Lila's heart pounded as she stared at the shattered photograph in her hand. Her fiancé's smiling face stared back at her, completely unaware of the betrayal he had just committed. She had trusted him, loved him… and now everything was gone.
Before she could gather her thoughts, her mother's sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Lila! Enough crying. Your family is in debt. The only way to save us is to marry him."
Him.
The man she had only met once, in passing—a stranger. Tall, impeccably dressed, with eyes that could pierce through stone. He was the CEO of Alveron Enterprises, rumored to be ruthless in business and impossible in love.
That night, under the dim chandelier of the Alveron mansion, Lila met him properly for the first time. He didn't smile. He didn't even extend a hand.
"Sign the contract," he said coldly. "One year. Marriage of convenience. No complications. Understand?"
Lila swallowed her fear and nodded. She had no choice. But deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that her life was about to change forever.
The air between them was thick with tension—equal parts fear, curiosity, and something neither of them wanted to admit.
Would she survive a year under his icy gaze? Or would her heart betray her before the contract ended?