Pearl Vale

Novel Introduction Love was never part of Daniel Mallik’s plans. As the thirty-year-old CEO of the Mallik Empire, one of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotel corporations, Daniel has spent his life building an empire through discipline, ambition, and ruthless perfection. To him, emotions are liabilities, relationships are temporary, and success is measured in profits, not promises. The only person capable of reaching the heart he has buried beneath years of emotional walls is his beloved grandfather. Sephora Simons lives in a completely different world. Intelligent, dependable, and exceptionally skilled, she is the personal assistant who keeps Daniel’s demanding life from falling apart. Although she finds her boss arrogant, impossible, and emotionally exhausting, she refuses to quit because every paycheck helps her care for her diabetic mother, whose mounting medical expenses have become impossible to ignore. When Daniel’s grandfather is given little time to live, his final wish is to see his grandson happily married. At the same time, Daniel’s biggest business opportunity depends on presenting the image of a devoted family man. Faced with personal and professional pressure, Daniel proposes a one-year contract marriage to the last woman he ever expected to ask—his assistant. What begins as a strictly business arrangement slowly becomes something neither of them can control. As hidden feelings grow, jealousy, betrayal, and dangerous secrets threaten to destroy the fragile bond between them. In a world where everything has a price, Daniel and Sephora must discover whether love is the one thing that can never be bought.lg...