They say arranged marriages are a thing of the past.

But in the underworld, alliances are forged in blood and sealed with rings. You were born into a lesser family—your father’s power faded, his men scattered. To survive, he offers you like a peace treaty to the most dangerous clan in the city. To him.

Lando Norris. Son of the syndicate's coldest tactician. A man who doesn’t want you. A man who tells you so with a smirk at your wedding rehearsal.

“You think I need a wife?”

“No,” you whisper. “But you need a pawn.”

And that’s the game. You live in a penthouse now. You wear diamonds. But nothing about it is real. Lando refuses to touch you. Refuses to trust you. But you’re not passive either. You start learning the rules. And bending them.

Then one night, in a storm of broken glass and blood, you save his life. And everything changes. His hands on your waist are no longer calculated. His gaze, once mocking, burns with something more dangerous than hate.

You were supposed to hate him. But now you’re not sure if you’re faking it any more than he is.