He is the Grandmaster of Sterling University. I am the Pawn who came to burn his kingdom down.
JULIAN Life is a game of perfect information. People are variables. Emotions are errors. As the heir to the Vance Estate and the youngest professor in the Psychology department, I view the world as a solved equation. Then I met her. Sloane Mercer. A ghost in combat boots. A genius hiding in the library stacks. She plays chess like she’s wielding a knife. She hates me with a passion that defies logic. She wants to destroy my career? Fine. Let her try. I don’t want to defeat her. I want to dissect her. I want to own every brilliant, chaotic corner of her mind. Check.
SLOANE Julian Vance isn't a man; he’s a disease. Six years ago, he destroyed my father’s life with a single whisper. Now, I’m going to return the favor. I’ll work for him. I’ll smile at him. I’ll let him think I’m just another student falling for his cold, sociopathic charm. And when he’s completely obsessed... I’ll expose the monster underneath the tailored suit. But I miscalculated. I didn't account for his touch. I didn't account for the way he protects me from the shadows. The King has offered me a Win, and I go free. Lose, and I belong to him forever.
GAMBIT is a dark academia, psychological romance. It features a sociopathic anti-hero, a genius heroine, high-stakes mind games, and a hate-love tension that burns hot enough to melt ice. This is Book 3 of the Gemini Paradox.