Considered a cursed child by her family from a young age, Katherine Lutz grew up isolated from the world, raised only by her mother and a set of extraordinary abilities—amplified hearing, prodigious memory, and an almost superhuman talent for creating medicinal fragrances. Now, years later, she returns to the city only to discover: a father who never wanted her, a half-sister who slanders her, a stepmother who despises her, and an elite class ready to trample her.
But Katherine did not return defenseless, she holds the industry's biggest secret:she is Sasha Luz, the miraculous perfumer whose work is worth millions — and whose name the whole world desires. When her path crosses with João Pedro Arbex, the second heir to the most powerful family in the country, Katherine realizes she's not the only one with secrets.
I needed to find the secret door in his bathroom, but I didn't expect him to walk in while I was on my knees. João Pedro stood in the doorway, water dripping from his wet hair, a towel barely covering his waist. His cold eyes scanned me, then the bathtub I was inspecting. “What are you doing in my private bathroom, Katherine?” My heart raced. I couldn't tell him I was a hacker looking for his illegal lab. So I lied. “I... I lost something.” He took a step closer, the scent of mint and dangerous pheromones filling the small space. He trapped me against the cold tiles, his wet skin burning against mine. “Did you lose this?” He whispered, his hand brushing my cheek, then sliding down to my neck. The tension was unbearable. He thought I was obsessed with him. “If you wanted to see me naked, you just had to ask.” He leaned in, his lips inches from mine. “But be careful... once you enter my room, I might never let you leave.”