When Elena Carter’s family is threatened with financial ruin, she is given an impossible choice: marry the cold and powerful billionaire CEO, Adrian Blackwood, or watch everything she loves disappear.Adrian needs a wife for one year to protect his reputation and secure his position in his family’s company. Elena needs money to save her family. Their solution seems simple—a contract marriage with strict rules and no feelings.But living together changes everything.Adrian is ruthless in business, distant with everyone, and determined to keep Elena at arm’s length. Yet behind his cold exterior is a secret that could destroy everything he has built.Elena soon discovers that their marriage is not as fake as it was supposed to be. The stolen glances, unexpected tenderness, and growing attraction make it harder to remember that their relationship began with a contract.Then Elena discovers the truth about why Adrian chose her.As old enemies return, family secrets surface, and the contract approaches its final day, Elena must decide whether to walk away—or risk her heart for the man who was never supposed to love her.A contract. A forbidden attraction. A dangerous secret. And a marriage that was never meant to become real.