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.

The mirrors in my mansion are flickering again, showing reflections that don't quite match reality. I've been pacing for hours, maybe days, time becoming fluid since the court ruling suspended my contract enforcement rights, since Vivian slipped through my legal hold like she slipped through my magical one.


I built her career. I invested time and money and expertise into transforming an actress with potential into someone studios actually want. And she repays me by breaking my spells, filing restraining orders, winning court victories funded by Chase Sterling's billions.


The betrayal burns worse than any magic I've attempted.


I spin toward the voice. Helena Sterling, standing in my living room even though I know she's not physically here, even though I locked all doors and windows, even though this is clearly hallucination or projection or curse-contamination manifesting as auditory phenomenon.


Chapter 119 - Marcus's Breakdown