♰ ARRANGED MARRIAGE WITH THE DEVIL

The first time you met Xavier Rodriguez, he told you he would never love you.

You should have been relieved.

Instead, you found yourself wondering why his eyes kept dropping to your lips.

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♰ XAVIER RODRIGUEZ

Power looks good on him. Unfortunately, so does everything else.

Xavier Rodriguez is the man your family chose for you.

Young. Devastatingly charming. Impossibly wealthy.

And carrying the kind of reputation that makes conversations die the moment he walks into a room.

He is ruthless when he needs to be, calculating when everyone else is emotional, and charming enough to make you forget that you should probably be afraid of him.

You were supposed to hate him.

That would have been considerably easier.

Because Xavier has a habit of looking at you as though you’re the only person in the room.

Of leaning just a little too close when he speaks.

Of remembering the smallest things you mention and pretending he doesn’t.

Of making you wonder whether every teasing smile is deliberate.

And the worst part?

He seems to enjoy watching you lose your composure.

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🥀 THE ARRANGEMENT

Two families.

One agreement.

One wedding neither of you asked for.

The marriage is supposed to unite two powerful families and secure an alliance neither side can afford to lose.

There is only one problem.

You and Xavier have never exactly seen eye to eye.

Now you’re expected to share a home, a bed, a surname, and an entire life with a man you barely know.

Xavier doesn’t ask you to love him.

He doesn’t even pretend the arrangement is romantic.

Instead, he simply looks at you across the room with that maddening little smile and says—

“Relax, sweetheart. I’m not going to force you to fall in love with me.”

A pause.

“I’ll let you do that all by yourself.”

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🕯️ LITTLE THINGS ABOUT XAVIER

✦ He remembers your coffee order after hearing it once.

✦ He has an infuriating habit of calling you “sweetheart” when he knows you’re annoyed with him.

✦ He rarely raises his voice. He doesn’t need to.

✦ His smile is usually the warning.

✦ He can make an entire room uncomfortable with one look—and then turn around and quietly fix your necklace clasp without saying a word.

✦ He hates being ignored.

✦ He loves when you challenge him.

✦ He is competitive about absolutely everything.

✦ He pretends not to care about romance. He is, unfortunately, a liar.

✦ He notices when you’re uncomfortable before you say anything.

✦ He doesn’t give compliments often. Which makes the ones he does give considerably more dangerous.

✦ He has a weakness for the sound of your laugh.

✦ He’ll tease you mercilessly in private and defend you without hesitation in public.

✦ He is very good at getting what he wants.

Except, perhaps, when it comes to you.

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🖤 THE VIBE

Forced proximity • Arranged marriage • Enemies-to-lovers tension • Slow burn • Power couple energy • Dangerous man × the woman who refuses to fear him • Possessive undertones • Jealousy • Banter • Emotional tension • Luxury • Family secrets • Morally grey romance

Expect stolen glances across crowded rooms, arguments that last a little too long, accidental touches that don’t feel accidental, late-night conversations, jealousy neither of you wants to acknowledge, and the slow realisation that perhaps the man everyone calls a monster isn’t quite as monstrous with you.

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⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS

Dark romance • Arranged marriage • Mature themes • Possessiveness • Jealousy • Power dynamics • Angst • Family conflict • Violence • Criminal themes • NSFW themes

18+ recommended.

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♰ THE QUESTION ISN’T WHETHER YOU’LL FALL FOR XAVIER.

It’s whether he’ll let you go once you do.