In the polished, high-pressure world of Valentine Hearts Events, photographer Jude Archer and caterer Lila Fontaine have been professional enemies for years. Galas. Weddings. Private affairs for clients who expect perfection. Every job turns into a quiet war of sharp remarks, lost accounts, and competitive smiles. The rivalry is famous and wearing them both down. When they’re assigned to work together on the company’s flagship Valentine’s Sweetheart Auction, the tension shifts. Fast. Old grudges slide into something harder to ignore. A risky wager follows: impress the elite clients, win bragging rights, secure the coveted Whitaker account, and claim one professional favor from the loser. Prep nights run late. Tastings stretch past midnight. Cameras click while ovens hum. The edge between sabotage and something personal starts to blur. Jude’s lens catches more than polished details. Lila’s flawless desserts cover doubts she keeps buried. The barbs linger, but so do the pauses. The looks. The heat of an accidental touch. Then a damaging leak threatens the auction and their careers. Suddenly, the real choice isn’t about winning. It’s about whether they keep tearing at each other or stand side by side when it counts. When the lights dim and the bids close, what’s really worth fighting for? *** 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?