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 Sterling Estate is crawling with people I barely tolerate. Investors, socialites, press. All here for the quarterly garden party my father used to throw. A tradition I inherited along with everything else.


White tents dot the lawn. String quartet playing. Champagne flowing. Photographers capturing every smile, every handshake, every performance of wealth and power.


I hate these events. But they're necessary. Show the world that Chase Sterling is in control. That Sterling Industries is thriving. That nothing is wrong.


My assistant appears at my elbow. "Mr. Sterling, the mayor just arrived. And the Times wants a photo for tomorrow's business section."


I paste on the smile I've perfected. The one that says "successful billionaire philanthropist" instead of "man slowly being consumed by a supernatural curse."


Chapter 28 - The Sterling Estate