Cynical florist Ronan Hale treats Valentine's Day like a busy invoice. Profitable. Exhausting. Nothing more. That plan cracks the moment event planner Mia Valdez walks into his shop with an impossible order thousands of flawless roses and a smile that refuses to dim.
They clash on sight. Ronan trusts hard edges and practical limits. Mia runs on bright ideas and belief. Deadlines force them into the same orbit, arguing over stem counts and delivery windows while the shop smells of cut roses and damp paper sleeves. Every exchange lands a little too close. Every brush of fingers sticks.
Then a citywide blackout leaves them stranded overnight in a dim hotel, emergency lights humming. With nowhere to hide, the tension breaks into something raw and immediate. It's intense. Complicated. And impossible to ignore the next morning.
Just as Ronan starts to consider something beyond control and routine, a secret from his past resurfaces, threatening the thin trust they've built. Mia won't settle for half-truths. Ronan isn't sure he can offer more.
When petals fall and the lights come back on, what's left standing?
***
This is a sizzling enemies-to-lovers standalone in the Valentine Vendettas series, where rivalry always burns into forever.
In the glittering world of elite event planning, love is the one variable nobody plans for. At Valentine Hearts Events, the city's top romance designers pull off flawless proposals, over-the-top galas, and picture-perfect Valentine celebrations for everyone but themselves. They know the rules. Stay focused. Don't get involved. Especially not with each other.
But pressure changes things. Rivalries sharpen. Long nights stretch on. Words cut close, then land differently. Old grudges soften into something heated and hard to control. When competition turns personal, the biggest fight isn't for clients or contracts, but against what they start to want.
This is Valentine Vendettas, where clashes don't end quietly and love never follows the brief.
When the plan falls apart, what's left to protect?
