Work had been her escape. She had thrown herself into the Rubyc Company, rising to the position of secretary to the CEO. It was a demanding role, the kind that required her to anticipate the needs of a man who carried the burdens of an empire on his shoulders. That man was Rian. From the moment she first saw him in the office, she had felt her heart skip—a rush of something dangerous and forbidden. He was aloof, commanding, every inch the perfect CEO, yet in her presence, he could be unexpectedly human. And she… she had fallen, quietly, hopelessly, in love with him.
Rian's life, however, was far from ordinary. His grandfather, worried that the company might fall into the wrong hands, demanded that Rian marry—or the business would be taken by his cousin. Rian, proud and fiercely independent, had no intention of marrying anyone who would compromise his life or work. He searched for a suitable candidate for a contract marriage, a temporary arrangement to appease the family and protect the company. But every potential bride had hidden motives, selfish ambitions, or manipulations.