My Rival's Ruinous Vow

I, Taline Vazian, am a certified genius and a professional slacker. My life plan was simple: coast on my talent as a Resonance Weaver and enjoy a life of luxurious ease. That plan shattered at my sister's engagement party when Davit Khosrov - the brooding, monstrous prodigy I once tied with for the top spot at the Arashan Conservatory - made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He's cursed, his immense power lashing out in destructive storms ever since he witnessed his parents' murder. He needs my unique resonance to act as a living dampener, and he has enough blackmail material to ruin my family and force me into this gilded cage he calls a partnership. He's cold, demanding, and haunted, but I'm nothing if not pragmatic. I'll play the part of his shield, find a way to stabilize his power, and earn my freedom. But as I untangle the knot of his grief, a fragile trust forms between us, and I see the vulnerable man beneath the monster. What if the key to his control isn't some grand ritual, but simple kindness he's never known? And what if the 'freedom' he promised was never an option at all?