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.

I'm still at Sienna's apartment the next morning, wearing borrowed clothes and drinking coffee that doesn't quite mask the taste of last night's terror, when Elise Vanderwood appears at the door. Not knocking. Just standing there when Sienna opens it to retrieve the newspaper, looking immaculate and composed despite her wedding being tomorrow.


"May I come in? I promise I'm not here to cause problems. Just to talk. Woman to woman. Before everything changes tomorrow."


Sienna looks at me for permission. I nod, too curious to refuse, too aware that Elise has never sought me out voluntarily before, that this visit means something beyond social courtesy.


Elise enters gracefully, surveys Sienna's apartment with quick assessment, sits in the chair I offer without being invited. She's wearing Chanel, hair perfect, makeup flawless, the picture of bride-to-be confidence.


Chapter 125 - Elise's Confession