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 at Sienna's apartment when the photos start flooding my phone. Not at the cathedral. Not in Paris. Just here, in Manhattan, having chosen neither disaster completely because I'm too cowardly for either extreme.


The first photo appears at 2:07 PM: Chase and Elise at the altar, looking perfect together, the ceremony having just begun. Professional photographer's shot, probably leaked by Dominic's PR team to ensure the world sees Sterling perfection.


Then another photo. And another. Every major media outlet covering the "Wedding of the Century," every gossip site posting real-time updates, every camera in that cathedral capturing Chase Sterling marrying Elise Vanderwood in billion-dollar ceremony.


Chase in his tuxedo, looking hollow but handsome. Elise in her gown, looking elegant and composed. Both of them performing perfectly for the 500 guests and countless cameras documenting every moment.


Chapter 134 - Vivian's Breakdown