Sara expected to meet fellow bibliophiles and hearty conversations about prose and reading when she joined a local book club. Fueled with caffeine and passionate talks, she became well acquainted with her new bookoholic friends, especially with Dominic, the man with midnight raven hair and oceanic blue eyes whose charm worked on her like black magic. Though she only intended to bond platonically, she couldn't help but reciprocate his flirtatious glances and sexual innuendos when she thought no one noticed. As she found herself stuck between her poor attempt at surviving her failing relationship and her profound desire for her hot, persuasive writer, she couldn't say no when he made a generous offer she's more than willing to compromise: private writing sessions at his place. ⚠ content/trigger warning: contains mature content, sexual assault, self-harm, mentions of ED, cursing, alcohol/drugs use, emotional abuse & cheating

Riann Hsu's life takes a drastic turn when she got engaged to Edward Vanderbilt, one of New York's richest billionaires, based on a deal. The terms are clear, the most important one is: clear abuse allegations against Edward and rebuild his dead reputation, and he'd help her repay her mom's debts and hand her the socialite role on a silver platter. The only thing keeping her from having a peaceful marriage is the animosity between her and Theodore, her fiance's son and devil-reincarnate. They're both biding their time to destroy each other. But the line between desire and hatred blurs when, in a moment of mutual wanting and vulnerability, he shows her just what his mouth is capable of aside from throwing snark comments her way. From pushing aside her growing feelings for Theo to discovering strange clues that reveal dark secrets the family hides, she has to fight off every obstacle lining up her way to remain in the household. As she digs deeper into the family's buried past, the mystery turns out to be darker than an ordinary case of domestic violence. Everyone in the Vanderbilt family holds an agenda of their own, and if she wants to find the culprit before they target her this time, she has to pretend she is just a naive, housewife unaware of the danger lurking around. But investigating an unsolved case by herself is risky, and it's only a matter of time before someone sees through her pretense and ruins her plan. · · · [ status: ongoing ] ‣ extended blurb + trigger warnings inside