Rose Carter, a determined and kind-hearted college student, juggles multiple part-time jobs just to support her ailing father and her tuition. She's not rich, she's not famous, but she's a fighter. Her dream is simple—graduate, get a stable job, and give her family the life they deserve.

Adrian Blackwood is a ruthless billionaire CEO, known for building a global empire before the age of 30. He’s powerful, cold, calculated—and never lets anyone get close, except Lily, the love of his life who recently left him to chase her dreams abroad. Adrian doesn’t believe in marriage, but his iron-willed grandmother gives him an ultimatum: marry before she dies, or lose the inheritance of the Blackwood legacy.

To keep his empire intact and buy time until Lily returns, Adrian agrees to a contract marriage—with a girl his grandmother picks at random: Rose.

They’re polar opposites.

Rose hates everything Adrian stands for—his arrogance, his cruelty, his controlling nature. He sees her as a burden, a temporary placeholder, a nobody who doesn’t belong in his world.

But Rose isn’t weak. She refuses to be just a name on a contract. Living under the same roof, sparks fly—sometimes out of anger, sometimes from something deeper neither of them wants to admit.

Adrian tries to punish her for existing in Lily’s place. Rose fights back, challenging him at every turn. But as secrets are exposed, as past wounds resurface, and as they begin to truly see each other, hatred starts to turn into something much more dangerous: passion.

And when Lily unexpectedly returns, Adrian must choose between the woman he once loved… and the wife he never wanted but now can't let go.



Key Themes:

Enemies to Lovers: Constant tension, insults, silent stares, slow-burn connection.

Revenge: Adrian tries to make Rose suffer for what he believes is her manipulation—but she’s innocent.

Passion: Unexpected chemistry, longing glances, stolen moments.

Class Divide: Rose fights to prove she’s more than just “the poor girl.”

Growth: Adrian begins to shed his walls, and Rose finds strength she didn’t know she had.

The joint campaign was working. Too well.


Their ideas flowed. Their pitch was magnetic. City officials were already praising their dynamic as "rare synergy."


But behind every brilliant meeting was an unspoken truth:


They were slipping back into each other.


Late Thursday Night – Office Boardroom


Nancy was barefoot, sitting on the edge of the conference table, reviewing ad mockups. Adrian leaned over her shoulder, close enough that she could feel the heat of him.


Adrian finally broke it. "You always get this quiet when you're about to change the game."


Nancy smiled without looking at him. "And you always get this close when you're about to make a mistake."


He laughed softly. "What if I already did?"


She looked up. "Then don't make another one."


But her voice wasn't firm. It trembled.


"No contracts. No power games. Just this moment," he whispered.


Nancy's heart pounded. She hated that part of her still wanted him. Hated that his voice still did this to her.


Their lips met before she could decide otherwise.


It was everything they had been holding back—anger, longing, love, betrayal.


When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless.


"This…" she said, voice raw, "can't happen again."


Adrian's jaw tightened. "Why? Because it scares you?"


"No," she whispered. "Because I'll let it."


And that terrified her more than anything.


Nancy entered her office to find Mia staring at her laptop, frozen.


An anonymous source had released details about Nancy and Adrian's contract marriage.


Every clause. Every dollar. Every manipulation.


"Was Blackwood's Marriage a Business Deal?"


"PR Star Nancy Carter: Pawn or Player?"


And the only person who had access to those original documents…


Chapter 12 - Lines We’re Not Supposed to Cross