By December 31, billionaire heir Adrian Ashcombe must be legally married and living in Saltmere?or risk losing control of the historic Bellwether Grand to a cousin ready to remake it beyond recognition.

Mara Ellison is the restoration architect determined to save the hotel without sacrificing its character. She refuses to become another item on Adrian's balance sheet. If he wants a marriage of convenience, she sets the terms: independent oversight, transparent decisions, and the freedom to challenge him when the building?or her principles?is at stake.

Their contract marriage gets them past the first hurdle. Living under one roof and working shoulder to shoulder throws them into forced proximity, where sharp disagreements expose an inconvenient attraction. In Saltmere, a close-knit coastal town that cares deeply about the Bellwether, nothing stays private for long?and every choice has consequences.

Adrian knows how to negotiate a deal. He has yet to learn how to share control. Mara knows how to restore a building. Letting herself trust the man she once opposed may be the risk she cannot assess on paper.

As costs rise and the hotel's future hangs in the balance, their enemies-to-lovers tension deepens into a slow burn neither can manage away. Can a marriage designed to save a legacy become a love chosen freely?

A contemporary billionaire romance about a marriage of convenience, hard-won trust, and a happily-ever-after that must be earned.