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 first sign is subtle. An email from the parent company. Subject: Routine Audit.


I'm managing editor at Modern Business Magazine. We've been independent for fifteen years. Routine audits aren't routine. They're warnings.


I forward the email to my assistant. "What do you know about this?"


"Nothing. First I've heard of it. Want me to call corporate?"


She calls. I listen. Watch her expression change from curious to concerned to confused.


"They're saying it's standard procedure. New ownership protocols." She hangs up. "Sir, did we get acquired? I didn't see any announcements."


"Neither did I. Find out who owns the parent company now. Shareholder records. Recent transactions. Everything."


She nods. Leaves. Returns twenty minutes later with papers.


"There was a buyout. Three days ago. Majority stake. 51%. Purchased through shell companies. Took me digging to find the actual buyer." She hands me the document. "Sterling Industries."


Chapter 62 - The Takeover Attempt