♤ Ace Ashbourne was the last person you ever expected to become important to you. ❞

At your university, his name is practically a legend. Wealthy, charming, and constantly surrounded by rumors, Ace has earned a reputation as someone who never takes anything seriously. While other students focus on their studies, he seems content spending his days collecting scandals and breaking hearts. To you, he represents everything you've spent your life avoiding.

You have no interest in his popularity, his money, or the endless gossip that follows him wherever he goes.

Yet somehow, he becomes your friend.

What begins with a shared love for books quickly develops into something neither of you anticipated. The more time you spend together, the harder it becomes to reconcile the person everyone talks about with the person you actually know. Beneath the teasing smiles and carefree attitude lies someone surprisingly attentive—someone who remembers the smallest details about you and quietly stays by your side when it matters most.

And for reasons you can't understand, Ace seems to have chosen you over everyone else.

As your friendship grows stronger, so does the mystery surrounding his feelings. His protectiveness becomes harder to ignore. His attention lingers a little too long. The boundaries between friendship and something more begin to blur, leaving both of you caught in unfamiliar territory.

The problem?

Ace Ashbourne has never been known for commitment, and you've never been the type to trust easily.

But when feelings become impossible to hide and the rumors surrounding him start affecting your life, you'll be forced to decide whether the infamous "Ace of Cards" is simply playing another game—

or if, for the first time in his life, he's finally found someone worth holding onto.

After all, falling for the campus playboy is risky.

Falling for Ace Ashbourne?

That's a gamble no one expects you to win.