The Emperor: A Novel (Fifth Republic)

A dark, addictive romance filled with danger, power, and undeniable heat in the Paris underground where survival is earned and love is the most dangerous game of all—the next installment of the sizzling Fifth Republic series. He rules a city built on secrets. She’s been running from hers for years. Aliénor Badeaux thought she’d mastered survival—stay invisible, trust no one, never stop moving. For eight years, she’s outrun the men sworn to kill her, living one step ahead of a death sentence she never deserved. A stranger behind the wheel. A getaway in the dead of night. And a man far more dangerous than the ones hunting her. Luca Fournier isn’t just powerful—he’s untouchable. Known as The Emperor, he governs the criminal underworld of Paris with ruthless precision, answering to no one and fearing nothing. When Aliénor crashes into his world, he offers her protection . . . on his terms. Cold. Commanding. Unforgiving. And the only man who can keep her alive. What begins as a desperate arrangement quickly ignites into something far more volatile. Because beneath Luca’s brutal exterior is a man who doesn’t bend—and a man who doesn’t share. And Aliénor?