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 boardroom summons comes at 7 AM, two days after the gala where I publicly donated fifty million dollars just to prove a point to Vivian. My father's assistant calls, voice professional and implacable, informing me that my presence is required immediately at Sterling Industries for an emergency board meeting. The kind of meeting that's really just Dominic flexing power while shareholders watch.


I arrive to find the boardroom already full. My father at the head of the table, looking imperial in his custom suit. The board members arranged like soldiers awaiting orders. And Elise, sitting in a chair against the wall, looking pale and trapped and completely out of place in what should be a business meeting.


"Chase. Sit." Dominic gestures to the chair directly across from him. "We have matters to discuss."


"If this is about the donation, it was my money to spend however I wanted."


Chapter 101 - Dominic's Ultimatum