Barrett places the contract on the desk and tells her exactly what she will become. Lillian Marlowe will wear his ring, follow his rules, and carry his child to secure the inheritance that could otherwise fall to his enemy. She signs without hesitation, drawn to the control that promises the permanence she craves.

With the city lights behind them, his hand settles at the base of her spine as his mouth hovers close. The rules demand obedience, discipline, and breeding, yet neither can deny how the arrangement exposes the one fear they both hide. Will she let him claim everything, or will the contract they created keep them from the truth that binds them tighter than any signature?