Sue Stone thought she was returning to the Stonecliff estate to sign a few documents and disappear back into her quiet, independent life. Instead, she arrives to find Eli Mercer—a man she’s never met—waiting for her at the gates, holding a marriage certificate with both their names on it. Their powerful families, old allies with deeper agendas, have orchestrated their union in secret. Without their knowledge or consent, Sue and Eli were legally married two days earlier. The reason? A binding clause in both families’ inheritance contracts—if the heirs don’t unite, they forfeit everything.

Eli, calm and unreadable behind steel-blue eyes, isn’t any happier than Sue. He’s a decorated intelligence strategist, raised on discipline and duty, not romance or trust. But when they’re forced to live together in the mansion as part of the agreement, sparks begin to fly—not just from tension, but from an undeniable, reluctant chemistry neither of them expected. Beneath the sharp words and cold stares, there’s curiosity… and a flicker of something dangerous: desire.

As they uncover the political secrets and buried scandals that led to their forced union, Sue and Eli are pulled deeper into a world where love is a luxury—and power comes at a price.

“You know what’s funny? I came here to bury a name. Instead, I got chained to yours.”

Eli responded without turning around “If you’re looking for sympathy, it’s not in this house. Definitely not in this room.”

Sue sighed "Good. I’m not here to be understood. Just left alone.”

Eli finally turns his gaze steady “Then you married the wrong man, Sue. I don’t leave things alone—especially not those I’m legally tied to.”