Raya's whole world comes crashing down when she visits a fortune teller who tells her that her engagement is going to fail. She finds her fiance in bed with another and what's worse is that he is utterly remorseless about it. In his mind, their difference in station means she must be understanding when it comes to certain indiscretions. After all, he is a marquis and she is a mere commoner. he had no qualms spending her vast fortune in order to improve his station and increase his own wealth.

Heartbroken but unwilling to give up on love, she finds the fortune teller again and was told that while her luck in wealth is boundless, it would not be the same for her when it came ro matters of the heart.

The issue of Richard's infidelity ends up being much more of a nuisance than she originally thought, since his higher station meant she was supposed to turn a blind eye to it. She can't just break off her engagement with him. Instead, she comes up with a plan to make the dissolution of their engagement mutual. She finds someone who is trapped in a similar predicament and agrees to masquerade as each others lovers until their respective issues are solved.

The Duke is a feared man who is rumored to be as blood thirsty as he is violent, but Raya sees a man who is starved for compassion and eager to please. It helps that they are so drawn to each other, their desires so aligned that it is more difficult to keep their hands from one another.

The most difficult part of it all is to not fall in love.