I was paid to publicly humiliate a billionaire. Instead, I accidentally got pregnant with his heir.

Ava Carter is completely out of options. With her father's life-altering surgery on the line and her bank account at zero, she accepts a desperate, morally gray job: publicly confront a smug investor at a high-society gala and throw a drink in his face.

But the man she humiliates isn't just some random investor. He's Ethan Blackwell, the ruthless, hyper-controlling CEO of Blackwell Innovations.

Instead of having her arrested and ruining her life, Ethan does the unthinkable. He tracks her down and hires her. He needs to control the scandal by keeping her close; she desperately needs the paycheck. It's a strict, temporary transaction between two people who can't stand each other.

Until one late night in his penthouse shatters all their rules.

Ava fully intends to walk away and forget it ever happened. But a few weeks later, she's staring at two pink lines.

Ethan was told by specialists years ago that he could never have children. Now, faced with a miracle he never planned for, his response is swift, absolute, and terrifyingly efficient. He doesn't just want to claim the baby?he demands a marriage of convenience to protect his legacy from the societal sharks circling them.

Ava refuses to be managed like a corporate asset, and Ethan doesn't know how to love without taking total control. Bound by an ironclad contract and thrown into a world of vicious old money, their fake marriage becomes a daily battlefield of pride and undeniable chemistry.

But the greatest threat to Ava isn't the media, the board, or his jealous ex. It's the terrifying realization that falling for the man who controls everything might be the one variable neither of them can stop.