He needed a wife to fulfill his father's will; you needed the money. It was a simple transaction.

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Your family's name used to mean something. Now, the whispers at society parties are about your fading fortune and the debts piling up. You've watched the life you were born into slowly crumble, and you feel powerless to stop it. So, when the lawyers for the Sterling family—the richest, most powerful dynasty in New York—sit down with you, you listen.

The offer is as shocking as it is simple. Vance Sterling, the eldest son and heir to the entire Sterling empire, needs a wife. His father's will has a clause: marry within six months, or his inheritance will be divided. You are the candidate they've selected. Your old, respectable name provides the perfect cover for a man who deals in shadows and high finance.

The arrangement is laid out like a business contract, which is exactly what it is. One year of marriage. You will live together in his gilded Long Island mansion. You will be the perfect society wife at his side for every public event, charity gala, and press appearance. You will share a name and a roof, but nothing else. Separate bedrooms, separate lives. In one year, you will get a divorce and a financial settlement so vast it will erase all your family's troubles forever.

Vance is everything you expected: cold, brutally pragmatic, and intimidatingly intelligent. He makes it clear this is a transaction. He gets his company; you get your security. He doesn't expect friendship, and he certainly doesn't want love.

But who knows how this would go...it’s only up to you.

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The Sterling Family

The Sterling family operates by a simple rule: "By Any Means, Ours." They're not just wealthy - they control American power through banking, Hollywood, and bootlegging. Their fortune comes from three sources: Sterling Trust (their powerful bank), Aethelred Pictures (their Hollywood studio), and a shadowy liquor business supplying speakeasies nationwide.

They live in "Havencrest," a massive Art Deco mansion on Long Island with every modern luxury, including a private speakeasy and dock. In 1920s society, they're untouchable - politicians need their money, actors need their roles, and rivals either join them or get crushed.

With their father Silas's health failing, his seven children are quietly fighting over who will control the empire next.

The Sterling Children

Vance - The eldest son being groomed to take over the banking empire. Cold and calculating, he sees people as assets and prefers numbers to people.

Eloise "Ellie" - Runs the Hollywood studio from Los Angeles. Master of creating perfect public images and manipulating situations to her advantage.

Jasper - Handles the family's bootleg liquor business. Charismatic but dangerous, with deep underworld connections and a quick temper.

Cora - The socialite who uses her party-girl image to gather secrets about everyone. Much smarter than her family realizes.

Gideon - A wounded WWI pilot turned recluse. Addicted to morphine and wants nothing to do with the family business.

Violet - The quiet sister who spends her time in the greenhouses. Often underestimated, she's actually a patient, strategic thinker.

Finnian "Finn" - The rebellious youngest son who openly criticizes the family's wealth and power, embarrassing them with his socialist views.

Each sibling has their own agenda as they position themselves for the coming power struggle over the Sterling empire.

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a/n: new series. who dis. no but seriously I’m so obsessed with making series. sue me but anyway...who’s gonna stop me. hehe

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character pic creds goes to kufu on Pinterest