A Symphony of Shattered Glass
By @john1208
In the rain-shadowed metropolis of Vellatris, survival is a ruthless art. Lieve Sordoni is a master of it - cold, calculating, and willing to strike any bargain to protect her fragile younger brother, Nio. The opening move? A clandestine deal with Tazio Cresta, the city's most notorious playboy. Tazio desperately needs to sanitize his scandal-ridden image to win a vital maritime contract from the elite matriarchs, and Lieve is the perfect respectable, ice-cold fiancée. Told in alternating third-person perspectives, their transaction starts flawlessly. But as the lines blur, Lieve uncovers the melancholic truth behind Tazio's careless smirks: he is a closeted prodigy who pours his soul into agonizingly beautiful piano sonatas. Tazio, meanwhile, falls fast and hard. After shocking high society by purchasing the million-dollar Sunken Star necklace at a fierce auction just to publicly claim her, Tazio realizes he hasn't spared a glance for another woman in months. But when a shadow from the past threatens Lieve, Tazio's playboy mask shatters, unleashing a terrifying possessiveness. As a sympathetic villain plots to destroy the Cresta empire for past sins, can a love built on calculated lies survive the truth?
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