King of Envy by Ana Huang is the fifth standalone installment in the Kings of Sin series, a set of interconnected romance novels that explore powerful men brought to their knees by love. This particular story revolves around Dante Russo, a ruthless billionaire with a dark past and a cold demeanor, and Vivian Lau, an elegant heiress determined to prove her worth beyond her family’s reputation. What begins as mutual dislike quickly turns into a story of intense emotional and physical tension, as two people from very different worlds are drawn together against all reason—and against all rules.
Dante Russo is one of the most powerful and feared men in New York’s financial and social circles. He is known for his meticulous control, cold logic, and emotional detachment. He doesn’t believe in love or vulnerability—only in calculated moves and careful alliances. On the other hand, Vivian Lau is the daughter of a wealthy but socially insecure family. Though her family has money, they lack the generational power and prestige of others in the elite class, and Vivian has spent her life trying to bridge that gap by being perfect—perfectly poised, perfectly polite, perfectly obedient.
The story begins when Dante and Vivian are forced into proximity due to business and family connections. Their families are linked through longstanding financial partnerships and strategic alliances, and as key representatives of those families, Dante and Vivian often find themselves at the same events, in the same rooms, and eventually, entangled in a shared project that neither of them can escape from.
From the very beginning, there is friction between them. Dante sees Vivian as ornamental, the kind of woman who plays by society’s rules and lives behind a mask of politeness. Vivian sees Dante as cold and arrogant, a man too obsessed with control to ever understand emotion or vulnerability. However, beneath their polished exteriors, both carry deep wounds. Dante is haunted by a traumatic past involving betrayal and family tragedy, and he has built walls so high that even he has forgotten what it’s like to feel anything deeply. Vivian, despite her grace, feels suffocated by her role as the perfect daughter. She longs for freedom and authenticity, but she is bound by duty—to her family, to their ambitions, and to a future that has been carefully arranged for her.
That future comes in the form of her engagement to another man—a respectable, well-connected individual chosen for strategic reasons, not love. Vivian agrees to the engagement out of a sense of obligation. It is the next logical step in her path, the one her parents have always envisioned for her. But then Dante enters her world more fully, and everything changes.
The slow-burn tension between Dante and Vivian intensifies as they continue to interact. They argue. They flirt. They resist. They are opposites in many ways—emotion versus logic, tradition versus independence—but it’s precisely those differences that create a magnetic pull. Vivian begins to see glimpses of the real Dante—the man beneath the icy mask, the one who is fiercely loyal, protective, and deeply wounded. Dante, in turn, is drawn to Vivian’s quiet strength, her intelligence, and the way she sees him not as a ruthless king but as a man struggling to stay in control of a storm that’s been brewing inside him for years.
Their emotional connection deepens, and soon it becomes impossible to ignore the physical chemistry between them. Every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every sharp exchange is laced with desire. When they finally give in, it is explosive. But even as they fall into bed, they try to deny that they are falling in love.
Vivian is tormented by guilt and fear. She’s engaged. Her family is counting on her. Falling for Dante threatens everything she’s been raised to believe in. Dante, on the other hand, is terrified of opening himself up. He doesn’t believe in love. He believes in control, in logic, in keeping people at arm’s length. Letting Vivian in would mean risking everything—his carefully maintained image, his family’s secrets, and worst of all, his heart.
But the heart doesn’t follow rules. As their relationship intensifies, cracks begin to appear in the facades they’ve both worn for so long. Vivian starts to question the path her life is on. Is she truly living for herself, or just following a script written by others? Dante, too, must face his past—pain he has buried, betrayal he has never healed from—and ask himself whether pushing people away is actually protecting him, or simply making him lonely.
Conflict erupts when their relationship comes to light. Vivian’s family is furious. Her engagement is called into question. Dante’s enemies—both in business and in society—begin to circle. The pressure mounts from all sides. Just when it seems like they might choose each other, the past resurfaces in a way that threatens to destroy everything they’ve built.
Dante’s darkest secret—something tied to his family’s tragic history—comes to light. In a moment of fear and pride, he pushes Vivian away, believing he is unworthy of her and unable to give her what she needs. Vivian, devastated, must make a choice: retreat to the safe, planned life her family wants for her, or fight for the life—and the love—she wants for herself.
In the final act of the novel, the characters begin to grow not just toward each other, but into themselves. Vivian finds her voice, standing up to her family, ending her engagement for good, and deciding to live on her own terms. Dante, too, is forced to confront the grief and shame that have ruled his life. Through the help of his close friends (many of whom are main characters in other books in the Kings of Sin series), he begins to see that love isn’t weakness. It’s the one thing strong enough to heal him.
The story ends with Dante making a grand, heartfelt gesture—something utterly unlike him. He apologizes not just with words, but with vulnerability. He admits he was wrong. He confesses his love. And this time, he doesn’t push Vivian away. He lets her in. Vivian, too, opens her heart fully, accepting Dante for who he is—not the image he shows the world, but the man behind it.
Their love is not easy. It is messy, raw, and deeply transformative. But it is real. And for both Dante and Vivian, it becomes the most important thing they’ve ever fought for.
