Bound by Contract Chosen by Love

Seventeen‑year‑old Ava grew up in boarding schools, longing to experience ordinary high‑school life. On her first day at the new school, she crosses paths with Julian Black, the school’s infamous rebellious bad boy, right at the campus gate. They collide by accident in the hallway, and Julian falls head‑over‑heels for her at first sight, embarking on an intense, relentless pursuit. Yet Ava’s peaceful new life shatters at a party, where a polished young man named Marcus appears, claiming to be her fiancé. It turns out Ava’s family signed a marriage contract with the Blackwood family when she was seven, and the agreement is set to take effect on her eighteenth birthday. Marcus’s father further pressures Ava into compliance by threatening their family business. Torn between familial duty and true love, Ava is torn apart. Julian defends her at all costs, only to be framed and sent to prison. To save Julian, Ava is forced to accept Marcus’s terms and agree to the wedding. But on their wedding day, Ava flees at the very last moment, igniting a chain of conflicts. Enraged, Marcus locks her away. Julian storms the villa alone to rescue her, and Marcus gets shot by accident amid a gunfight…