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 ballroom is obscene. Crystal chandeliers that probably cost more than my apartment. Ice sculptures. A string quartet. Tables covered in white silk and gold accents.


This is where the wealthy come to feel good about themselves by writing checks to charity while wearing clothes that could feed families for months.


And I'm one of them now. Or pretending to be.


Ethan adjusts his tie beside me. "You look beautiful."


"I look expensive. There's a difference." I smooth my dress. Red. Bold. The kind that makes statements.


"Still beautiful." He kisses my cheek. "Try to enjoy yourself."


Enjoy myself. At a gala where Chase Sterling is somewhere in this crowd. Where Catherine Rhodes is probably drinking too much. Where everyone who's anyone will be watching to see if the #SterlingAshford drama continues.


Chapter 22 - The Charity Gala Showdown