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 rooftop air feels suffocating despite the breeze. Chase's words echo in my ears—you still shake when you lie—and I hate that he's right. I hate that after everything, after all the time apart, after Elise's ring on his finger, he can still read me like I'm transparent.


I watch him walk away, back toward Elise who stands surrounded by a circle of admirers cooing over her engagement ring. The massive diamond catches the city lights, throwing fractured rainbows across her pale skin. She laughs at something an older woman says, her hand positioned perfectly to display the rock, and I feel bile rise in my throat.


"You okay?" Ryan appears beside me, concern etched across his features. Sweet, stable Ryan. The tech billionaire who actually returns my calls and doesn't make me feel like I'm losing my mind.


"Fine." The lie tastes bitter. "Just needed air."


Chapter 77 - The Arrangement