Melanie Hart is a scholarship girl with a gift for trusting people and a grief she has never let go of. When her mother's death leaves her with more questions than answers, she wins a place at a prestigious university ruled by the children of money, power, and organized crime.
There she meets Zevon, the underboss everyone fears and no one challenges. He agrees to a bet that will prove he can make her fall for him, certain his heart will never be involved. But Melanie is not as easy to control as he thought, and his obsession begins to take hold.
Bronze wants her for himself, Bianca wants Zevon, and Zoe, the friend Melanie trusts most, is already plotting against her. When Melanie discovers the bet and the truth about her mother's family, she has to decide whether Zevon is the man she loves or the man who betrayed her.
Some secrets are worth dying for, and someone is willing to kill to keep them buried.