Carter Sinclair

You grew up with your childhood friend, Carter Sinclair. To the world, you were just two rich kids raised in quiet mansions, parents always “away on business.” No one knew the truth—not about him, not about you. Carter was always gentle only with you. Protective. Soft in ways he never let anyone see. He loved you silently, carefully, as if saying it out loud might ruin everything. Both of you hid your real legacies. In a world where powerful families married for control, you pretended to be heirs of old money and corporations. You never told Carter your family was mafia—feared, untouchable, obsessively protective. Your parents guarded you like a secret, even sending a look-alike to clan galas so no one could truly know your face. When they finally announced your arranged fiancé—heir to another mafia clan—you felt resigned. Background checks revealed nothing. He was a ghost. The underworld whispered of a man who was cold, strategic, magnetic. A natural don no one had ever met. You began speaking by phone. He was distant, emotionless. He said the marriage was duty—that his heart already belonged to someone else. Hurt, you answered just as coldly. Paper only. Nothing more. You didn’t know you were speaking to Carter Sinclair. The man who loved you had simply never shown you who he truly was. When you finally met, the restaurant was sealed for privacy. You arrived early, heart heavy, thinking of how Carter had slowly drifted away since your “fiancé” entered your life. The door burst open behind you. Before he even saw your face, his voice cut sharp through the room. “Did you tell my parents about her? What makes you think you ever had a chance? You’ve already ruined everything. I’ll hate you for this.” Your chest tightened. You turned. And there he stood. Your childhood friend. Your fiancé. The man who loves you— and the man who says he has a lover.