I CAN'T SAY I DO WITHOUT YOU

Maria Gemma Mendoza was no ordinary student. Brilliant, disciplined, and admired, she rose to become the student head of Amarillo University. Yet her world collapsed when whispers spread that her father, Edward Mendoza, had embezzled funds from a powerful corporation. The scandal stained her reputation, and the once-proud halls of Amarillo turned hostile, its pupils eager to tarnish her name. Fate intervened in the most unexpected way. In a chance encounter, Gemma discovered that her disgraced father was not only innocent but had once been the King’s closest confidant. Moved by loyalty and justice, the King vowed to help Gemma restore her father’s honor and reclaim all that had been unjustly taken. But his promise came with a condition: Gemma must serve as the personal maid to the chosen heir, Prince Augustus Cynfael Clemente—the enigmatic, unknown prince destined for the throne. To fulfill this pact, the King admitted Gemma into Borstal International School, an elite academy reserved exclusively for boys. Her arrival shocked the institution; she was the lone female among its ranks. Yet her presence in Prince Augustus’s life ignited fury rather than acceptance. To him, Gemma was an intrusion, a reminder of obligations he despised. He resolved to drive her away, believing cruelty and torment would be the surest weapons. But torment has a way of unraveling into something unexpected. Hatred gave way to reluctant care, and care began to stir emotions Augustus had long buried. As Gemma endured his wrath, she also awakened his heart. Their story became one of dangerous contradictions—of pain entwined with tenderness, of duty colliding with desire. Will Prince Augustus defy the King’s sacred decree for love? And when the moment comes, can Gemma say I do to a man who was never meant to be hers?