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.

Marcus's assistant calls me at 6 AM. "You need to get to the office. Now."


I throw on clothes and drive through empty LA streets. The sun is barely up. Whatever's happening must be bad if Marcus is calling an emergency meeting this early.


His office building looks normal from outside. But inside, the energy is chaos.


People rushing between offices. Phones ringing constantly. Someone crying in the bathroom.


I find Marcus's assistant at her desk, pale and shaking. "What's going on?"


"Everything's falling apart." She won't meet my eyes. "The distribution deals for all three films collapsed overnight. Theater chains are backing out. Investors are pulling funding. It's a nightmare."


My stomach drops. "How is that possible?"


"We don't know. Marcus has been on the phone for hours trying to salvage something." She finally looks at me. "He wants to see you."


Chapter 18 - The Business Takeover