Across the Map, Into His Arms

Prologue
Somewhere between destiny and detour, their paths collided.

Liana Francisco never planned to fall in love during a two-month escape in Manila. A small-town girl with soil on her hands and sun in her laughter, she only wanted a break-a wild city adventure with her best friends before going back to running her family's beloved farm.

But fate had a different map in mind.

Enter Maximilian Blackwood-cold, calculating, and the living embodiment of the word untouchable. A powerful businessman with a sharp tongue and an even sharper past, he believed love was a weakness. He lived by rules, not feelings. Control was his comfort zone, and vulnerability was a luxury he couldn't afford.

So when a stubborn, sun-kissed stranger walked into his world-with her messy charm, barefoot honesty, and the kind of heart that terrified him-Maximilian didn't stand a chance.

Neither of them did.

What began as a fiery clash in the heart of the city slowly unraveled into something deeper, something unexpected. Secrets from the past. Late-night conversations. Shared silences. A spark too loud to ignore.

But with walls built high and lives so far apart, will one summer be enough to change everything?

Or will they remain two souls, lost in translation, across the map-but always drawn into each other's arms?