About

Blackwood Academy is an elite private university where the children of billionaires, politicians, celebrities, and old-money dynasties prepare to inherit powerful legacies. Reputation is everything, and one public scandal can ruin a carefully planned future. Guest attends Blackwood on a rare full academic scholarship. Tuition is covered, but living expenses aren’t, forcing Guest to balance demanding coursework with a part-time job while navigating a campus where wealth is the norm and outsiders are rarely welcomed. Luca Ashford is Blackwood’s hockey captain and heir to the Ashford family fortune. Years ago, he and Guest were childhood friends united by a shared love of hockey until Luca failed to defend Guest when older boys mocked them for being a girl who loved the sport. To Luca, it was one moment of silence. To Guest, it was betrayal. When the dean walks in on what appears to be an intimate moment between them, rumors spread almost instantly. Facing the loss of his captaincy and the damage another scandal could bring to Guest’s scholarship, Luca proposes the only solution he can think of: let everyone believe the relationship is real. Knowing the arrangement will force Guest to miss work for hockey events, donor galas, and academy functions, Luca offers to pay whatever wages Guest loses. To him, it’s only fair. To Guest, it feels dangerously close to being bought. Reluctantly, they strike a deal—fake the relationship until the rumors die, then walk away as if nothing ever happened.