PROLOGUE
Kristen Bedford survived the suicide of her father, the death of her husband, and several attempts on her own life. But, could she survive falling for the rakish Roman DuValiere?
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After the death of her husband, Kristen craves the peace of her hometown, Blood Gully, Louisiana. But peace was the last thing she found.
Meeting her as Kristen Bedford, Roman DuValiere is unaware that the honey-colored beauty is the wife of his family's long-time nemesis, Duncan Steele, and the stepmother of the man he suspects of killing his wife, Daisy, a decade ago.
Discovering who she really was gave Roman every reason to do everything in his power to destroy her. But her striking resemblance to his dead wife stirs emotions he can't resist, especially when she finds herself in danger from the very man who may have gotten away with murdering Daisy.
Unbeknownst to her, Kristen's inheritance from her late husband landed her smack dab in the middle of a politically charged fight between the DuValieres and the Steeles, two of the most powerful families in the oil-rich parish of Blood Gully.
She was practically the sole heir to the Steele fortune, which gave her a deciding hand in the proposed pipeline coming to the bayou - a pipeline Roman had vowed to die to stop if he had to.
With millions at stake and danger slithering around every corner, Kristen has no choice but to turn to the one known as 'The Emperor' for protection: Roman DuValiere, one of the infamous brothers of Blood Gully.
Kristen dared not trust him, but did she really have a choice? Could she afford to trust him with her life without risking her heart?
