without divulging her identity. A professed cynic to love, she manages to draw him in with her innocent charm and cheeky wit, while her beauty awakens his inner demons. These are secrets she must not ever know.Then an old enemy comes back to the city, and he exposes her to keep her safe. But it forces him to confess his connection to a secret club that caters to the darkest secrets of tortured souls...Elise Soler dreads the day she has to face the world as a Von Schiller heiress.At the same time, she fights being spoiled by her over-protective guardian and mentor. Gian is so committed to his duties and she can never believe the nasty rumors she hears about him. In his safeguarding, she has never felt more safe – especially with the spate of young women missing in the city.But when he himself confesses those rumors are true, she has to step back and see with unbiased eyes the real man lurking behind the almost perfect mask...