Lila Thompson comes home from college expecting peace, family, and a quiet summer. Instead, she walks into a nightmare. Her father—drowning in debt and out of options—has made a secret deal with one of the most powerful men in the city.

The debt will disappear…
But only if Lila becomes his wife.

Jace “Hood” Romano doesn’t apologize for who he is. Built from the streets up, feared by many and respected by all, Hood is a man who thrives on power and control. A wife was never in his plans—until he realized it was the easiest way to secure everything he’s been fighting for.

Lila is the perfect solution: educated, clean reputation, untouched by the chaos of his world.
Except she’s not a willing bride.

Blindsided and betrayed, Lila begs her father to take it all back—but the papers are already signed, the deal already sealed. Now she’s trapped in a marriage she didn’t choose, tethered to a man she doesn’t trust, and pushed into a life she never wanted.

But Hood didn’t expect her fire.
Her resistance.
Or the way she gets under his skin.

As they battle for control, lines blur, walls crack, and a dangerous, undeniable chemistry builds in the shadows of a marriage born from desperation.

In a world where loyalty costs, power rules, and love is the most dangerous gamble…
Can two people forced together find something real?