Derek ‘Del’ Schneider is a machine in a bespoke suit. He’s the ruthless CEO of Schneider Holdings, the ‘Ice King’ of Chicago, and a man who treats human emotion like a software bug. He needs to secure a massive merger to save his father’s legacy, but his board thinks he’s too cold, too robotic, and too unstable to lead.
To get the vote, he needs a fiancée. Someone messy. Someone chaotic. Someone who makes him look... human.
Enter me: Elsie Craig. Barista, artist, and currently drowning in culinary school debt.
When I accidentally turned his Italian wool suit into a chocolate-covered disaster zone, I thought I was fired. Instead, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse: Fifty thousand dollars to play the loving future Mrs. Schneider for six weeks.
It should be easy money. But there’s a problem.
Del Schneider isn't a robot. He’s a man who buys me an espresso machine to say sorry, who defends me from high-society sharks, and whose touch makes me forget that I’m supposed to be pretending.
Oh, and there’s one other tiny variable I forgot to mention.
My last name isn''t actually Craig. It’s Kinsman. As in, the daughter of his biggest corporate rival. The family he swore to destroy.
I’m not just a liability. I’m a ticking time bomb sleeping in his bed. And when the truth comes out, a broken contract will be the least of our problems.
Steamy Negotiations meets Romeo and Juliet in this high-stakes, slow-burn billionaire romance.
Trope Checklist:
To get the vote, he needs a fiancée. Someone messy. Someone chaotic. Someone who makes him look... human.
Enter me: Elsie Craig. Barista, artist, and currently drowning in culinary school debt.
When I accidentally turned his Italian wool suit into a chocolate-covered disaster zone, I thought I was fired. Instead, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse: Fifty thousand dollars to play the loving future Mrs. Schneider for six weeks.
It should be easy money. But there’s a problem.
Del Schneider isn't a robot. He’s a man who buys me an espresso machine to say sorry, who defends me from high-society sharks, and whose touch makes me forget that I’m supposed to be pretending.
Oh, and there’s one other tiny variable I forgot to mention.
My last name isn''t actually Craig. It’s Kinsman. As in, the daughter of his biggest corporate rival. The family he swore to destroy.
I’m not just a liability. I’m a ticking time bomb sleeping in his bed. And when the truth comes out, a broken contract will be the least of our problems.
Steamy Negotiations meets Romeo and Juliet in this high-stakes, slow-burn billionaire romance.
Trope Checklist:
- Grumpy x Sunshine (He’s a spreadsheet; she’s a sketchbook)
Fake Engagement (The classic "contract" romance)
Billionaire Boss (He buys her building just to keep her safe)
Secret Identity / Hidden Heiress (She’s sleeping with the enemy)
Forced Proximity (Snowed in at a cabin!)
‘Touch Her And Die’ (Protective hero energy)
Workplace Romance (Strictly business... until it isn't)
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Alisson Bento's Steamy Negotiations