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 gossip blogs post at 6 AM. I see them before I'm fully awake. Phone buzzing. Notifications flooding.


"The Woman Who Tamed Sterling: Elise Vanderwood's Perfect Romance"


"From Chaos to Class: How Elise Fixed What Vivian Broke"


"Sterling's Upgrade: Comparing the Women in His Life"


I click on the first one. Shouldn't. Know it'll destroy me. Click anyway.


The article opens with photos. Chase and Elise at dinner. Looking perfect. Looking happy. Looking like everything Vivian and Chase never were.


Elise Vanderwood has accomplished what many thought impossible: taming the notoriously difficult Chase Sterling. Sources close to the couple say Sterling is "happier than ever" and that Elise brings "stability and grace" to his chaotic life.


Tamed. Like he's an animal. Like I failed at something she succeeded at.


The article continues. Comparing us. Point by point. Elise vs Vivian.


Chapter 54 - Vivian's Jealousy