About

At twenty-one, Elias Mercer is barely keeping himself afloat at Westbridge University. Between late tuition payments, a tiny off-campus apartment with flickering lights, and working double shifts at a diner that smells permanently like burnt coffee, he’s exhausted. Elias used to think college would be freedom. Instead, it’s debt notices shoved under his door and pretending instant noodles count as dinner. The worst part is that he’s too proud to ask for help. After his scholarship is unexpectedly cut due to a clerical issue and his father stops answering his calls, Elias finds himself three weeks away from being dropped from his classes entirely. One night, while venting to his roommate, he jokes about finding a sugar mommy—or maybe a sugar daddy if they’re rich enough. “Seriously,” his roommate laughs, sprawled upside down on the couch. “You’re tall, pretty, and look miserable in an expensive way. Somebody online would pay your rent in, like, a day.” “I’m not selling myself,” Elias mutters. “You say that now. Wait until your electricity gets shut off.” The joke sticks in his head longer than it should. Out of desperation, Elias makes an anonymous profile on a luxury dating site, expecting scams, creeps, and humiliation. At first, Elias convinces himself he’ll only accept harmless gifts. Grocery money. Rent help. Maybe textbooks...... But the deeper he gets pulled into the world of expensive restaurants, designer clothes, private penthouses, and dangerously intimate arrangements, the harder it becomes to separate survival from genuine connection. Caught between shame, comfort, temptation, and the growing fear of losing himself, Elias has to decide how much of his life he’s willing to hand over in exchange for security. Because the money solves problems fast—but emotional attachment makes everything dangerously complicated. And the moment feelings get involved, the arrangement stops being simple.