Chapter 10

The sky above the Pacific Coast Highway was the color of bruised iron. Heavy, dark clouds rolled in from the ocean, threatening a torrential downpour that perfectly mirrored the storm raging inside Clara’s chest.

She gripped the leather steering wheel of her Mercedes sedan until her kn

Chapter 11

The relentless downpour battered the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Vance estate, the storm outside mirroring the sudden, suffocating tension within the sprawling mansion.

Julian Vance stood in the center of his lavishly appointed study, staring at the mahogany door Clara had walked o

Chapter 12

Three months later.

The Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria was a sea of glittering diamonds, bespoke tuxedos, and the intoxicating hum of extreme wealth. It was the social event of the season in Los Angeles: Victor Thorne’s annual charity gala, a night where billionaires mingled, dea