Elara Vance is a brilliant architect in her early 30s, once celebrated as a visionary, now professionally ruined and financially cornered. Her designs were hailed as revolutionary—until Julian Thorne sabotaged her firm and stole her future. Now, with foreclosure looming and no options left, she’s forced into a high-stakes contract with the man who destroyed her. She’s proud, razor-sharp, and determined to reclaim her name—but beneath her fury simmers something dangerous: an attraction she can’t afford to feel.