Lily is a scholarship student who's just barely getting by, working two part-time jobs to make ends meet and care for her ailing grandfather, her only family. But when her grandfather passes away, her world is turned upside down. She discovers that, as a last resort, he named a guardian for her in his will: Alexander Cross, the CEO of a multi-billion dollar real estate empire.
Alexander is a man of spreadsheets and boardrooms. He's cold, detached, and utterly focused on his business. He hasn't had a personal life in years and is completely unprepared for the responsibility of a teenage girl. He sees Lily as a massive inconvenience, a loose end he'd rather tie up as quickly as possible. For her part, Lily is intimidated by his wealth and his intimidating demeanor. She wants nothing more than to be independent, and his luxurious world feels suffocating.
Their new life together is a study in friction. He tries to manage her life like a project, scheduling her classes and imposing strict rules. She pushes back, refusing to be a pawn in his well-ordered life. Through their daily clashes—over school, friends, and the past—they slowly start to learn about each other. Lily begins to see the man who hides behind the CEO persona—a man burdened by his own past and a deep-seated loneliness. Alexander starts to see that Lily isn't just a project; she's a resilient, vibrant young woman who challenges his sterile, predictable world.
The story follows their journey from reluctant guardians to something more. They must navigate the complexities of a newfound "family" dynamic neither of them wanted, but both, to their surprise, find they desperately need.