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 legal war becomes public spectacle within days of signing David Chen's retainer. Entertainment press covers it like sport: "Vivian Ashford vs. Marcus Webb: Contract Battle of the Century." Every court filing, every motion, every lawyer's statement dissected and analyzed by people who treat my life like entertainment.


David Chen is relentless. He files motions to void the contract based on unconscionability, files complaints about Marcus's stalking and harassment, requests expedited hearings to minimize damage to my career. Marcus's lawyers fight back with equal aggression, arguing that breaking magical compulsion doesn't void business obligations, that stalking charges are exaggerated, that I'm manufacturing drama for publicity.


Chapter 120 - Court Battle