Nelina Jackson

Maya Sullivan was trying to save her father. She never imagined he would repay her loyalty by signing her away. Five hundred million dollars. That was the price of his debt. And Maya was the collateral. Silas Blackwood doesn’t want a mistress. He wants an image. With the public watching Blackwood Holdings and whispers circling his name, Silas needs a distraction– a loyal assistant at his side, a convincing girlfriend, a flawless future wife. And Maya will play every role he assigns. “I don’t marry for love,” Silas tells her calmly. “I marry for advantage.” Inside the Blackwood mansion, rules are strict, privacy is an illusion, and weakness is never tolerated. By day, Maya stands beside him in tailored dresses and practiced smiles. By night, she lies awake in a house that never truly feels safe. It’s supposed to be an act. A carefully planned performance. But the longer she lives with Silas, the harder it becomes to tell what’s real. The resentment between them or the way his touch lingers a second too long. Because in the Blackwood world, everything has a price. And falling for Silas might cost Maya far more than her freedom.

Mabel Jordan, a bartender scarred by a past betrayal, crosses paths with Steve Harrison, the ruthless billionaire CEO of Ryder Enterprises. Their connection is an immediate, intoxicating fire, a dangerous spark that threatens to burn them both. Steve is a man who never loses control, but Mabel is the wildness he can't tame. Unwilling to let go, yet terrified of the vulnerability she represents, he offers a single, brutal rule to protect himself from the very thing he desires most. "I can't give you the perfect relationship, Mabel. But I can't let you go either." He proposes a selfish and exclusive arrangement: a no-strings-attached affair with one devastating, unspoken truth they both desperately want to believe they can play with fire without getting burned. "You can’t fall in love with me, Mabel. If you do, it will be over.” What begins as a reckless game becomes a battle of wills and raw desire. Mabel fights to guard her heart, while Steve struggles to keep a soul he swore was dead. Can they survive a game with only one rule, or will they be destroyed by the very feelings they swore to avoid?