Is Rules Of Civility Based On True 1930s New York Events?

Lena Hart has spent years rebuilding her name after a powerful man from her past nearly destroyed it. When she is hired to plan the society wedding of the year, she sees the contract as the opportunity that could change everything. But stepping into the world of the billionaire Vale family places her at the center of secrets, ambition, and a dangerous love triangle. Alexander Vale, the cold and controlled heir to a powerful empire, is engaged to Celeste Harrington in a marriage arranged to seal a historic business merger. Love has nothing to do with it. Duty, legacy, and power are all that matter—until Lena walks into his office and challenges every rule he has lived by. Then there is Ethan Vale, Alexander’s charming younger brother, who offers Lena warmth, ease, and the safety Alexander never gives her. For a moment, Ethan seems like the better man to love. But when duty sends him overseas to launch a new branch of the family business, Lena is left alone in the glittering, ruthless world of the Vales. As Lena fights to keep control of the wedding, Nicholas Harrington resurfaces—Celeste’s cousin, Lena’s ex, and the man who once poisoned her reputation with quiet cruelty. Now he is determined to remind her that people like her do not belong in rooms built for power. Under the watchful eye of Lady Beatrice, the formidable Vale matriarch, Lena must navigate a family where loyalty is currency, reputation is fragile, and marriage is only another business strategy. When scandal erupts and the wedding begins to unravel, Lena must choose whether to protect her name or risk everything for a love that could destroy them both. Some contracts are signed in ink. Others are written on the heart.

Ava Sinclair has one rule—stay away from jocks. They’re arrogant, they’re reckless, and they’re nothing but distractions. As Westbridge University’s top student, she has a strict schedule of study sessions, internships, and zero tolerance for football players, especially Logan Carter. Logan, on the other hand, thrives on breaking rules. When his teammates make a bet date the nerdy girl who’s never fallen for a jock he takes it as a challenge. After all, no one resists Logan Carter. But Ava does. Every time he flirts, she shuts him down but Logan isn’t one to back down, so he ups his game. But somewhere between the chaos, the teasing, and the forced proximity thanks to Ava's eviction that makes them neighbors, Logan starts falling for the very girl he was supposed to play. When Ava discovers the bet, will Logan be able to prove that this game stopped being a game a long time ago? Or will she show him that, for the first time, Logan Carter has met his match?

My name is Violet. I was the consigliere to the Leon mafia family in New York, and I wrote the rules of this city’s underworld myself. Yet, the man I had kept by my side for ten years, Drake Leon, was now trampling all over them. Ten years was more than enough time for a stray dog to grow into a wolf that can stand on its own. A decade ago, he was hacked to pieces by enemies on the streets of Brooklyn. Covered in blood, he crawled to me like a dying dog. I took him in. I put a gun in his hand. I taught him the rules of the mafia. Step by step, using my position as the Leon mafia family’s consigliere, I groomed him to become the boss of the Manhattan port district. Ten years later, he controlled the most valuable port under the Leon family for me, and for another woman, he framed her in standing grace. When that girl named Lina showed up pregnant, wearing the blue diamond necklace my mother left me, and sat in the seat that was supposed to be mine, I didn’t lose my temper. Instead, I had someone take the pathology report from the hospital, along with the child, seal them in a gift box, and deliver them to Drake’s new estate. Half an hour later, the study door was kicked open. He stormed in, drenched in night rain, carrying the scent of gunpowder. The barrel of his gun pressed straight against my forehead. “Violet.” He stared at me, his eyes bloodshot. “You touch her child, and I’ll make sure you’re buried with her.” I stayed seated by the fireplace. I didn’t move. I simply pushed a document to the center of the table. “Don’t rush into madness.” I looked up at him and continued, “As of fifteen minutes ago, I’ve frozen three warehouses under your name, two shipping routes, and seven offshore accounts.” Only then did his expression finally change. I smiled faintly, my voice soft. “Drake, you seem to have forgotten something. The reason for your accomplishments today isn’t because you know how to pull a trigger. It’s because I allowed you to live.”

Inconvenient Love follows Claire Hugh, a marketing analyst burdened by her family's financial crisis. To settle her father's debts, Claire is married off to Alexander Vermont, a billionaire CEO focused on reclaiming his father's empire. Their union, born out of necessity, masks a deeper connection from a chance encounter at a club a year prior, where they shared a passionate night, unaware of each other's identity. Claire, haunted by her family's rejection and Alexander's lingering attachment to his first love, Aubrey Chen, navigates a loveless marriage marred by neglect and emotional distance. As Claire discovers her pregnancy, she faces a dilemma: reveal the truth and risk losing the baby in her womb, fearing that Alexander would force her to terminate the pregnancy, or hide her pregnancy and secure a divorce and escape the country. Believing Alexander desires freedom as much as she does, Claire presents him with divorce papers, only to be met with silence. Determined to move on, she leaves for Hong Kong, building a new life and business with her best friend while raising her child. Years later, Alexander realizes his mistake and searches for Claire, unaware she had left the country. Their reunion sparks confusion, misunderstandings, and eventually, a revelation of their shared past. Alexander's refusal to sign the divorce papers and his desperate search for Claire highlight his realization of love and regret. The story culminates in a poignant reconciliation as Alexander pleads for a second chance, promising a proper marriage and genuine affection. Claire, torn between past hurts and newfound hope, ultimately forgives him, unveiling the truth about their history and the child they share. Inconvenient Love is a gripping tale of love tested by circumstance, secrets, and second chances, weaving a narrative of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of true love.

BLURB: He's a grief counselor who lost his own family. He's an immigrant fighting for permission to stay. When Owen meets Lucas at a small restaurant called Roots, neither expects what happens next. Owen is isolated after his family abandoned him for being gay. Lucas carries the weight of an entire family his disabled brother, struggling sister, and the constant pressure to prove they all deserve to stay in the country. What begins as a chance encounter becomes something real. Between stolen moments at the restaurant and late-night conversations, Owen and Lucas find each other. But as they fall deeper, the world closes in. When Owen's boss discovers their relationship and forces him to choose his job or Lucas everything shatters. Owen can't afford to lose his income. Lucas can't bear to be the reason Owen loses everything. They're trapped between love and survival, belonging and rejection. Because sometimes permission to stay isn't about immigration. Sometimes it's about whether love is worth fighting for.

"There should be rules if we are even going to do this," he said without looking at me. "I have always lived by the rules." He slid a file towards me. "This is the contract. The rules are stated there." I opened the file and glanced through it. "You can take it home and study them; give me feedback tomorrow evening. But I will read out the rules for you now because they start now, and in case your brain can't comprehend them, then I can explain." Anger seethed through me, and I almost threw the file back at him, but when I thought about the money involved and how it would benefit little Sophie, I bit my lower lip to push back the anger. He continued. "Rule number one; don't you fall in love with me." His eyes flipped up to me. "Crystal clear," I said. "That would never happen." Ellen never had fun in college. One night she decided to have fun with her friends and slept with a handsome stranger who disappeared before she woke up. A month later, she found out she was pregnant and searched everywhere for him, but to no avail. Five years later, she moved to a new city and met the same man she never thought she would ever see again. He didn't remember anything about her, and he was now a cold, arrogant man who needed a wife, and she needed money. They agreed to contract marriage with strict rules, one of them being never to fall in love with each other. They were sure they wouldn't break the rule, but as sparks grew between them and became too much, they found themselves trying hard to keep to the rules. Who will break rule number one between them?