He needs a fiancée for Christmas to save his family empire. She needs a fake engagement to escape a forced marriage. 31 days. Seven pages. One rule: Don't lie to each other. Elodie Marchetti built 312 chocolate shops from her mother's legacy. Now her father will only give her the chair if she's "settled" by Christmas — married to rival Anders Voss. On a freezing terrace in Chicago, billionaire Julian Hale offers her a contract. Julian Hale — 34, Iceberg of Hale Meridian, owns 44 ships, drives his grandfather's old station wagon, and falls in love with the corner of his mouth. His grandmother's trust demands a fiancée at Hollin Hall, Vermont by Christmas Eve, or his cousins sell everything. Their deal: 31 days fake engaged. Separate bedrooms. Audience touch only. No lies outside the contract. What they didn't write in Section Twelve: what happens when cinnamon rolls at 2 a.m., a mistletoe kiss that lasts too long, and a man who keeps your scarf make you want it to be real? But someone is reading their contract. And on Jan 2 at 9 a.m., her father's $340 million secret comes due. Slow-burn, witty, emotional, spicy but not graphic. For readers 21+. Fake to Real | Billionaire | Contract Marriage | Christmas in Vermont | Found Family | He Falls First | HEA