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Benjamin Lancaster leads a quiet, peaceful existence. His routine is simple: wake up earlier in the morning, brush his teeth, take a shower, scrub every inch of his skin, and then lock himself in his home office, where only Martha, his housekeeper and cook, is allowed to enter. All in all, a happy life. As long as no one disturbs him, he keeps to himself and tries as hard as he can to make himself forgotten. But that's without counting on the tabloid press, which only has eyes for the odd son of the famous Lancaster family. While the media portray him as an ogre when they have run out of arguments, Fiona, his eldest sister, thinks he's avoided the world long enough. At thirty-four, it's high time to find a wife and start a family.
What's the answer to such a crude accusation? Refusing to be the one to extinguish the family line, Ben lets himself be blackmailed into giving the world a chance. And the world suddenly becomes interesting when he falls under the spell of a young woman who turns out to be the one he needs to avoid. Elana Stanford is radiant, cheerful, and bubbly. And in a relationship. For a very long time.
Because Ben wants her, he momentarily pauses his well-oiled mechanism. In spite of himself, he finds himself attending all the receptions and balls in the hope of seeing her again. When he finally speaks to her, Ben can't help but smile stupidly, the man who a month earlier thought he couldn't do it. When they get closer, Ben can only dream of one thing: a life together for eternity.
But there's a catch. Ben isn't the only one cooking up a storm. If Elana's life seems hectic, he soon discovers that she's a fragile, wounded, insecure, and scared young woman. He wants to hold her hand in public and wants her by his side to be happy. She'd rather stay in the dark to be happy. Ben, who has never been able to understand the emotions of others, finds himself comforting Elana every time her armor weakens, except that he's not strong enough to fight against his own ghosts and those of Elana.
In the quest for a life that's meant for everyone but the likes of him, Ben learns patience, tolerance, and resilience. But it's not all positive emotions, as he also discovers hatred, anger, distress, and grief. Between Elana's ex-boyfriend's constant presence, her fear of what others think of her, and his own insecurities, Ben, strengthened by the young woman's love for him, is determined to fight and surpass himself to prove that he is worthy of her. But above all, that she is worthy of him.
