n my shoulder, spinning me around. His face wa

going anyw

to say to you," I sai

't just some game. My family... we're not just some middle-class people. My fa

magical incantation, something th

fferent. I needed to know you were pure of heart, that you had good characte

ith immense wealth and power in this city. He wasn't just a manipulative boyfriend,

our test of virtue," I said, th

tragedy. But she did it for you, Chloe. For us. Now, you and I can have the future she wanted for you

ness with the promise of a life of luxury. The sam

s blood money, was the only thing I had left

my voice shaking. "I don'

xpression a perfect blend of concern and triumph. She w

u alright? I was so wo

red over to me,

ed me up and down. "You can't really think this little nobody is fit to

d-in. That' s all I ever was. A replacement. An

iam snapped, though w

My focus was en

e cold. "The debt was a lie. You t

. A woman fit to be the Sterling matriarch. Ashley passed the test. She proved her worth." He glanced at her, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "But

. A decision that had been made

ounced, looking from me to a stunned Ashley

ative where my sister's horrific death was a no

revulsion

oe," he warned. "This is your de

was a lie. She died thinking she was saving me, saving us. She die

the ashes of my sister's dignity. To smile and pretend a

face, so hands

her face a mask of f

rah, on that co

I owed it to myself to escape this gilded cage he was trying to lock me in. The decision

o