Elouise, a woman quietly raising her niece on her own, encounters an unexpected stranger while on vacation.
He’s infamous for falling in love faster than anyone else—
and now this unpredictable man proposes a contract marriage. His goal? To seduce a duchess who only entertains married men. And Elouise, apparently, is the perfect decoy.
“I’ve always believed a proper proposal must come with a ring.”
Marcus blocked her path and pulled out a small box from beneath the table—a luxurious ebony case wrapped in black velvet. Inside was:
“A 122-carat royal diamond.”
The words that rose to her throat were, “Are you trying to buy me? Is this supposed to be some kind of insult?”
But…
“…it was far too much money to scold him for.”
No—it was far too much diamond.
Had one of her students come to her saying, “Miss, some man offered me money to marry him,” she would have advised them to run the other way without hesitation.
But this wasn’t a classroom.
This was real life.
And real life? That’s a whole different game.
