The Exception

Elio Valenti was the kind of person people avoided without meaning to. Conversations died when he walked into a room, and unease settled in his wake. He was brutally outspoken, unapologetically picky, and intolerant of anything less than perfection. Every detail had to be exactly right, and anyone who failed to meet his standards quickly learned how unforgiving he could be.

Enter Mercy Montgomery-the epitome of a nuisance, according to Elio. Impulsive, stubborn, and annoyingly clever, she was everything he despised wrapped into one infuriating person. How unfortunate was he to be forced into the company of someone who embodied everything he hated?

Mercy, however, couldn't care less. She dismissed his icy demeanor, ignored his intimidating reputation, and treated him as if he were anyone else. And for reasons Elio couldn't begin to understand, that very indifference was what intrigued him most.