E. Williams

To escape her mother selling her into marriage to settle an unwanted bride price, Laura flees to the city, determined to fight for her own freedom. Desperate for stability, she interviews at Smith Company and crosses paths with Fred Smith, the cold, guarded heir facing an aggressive corporate ultimatum to find a wife or lose his rightful place as CEO. Neither is looking for romance, but both need an escape. Fred proposes a strictly business arrangement: a one-year legal marriage governed by rigid rules. Separate bedrooms, complete independence, zero emotional involvement, and a quiet divorce when time runs out. For Laura, it is an unbreakable legal shield against her family. For Fred, it is a calculated corporate defense. Living under the same roof quickly shatters their tidy boundaries. Sharp arguments and constant clashes give way to undeniable chemistry, mutual respect, and protective instincts neither anticipated. But as corporate rivals plot Fred's downfall and malicious family schemes close in, an even bigger secret comes to light. Laura discovers that the humble road cleaner who raised her took a life-altering truth to his grave: she is the long-lost heiress to a powerful dynasty. With the contract's expiration ticking down, the stranger Laura married to escape her mother becomes the one man she cannot bear to leave. Will their paper agreement survive when the truth about who they really are comes to light?