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.

Morning light filters through my curtains like an accusation. I didn't sleep. Just lay in bed staring at the contract on my nightstand, all forty-seven pages of legally binding proof that I'm an idiot.


My phone buzzes. A text from Marcus: Car picks you up at 7:30 tonight. Wear something sophisticated. Philippe appreciates elegance.


I don't respond. What's the point? He owns me now.


Another text, this time from Ryan: Still on for the gala tonight? I'm looking forward to seeing you.


My fingers hover over the keyboard. I should tell him I can't go, that Marcus forbids it, that I signed away my right to make my own decisions. Instead, I type: Something came up with work. Rain check?


Three dots appear, disappear, appear again. Finally: Everything okay?


No. Nothing is okay. I've made a catastrophic mistake and there's no way to undo it without destroying my career and going bankrupt in the process.


Chapter 82 - The Contract