Chase Sterling always felt like furniture. The kind you don't notice, the kind that's easy to shove in a corner and forget. He was used to it: people looked right through him, brushed him off like lint. But it only takes one phone call to erase a lifetime of being overlooked. When his estranged family meets a tragic end, Chase suddenly finds himself in charge of the sprawling Sterling fortune. Turns out, riches aren't the only thing the family left him. There's a curse running through his blood, warping love into something hungry and dangerous, impossible to escape.

Vivian Ashford never set out to blow Chase's life to smithereens. Just one decision (a sharp, ruthless move at graduation) was all it took to set their worlds spinning out of control. While Vivian soaks up the Hollywood limelight and collects red-carpet headlines, Chase slips into his new role as Manhattan's most intimidating heir. But no matter how far they run, something keeps yanking them back together, like a stitch in an old wound that refuses to heal.

I escape to the ladies' lounge after Chase's donation announcement, needing distance from the crowd and their knowing looks, from Marcus's possessive hand on my back, from the weight of understanding that fifty million dollars means nothing to some people and everything to others. The lounge is one of those elegant spaces that rich venues create for women to repair their facades: marble counters, soft lighting, a sitting area with velvet chairs that probably cost more than my couch.


I'm alone for exactly three minutes before Elise Vanderwood walks in, still perfect in her ice-blue gown, not a hair out of place despite hours of performing grace for cameras and donors. She sees me and pauses, clearly considering whether to retreat or engage.


"Vivian." She moves to the mirror, checks her reflection even though nothing needs adjusting. "Quite a show out there."


"Your ex-fiancé does love a dramatic gesture."


Chapter 99 - Bathroom Confrontation