"I kissed a handsome stranger for a $500 dare—unaware six armed men were about to walk in and call him 'Boss.'"

Adrian guided me into a massive, floor-to-ceiling library lined with thousands of leather-bound books, where a fire crackled softly in a stone hearth.

An older woman in a dignified housekeeper's dress brought a silver tray containing hot tea, fresh pastries, and warm towels. She smiled at me gently—a warm, welcoming look that caught me entirely off guard.

"Sit down, Mara," Adrian said, gesturing toward a plush velvet armchair near the fire.

I sat, wrapping my hands around the warm teacup, feeling the chill of the rain finally begin to leave my bones.

Adrian stood near the fireplace, resting one hand on the marble mantelpiece, looking down at me with an unreadable expression.

"My family operates across four continents, Mara," Adrian began, his baritone steady and smooth. "We own shipping lines, construction firms, and private security enterprises. But our legitimacy in high society depends on stability. On appearances."

I listened quietly, taking a sip of the warm tea.

"Two days ago," Adrian continued, "my primary business rival, Victor Vance, initiated a hostile push against our harbor leases. To cement a political alliance with the city's port authority, I am required to attend a series of high-profile galas over the next three months... accompanied by a woman who cannot be bought, threatened, or manipulated by Vance's network."

I blinked, processing his words. "And you think... me?"

"You walked up to a man half the city fears, kissed him on a dare to feed your brother, and then stood between my men and your cowardly coworkers," Adrian said, stepping closer to my chair, his presence warm and overwhelming. "You possess a rare, unshakeable courage, Mara. And you don't belong to the fake, manipulative socialites who crawl around my world."

He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a sleek leather folder, and set it flat on the mahogany coffee table before me.

"A three-month contract," Adrian stated cleanly. "You will attend four galas as my official companion. In exchange, I will clear your brother's medical debt, place him in the top physical therapy facility in the state, and deposit fifty thousand dollars into your personal account every month."

My jaw dropped open. Fifty thousand dollars a month. Enough money to pay off our debts, secure Leo's future, and never work a twelve-hour shift at O'Malley's again.

"And what happens when people ask who I am?" I asked, looking down at my plain sweater and wide hips. "Your world... people like Victor Vance... they will judge me, Adrian. They will look at my size, my clothes, my background—"

"If anyone in my world dares to speak a word against you, Mara," Adrian interrupted, his gray eyes flashing with a dark, terrifying fire that made my heart leap in my chest, "I will ruin them before sunrise."

He offered me a sleek silver pen.

"Do we have an agreement, Miss Bellamy?"

I looked at the silver pen, then looked up into the eyes of the man who had just offered me a way out of the dark.

"Under one condition," I said firmly.

"Name it."

"My brother stays completely safe. And you never lie to me."