It was never supposed to mean anything. Just a fleeting moment. A beautiful mistake, soaked in midnight and quiet desperation. One night to forget the rules. To taste freedom in the arms of a stranger. To let go without thinking of the morning after. No goodbyes. No consequences. Only touches that lingered too long, and memories etched into skin like whispers. But fate doesn't play fair. Because when Mia stepped into her classroom that Monday morning, time didn't just stop. It held its breath. And there she was. The stranger from that night. But not draped in shadows this time. No, now she stood in the light. Composed. Commanding. Off-limits. Her new English teacher. Their eyes met. A flash of recognition. A pause too long to be innocent. Mia's heart stumbled in her chest. The room faded, voices dulled, the world narrowed to just her. The woman she wasn't supposed to see again. The woman who now held her future in the palm of her hand. And maybe, just maybe, still remembered everything.

I was falling, cascading into the dark chasm of sin and desire. I was unhinged, wild and free, giving in to everything I wanted. I would not hold back tonight. I wanted to fuck him over and over, anywhere and everywhere. Taste him and kiss him. Completely surround myself with only Jay. I will do it all with Jay tonight and every night forward. I am his queen, his weakness, his carnal transgression. I will take him as my own and ride out this delusion with him come what may. A tiny voice in the back of my mind was scolding, cursing, pleading at me to come to my senses, realize the mistakes I was making and the repercussions I would face. I suffocated the whispers, murdered my rational logic in that moment. Death was swift for the girl in my mind looking down with a frown on my actions. I laughed again, knowing this would be my undoing, enjoying the unraveling of my sanity, leaving it in shards on the ground. Because I had made up my mind. I won't let go. ****TRIGGER ⚠️ WARNING This book contains mature content; including language, violence, sexual content, drugs and alcohol and a near rape scenario. There will be no other warning throughout. Thank you for reading!

Adrien Vitale is one of the most powerful people in the world. Daughter of a business man, she will stop at nothing to inherit her father's corporation. To every woman she has ever slept with, she is ruthless, ambitious and cutthroat, with no intention of ever settling down. Except when her father gives her an ultimatum, she needs to either present herself as a family woman, or risk losing her inheritance. Ever since Muse Gardner's grandmother died, she has been scraping together a living in New York City, only one step away from the streets. For the past month, she has been a waitress at one of the most high-end restaurants in New York City. But after the accident of the century―involving a pot of fondue, a hot-shot CEO and a ruined tuxedo―she's left with a bad reputation and no job prospects. Until Adrien Vitale, a filthy-rich CEO, makes her a deal: Pretend to be the billionaire's wife, for more money than Muse has ever imagined. There's just one problem. With a fake proposal, a fake wedding and a fake wife, it might just be impossible to tell what's true anymore. Can a relationship built on lies ever be real?