Velvet shackles

Ivy Hart has spent the last three years surviving on tips from a rundown bar and the occasional stolen meal. When her dead father's massive gambling debt finally comes due, the man who shows up to collect is Elias Thorne cold, powerful, and known for never forgiving a single cent.

She has nothing left to offer except herself.

Ivy makes a desperate deal: one year of her body, her obedience, and her silence in exchange for the debt being wiped clean and a lifetime guarantee she will never go hungry again. Elias accepts with the same detached calm he uses for every business transaction.