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 Vanity Fair article goes live at 6 AM.


I don't sleep. Haven't slept in two days. Just waited for this moment.


My phone buzzes. Marcus: It's live. Brace yourself.


The headline appears first: "Vivian Ashford Speaks: 'Chase Sterling Nearly Destroyed Me'"


The cover photo is me. No makeup. Hospital bracelet still visible. Looking broken. Vulnerable. Real.


I start reading my own words. The interview I gave three days ago when rage was the only thing keeping me upright.


Vanity Fair: Thank you for sitting down with us, Vivian. The Forbes article caused quite a reaction. How did you feel reading Chase Sterling call you "talentless"?


Ashford: Devastated. Not because I believe it. But because someone I loved for four years could say something so cruel publicly while apologizing privately. That's manipulation. That's abuse.


Chapter 36 - Vivian's Retaliation