KING OF REGRET
Kings of the Underworld #2
by Bianca Borell
Cover & Excerpt Reveal
Release Date: January 14, 2026
Cover Design: Tempting Illustrations
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance Standalone
Trope: Brother's best friend, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, touch her and d!e, forbidden love, jealous/possessive hero, she falls first/he falls harder, celibate hero, tortured heroine, unrequited love, secret relationship, emotional scars
In the shadows of the city he rules, Dahlia Ferrara has spent years in love with one man: Mikail Morozov. Her brother’s best friend. The underworld’s coldest king. The forbidden obsession she was never meant to touch.
He rejected her once.
Now she’s done waiting.
Dahlia offers Mikail ten days – no strings, no future, no promises. On day eleven, she walks away to build a life far beyond the brutality of their worldand the secrets that have scarred them both.
But being this close to her, is a crack in his armor he can’t afford.
Forced proximity ignites jealousy, desire, and a control he’s been breaking for years.
Because Mikail has a secret of his own –
he’s been celibate because no one has ever been her.
She’s sunshine in a violent world.
He's a king built from regret.
And their connection is one line that was never meant to be crossed.
Loving her is betrayal.
Keeping her is war.
But letting her go would destroy him.
A dark, intoxicating forbidden-love mafia romance featuring a jealous, possessive hero, a tortured heroine, forced proximity, unrequited turned devastating love, emotional scars, a celibate anti-hero, and a secret relationship that could get them both killed.
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He takes me in with those cold silver eyes—lethal to my heart like bullets.
No dream, no fantasy can wreak havoc through my insides like his presence, so I can’t be imagining him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask breathlessly but with a bite.
He arches a brow, taking me in, his intense gaze boring into me. “Still mad at me, I see.”
I purse my lips to stop myself from saying it’s his fault and he could rectify it.
He cocks his head as he studies me, raking his eyes over me. They linger on the patch of skin I show. I wear a beige lace crop top and shorts that mold to my curves, and by the heated gaze, he approves by not approving.
“Like what you see?” I egg him on, the temperature rising just like the tension constantly sizzling between us. It’s a wonder I don’t combust.
The vein in his neck threatens to burst. “Watch it, Dahlia.”
I should heed the threat in his deep voice that ends with an edge attached to my name. But it only makes me burn hotter, makes me push him further until he finally cracks.
There’s no cure for my delusion.
I sway my hips as I approach him. Owning his attention is a heady feeling. I lick my lips. “Hmm, empty threats, and we both know it.”
His heated gaze causes tingles to dance on my lips.
“Yet you’re doing your best to piss me off. Did we wake up and decide to be difficult?”
Nostrils flaring, I get in his face, pushing at his chest as I look up at him. I don’t even reach his chin. Of course, the mountain of a man doesn’t even flinch. It’s like I am pounding on titanium, hoping to dent it. In vain.
He lowers his face and whispers in my ear. “Hurt me if it makes you feel better. I can and will take everything you dish out, but never fucking hurt yourself.”
His hot breath fans my sensitive skin, and I fist his shirt to support myself. Goosebumps spread, a fever I can’t contain, a fire ravaging my insides only he can tame.
Palming his muscular chest, the steady beat of his heart reminds me of my duty—of that sacred promise I made him.
A word is a word. He has kept his.
Whatever happens, we’ll always have each other.
Snapping out of my reverie, I ask, “What are you doing here?”
He rakes a hand through his hair, looking disheveled. “Your brother asked me to stay here until they return.”
I stumble back, the news making me trip on my feet, but he’s there to catch me.
“You can’t,” I whisper, the anguish clear in my voice.
I can’t be held accountable. We need distance, time apart, to pull off this farce we have kept going on for four years.
A muscle in his jaw twitches. “I have to.”
There is more behind his words—a secret message only I can decode.
As our eyes lock, time and space distort. It’s only him and me, connecting on a soul-deep level. Nothing else exists but us. I could spend eternity just like this, unbothered by cruel reality—he and I, and nothing else between us.
Just as he does every time, he breaks eye contact, severing the bond. “Do you have something else to tell me?”
“I’m not sorry for last night,” I say haughtily.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he groans low, and my stomach flutters at his deep voice.
It takes everything in me not to smile. Instead, I pretend I didn’t hear him, loving to mess with him.
“What was that?” I ask playfully.
He pins me with an unamused gaze. “You’re a brat.”
“Sure.” I shrug. “But I am your brat.” The words rush out of me.
For a moment, everything stills. My heart thumping wildly in my chest is the only sound penetrating the silence. That’s why proximity is dangerous. I am prone to slipping if my brother is not around.
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KING OF OBSESSION
Kings of the Underworld #1
She has a weakness for tormented characters, second chances, and happy endings.
She currently lives in Germany with her amazing husband and indulges in way too many pastries than she should.
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