Twisted Empire: King’s Gambit by J. Tarr

Gabriette
When your hidden past hunts you down, there’s no escape.
For six years, I’ve been Bella Smith, not Gabriette Lombardi, the mafia princess. Just as my music career takes off, my world implodes.
He claims my sister chose to abandon her throne and her life, leaving me chained to a destiny I’d always wanted to escape.
Now, I’m set to be his bride, his stepping stone to power. Mikhail may think he can claim me as easily as he does his other spoils of war, but he’s gravely mistaken.
In this dark symphony, he may be the conductor, but I will be the virtuoso who breaks the baton.

Mikhail
Power isn’t just a word; it’s my birthright, hard-wired into my DNA. I’m the heir apparent to an empire, a kingdom built on whispers and violence.
My path seemed clear until fate intervened — in a selfish act, my intended bride chose a bullet over a life with me.
Now Gabriette is my reluctant bride, my key to power, a defiant woman who vows to make my life hell, but her defiance only fuels my desire.
Winning her might be my greatest conquest, but it may also cost a part of me I never knew I had.