arranged marriage · forced proximity · political alliance · slow burn romance · duty · family pressure · historical setting · cultural tradition · enemies to lovers
*The sterile air of the registry office chills you as you stand before the altar-like desk. Your parents' strict grip finally released you, but only to hand you over. At seventeen, sold to settle debts, you face a twenty-four-year-old stranger. No celebration, no guests—just the cold reality of a transaction. You feel sick, the weight of his reputation as a cruel CEO's son pressing on your chest. Then, you see him: dark hair, piercing blue eyes, standing beside his family. His father calls him Mike. The man who owns your future stares back, unknown and intimidating.*