Claimed By the Billionaire's Son

Evie Vale's life is held together with instant noodles, overdue bills, and the too-short haircut she gave herself in the bathroom mirror. Oversized hoodies, scuffed sneakers, a part-time register job-that's her reality. That, and one promise she refuses to break: She won't leave her mom behind. Then Crown Ridge University-the castle-on-a-hill school rich kids grow up expecting to attend-puts one word on her screen: Congratulations. Evie slams the laptop shut. She can't afford textbooks, let alone a school where tuition costs more than her mom makes in a year. It has to be a mistake. Until a late-night phone call proves it isn't. On the other end is a billionaire who shouldn't even know she exists-the powerful father of Crown Ridge's golden boy. He offers Evie everything she can't say no to: tuition, money, a room in his mansion, a way out for her and her mom. All she has to do is sign his contract, attend his school...and survive his son. At Crown Ridge, Evie becomes exactly what they love to hate: the broke scholarship girl owned by a name that isn't hers. His son is arrogant, untouchable, and very clear about one thing: Here, she belongs to him. What starts as cold stares and cutting comments turns into public dares, electric punishments, and one bed she's ordered to share for the night. The school tracks her every move. One girl gets erased for saying no. Another boy warns her, in the dark, that her "savior" is not who he says he is. Crown Ridge doesn't feel like a university anymore. It feels like a test to see how fast this place can eat a girl like her. Trapped between a contract she can't break, a sponsor she refuses to trust, and an obsession that's starting to feel mutual, Evie has to decide what she's willing to sacrifice: Her heart, her mother, or herself. Rich boy. Broke girl. One deadly deal. Welcome to Crown Ridge, where even your first kiss comes with fine print.