romance

His Bride, Her Rules

by ContractedEmpire

Ivy Calder arrives at a private auction ready to fight for the wedding dress her mother left her. Her former business partner had no right to give it away. Unfortunately, Boston hotel billionaire Julian Vale has already bought it. Ivy expects an argument. She does not expect him to absorb the loss, hand over the gown, and ask for nothing in return. Once the dress is safely hers, Julian makes a separate proposal: thirty days as his fiancée, a few public appearances, and a convenient interruption to his grandmother's matchmaking around the hotel's centenary. The fee could help Ivy secure an independent bridal atelier. She has another way forward if she refuses. If she agrees, they keep separate homes, she can walk away, and no one gets to make decisions in her name. Convincing strangers they are in love should be the difficult part. Instead, Ivy finds herself losing track of their careful distance in the middle of an argument, noticing how closely he watches her work, and wondering what to call the small moments they share when there is no audience. Julian is used to arranging everything. Ivy has a gift for making his prepared lines useless. The cameras want a perfect couple. His family wants someone who fits. Ivy wants to be wanted as she is. With the end of their thirty days approaching, her rules are beginning to cost him more than he expected. When standing beside her stops being convenient, will the man who hired her to play his future still choose her side?

Written by

ContractedEmpire

Chapters

10

Status

Ongoing