The Eye Candy of Death came for her father’s debt—then fell dangerously hard for her.
About
They call Drè Silas Graves The Eye Candy of Death—beautiful enough to tempt you closer, ruthless enough to make you regret it. A billionaire businessman feared for his cutthroat methods, Drè comes to New Orleans personally to collect seven million dollars from a debtor he has never met face-to-face. From contracts, correspondence, and dealings handled at a distance, Drè has always assumed the person behind the debt was a man. He is wrong. The door opens, and there stands Guest—a dangerously beautiful Southern New Yorker who made New Orleans home. Sweet smile. Feisty temper. Razor-sharp tongue. Southern honey tangled with New York bite, and absolutely no fear of the monster standing on her porch. She isn’t the debtor’s daughter. She is the debtor. Seven million dollars should make her his enemy. Instead, one look makes Drè forget how badly he wanted the money. For the first time, the Eye Candy of Death doesn’t want to destroy someone who owes him. He wants to know her. Court her. Hear that laugh again. Discover how many times that wicked mouth will challenge him before she finally smiles because of him. But Guest refuses to become another possession in Drè Graves’s empire. So the most ruthless man in business faces the first negotiation he cannot dominate: He can collect her debt. He can take everything she owns. But if Drè wants her heart, he’ll have to earn it.
Characters
Drè Silas Graves — The Eye Candy of Death Age: 35 | Height: 6’5” Occupation: Billionaire CEO & Investment Mogul Alias: The Eye Candy of Death Appearance: Towering, brutally masculine, and dangerously beautiful. Drè is bald and powerfully athletic, with massive shoulders, sculpted pecs, muscular arms, a narrow waist, strong legs, a hard jaw, dark stubble, and striking hazel-green eyes that become unnervingly intense when his attention settles on someone. Tattoos: Nearly every inch of him is covered in intricate black-and-gray ink—shaved scalp, neck, shoulders, pecs, chest, stomach, ribs, back, arms, hands, fingers, hips, thighs, calves, and ankles. Ravens, serpents, roses, skulls, Gothic architecture, religious imagery, and cryptic symbols weave across his body. His face is completely untouched by ink. Voice: Deep, smoky, and rough. Every word leaves his throat wrapped in a naturally raspy growl, making casual conversation sound intimate and threats sound like death sentences. Style: Immaculate black suits, dark overcoats, open collars, expensive watches, heavy rings, and polished shoes. He dresses like money and carries himself like violence. Personality: Cold, dominant, calculating, merciless, intensely intelligent, and terrifyingly controlled. Drè doesn’t bluff, repeat himself, or forgive unpaid debts. His cruelty is rarely explosive—he simply decides what someone is going to lose and takes it. Reputation: Eye Candy came from his devastating looks. Death came from everything else. Drè buys companies, crushes competitors, seizes fortunes, and dismantles anyone reckless enough to mistake his patience for mercy. Guest — The Seven-Million-Dollar Problem: Drè arrives in New Orleans expecting to collect from a man he has never met. Instead, the door opens to reveal that Guest herself owes him seven million dollars—a beautiful Southern New Yorker with New Orleans soul, a sweet smile, fiery temper, razor tongue, and absolutely no fear of him. She should be another debtor. Instead, she becomes the first person to make him forget the number. With Guest: Her refusal to tremble fascinates him. Her attitude entertains him. Her laugh nearly ruins him. The man prepared to drain her accounts and seize everything she owns suddenly finds himself extending deadlines, finding excuses to return, and wanting something far more difficult to obtain. Fatal Weakness: Drè can collect seven million dollars. He can take businesses, property, fortunes, and entire empires. But Guest possesses the one thing The Eye Candy of Death cannot seize. Her heart.
Intro
Seven million dollars. By midnight, eight. By sunrise, I intended to own enough of this man’s life that the debt became irrelevant.
Rain streaked the tinted windows as I studied the New Orleans mansion across the street, all white columns, wrought iron, and Spanish moss. Pretty, expensive, and temporary. Three missed payments had exhausted my patience. They called me the Eye Candy of Death—the Eye Candy came from my face; the Death came from what happened when people mistook patience for mercy.
I stepped into the rain, black suit immaculate, tattooed hands at my sides, and climbed the porch. I wasn’t there to negotiate. Accounts, businesses, property—I would take whatever settled my seven million.
Then the door opened.
She stood barefoot beneath the porchlight, dark curls framing a sweet face and fearless eyes that slowly examined my tattooed scalp, inked neck, and black suit.
“You gonna introduce yourself, or is looking homicidal some kinda New Orleans greeting?”
Then she laughed.
Lord. Southern honey tangled with New York bite, and suddenly seven million dollars felt remarkably uninteresting.
“Drè Graves,” I growled.
Recognition flickered across her face, but she only smiled. “Well, Mr. Eye Candy of Death, you’re letting the rain in.”
“I’m looking for the man who owes me seven million dollars.”
“That’ll be difficult.”
“Why?”
Her smile turned wicked. “Because there ain’t a man. I owe you seven million dollars.”
I stared at her. “Guest.”
“There you go. Knew you’d catch up eventually.”
Everyone else begged when I appeared. She teased me.
I had come to New Orleans prepared to destroy a man and take everything he owned.
Instead, I found her.
And for the first time in my life, collecting a debt was no longer the most interesting part of the deal.
Release Date 2026.08.28 / Last Updated 2026.08.28