a

h, her fingers digging into the sleeve of my tu

ed carpet of the Grand Imperial Gala. Flashbulbs went off, but the atmosphere felt entirely d

that

ter from the

publicist said

ement alleging that the woman in the video wasn't Victoria at all-that it was an AI-generated smear campaign designed to sink Sterling Media's stock. But lookin

r. If I could secure a few minutes with the city's top investors and project absolute, unsh

ublicist had instructed her to look elegant and unbothered. She ticked the elegant box, but not the unb

tray. My hand was gripping the crystal stem so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Once

at a few who were bold enough to return it, but my mind was st

sm

eapon to destroy me. The real sole heir to a trillion-dollar empire wouldn't spend three years scrubbing m

ssive crystal ch

d evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, we are deeply honored to welcome the individual whose unparalleled generosity made this e

ng silence. Victoria froze beside me

esturing toward the velvet curtains at th

rtains

olently sto

hind her like liquid. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in flawless waves. Expensive diamonds caught the light ar

ce draining of every single drop of color. She completely f

deafening, but all I could see was the woman who used to pack my lunchb

sound echoed rig

in my hand, the shards digging into my palm, a mixture of expensive alcohol and dar

a stunt. It wasn't a c

had discarded like trash was th

starving predator. My palm was crudely bandaged with a cocktail napkin,

l, Jasmine excused herself from a group of foreign diplomats and walked to

stepping into the lounge just as she adju

ly, my voice thick with a

oked at my reflection in the mirror, her eyes entirely ice-cold and u

my chest was heaving. "Three years! For three entire years, you lived in my house, you folded my clothes, you let my

hest. Despite myself, I found my eyes wandering to the full s

lank, as if she were looking at

perfume hitting my senses, but the panic of my

any idea what you've done? My stock is down! The board is trying to vote me out! Sterling Media is bleeding to death because of your lit

omeone said in a d

as a towering figure stepped out fro

tian

had been the cause of most of my sleepless nights. He was

f his eyes could, they would shoot dagger

yingly calm. He reached down, his fingers locking around my wrist with an iron grip, and effortles

ce, putting his body b

sion completely unreadable, yet I didn't miss th

erling," Sebastian said in a chilling whisper.