She signed his name on a certificate and sold herself for rent money. He called it convenience; she called it survival. Laney Graf keeps their legal marriage as transparent as the digital transfer that refills her account every week. Declan Edwards keeps distance—and the bed. Their contract is tidy, transactional, and painfully honest: she takes money, he takes pleasure, neither admits the thin, unbearable ache in the middle. When a drunken ex resurfaces and a photograph resurfaces with her missing brother at its edge, Laney’s fragile control snaps—into motion. This time the stakes are more than money. Laney will barter, bluff, seduce, and bargain her way through elite parties, jealous rivals, and the man who owns her signature. Declan will test limits, protect in public, and punish in private. Both will learn the dangerous truth: you can marry for a reason, but you fall for a person. And once the world knows the contract, nobody in Harbor City will ever treat them the same.
15 Chapters
