Chapter 1 1

The diamond on her finger felt heavy, like an anchor dragging her hand down to the white tablecloth. Vanessa Sterling stared at the stone, watching the way the candlelight fractured inside it, creating tiny, sharp rainbows that offered no warmth.

It was nine-fifteen.

"Still waiting, Miss Sterling?"

The waiter didn't say it with pity. It was worse than pity. It was impatience masked by professional courtesy. This was the third time he had filled her water glass. The ice had melted, diluting the sparkling water into something flat and tasteless.

"He's on his way," Vanessa said. Her voice sounded thin, brittle in the hum of the Michelin-starred dining room. She pressed a hand to her stomach. A sharp, spasmodic pain seized her epigastrium. It wasn't just nerves or emotion; it was a cortisol spike triggering a vascular constriction in her stomach lining. The physiological cost of five years of chronic stress. Her body was rejecting this situation even if her mind was still trying to rationalize it. Caleb is just busy, Vanessa. You need to be more understanding.

At nine-thirty, the vibration of her phone against the table made her jump. She snatched it up, desperate for a text, an excuse, anything.

Nothing. Just a notification from Instagram.

She stood up. The movement was abrupt, knocking her clutch to the floor. She retrieved it, her fingers trembling, and walked out. She didn't look at the waiter. She couldn't bear the confirmation in his eyes that she was exactly what the tabloids said she was: the pathetic, unstable Sterling orphan clinging to a man who had long outgrown her.

The rain outside was a curtain of gray steel. She didn't have an umbrella. She called an Uber, her thumb hovering over the address for the Sterling estate, then swiped to a different recent location: The Pierre. Caleb's penthouse.

Maybe something happened. Maybe he was hurt.

The doorman at the residential tower shifted his weight when he saw her. He looked at the wet hem of her dress, then at her face. "Miss Sterling. Mr. Montgomery gave instructions that he wasn't to be disturbed..."

"It's our anniversary, Henry," she said, pushing past him before he could physically block her. "I have a key."

The elevator ride to the penthouse was silent, a vacuum that sucked the air from her lungs. Her palms were sweating. She wiped them on her dress, ruining the silk, but she didn't care.

The doors slid open.

Jazz music drifted from the living room. It was slow, sultry, the kind of music you played when you wanted to drown out the world. And then, a laugh. High, clear, and unmistakably female.

Vanessa froze in the foyer. The double doors to the living room were slightly ajar. Through the gap, she saw the fireplace, the expensive rug, and the two figures on the sofa.

Caleb was there. He had loosened his tie, the top button of his shirt undone-the way she liked it. But his arm wasn't draped over the back of the sofa. It was wrapped around a woman in a red backless dress.

The woman turned her head. Beatrice Blackwood.

Vanessa felt the blood drain from her face, leaving her lightheaded. Beatrice. The cousin of the man who ruled Wall Street. The woman who had everything Vanessa didn't: confidence, family backing, sanity.

Caleb leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a peck. It was a devouring, hungry kiss, filled with a passion Vanessa hadn't tasted in years.

A sound tried to escape Vanessa's throat, a pathetic whimper, but she clamped her hand over her mouth. Tears blurred her vision instantly, hot and stinging. She backed away, her heels catching on the plush carpet. She hit the elevator button, stabbing it repeatedly.

Close. Close. Close.

The doors shut just as the laughter rose again.

She plummeted down forty floors, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She needed a drink. She needed to not feel. She needed to burn this image out of her retinas.

She stumbled out of the building and into the rain, walking blindly until she saw the awning of a luxury hotel across the street. She pushed through the revolving doors, dripping water onto the marble floor, and headed straight for the bar.

"Whiskey. Double. Neat."

The burn was immediate. It scorched her throat, settling in her stomach like a ball of fire. She ordered another. Then another. The edges of the world began to soften. The pain didn't leave, but it became distant, like a noise in the next room.

She needed to sleep. She couldn't go back to her uncle's house. Not like this.

She made her way to the elevators, leaning heavily against the wall. The doors opened, and she almost fell inside.

She pressed the button for the top floor. The Presidential Suite level. Why not? She had her uncle's credit card. Let him pay for her breakdown.

Just as the doors were sliding shut, a hand interjected. It was a large hand, long fingers, a heavy gold watch glinting on the wrist.

The doors bounced back.

A man stepped in.

He was tall. Taller than Caleb. He wore a black suit that looked like it had been cut from the night sky, tailored to perfection. He didn't look at her. He pressed the button for the penthouse, the same floor she had selected, and stood with his back to the corner.

Vanessa squinted at him. The alcohol made him blurry, but even through the haze, she could see the sharp line of his jaw, the cold indifference in his posture.

He smelled of rain and cedarwood. It was a clean, dangerous scent.

A sudden, reckless anger surged through her. Caleb was with Beatrice. Caleb was happy. Why should she be the one crying in an elevator?

She took a step toward the stranger.

He didn't move, but she saw the muscles in his neck tighten. In the reflection of the polished steel doors, his eyes were not indifferent. They were sharp, assessing, like a predator watching a wounded animal limp into its territory. He knew exactly who she was.

"You smell good," she slurred, her voice huskier than usual.

The man turned his head slowly. His eyes were gray, storm-cloud gray, and they swept over her wet dress, her messy hair, her tear-stained cheeks. There was a flicker of recognition in the depth of his iris, quickly masked by a veil of icy calculation.

"You're drunk," he said. His voice was a deep rumble, vibrating in the small space.

"I'm celebrating," Vanessa lied. She reached out, her fingers grazing the sleeve of his jacket. The fabric was expensive. "My fiancé is busy. With another woman."

The man's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at her hand on his arm, then back up to her eyes. He didn't shake her off.

"And you want revenge," he stated. It wasn't a question.

"I want to forget," she corrected. She stepped closer, invading his personal space. She was playing a dangerous game, one she didn't know the rules to, but the adrenaline was better than the grief. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered against his ear. "Take me with you."

The elevator chimed. The doors opened to the penthouse floor.

The man looked down at her. For three seconds, he said nothing. He just studied her, like a predator deciding if the prey was worth the effort.

Then, the corner of his mouth quirked up. A dark, humorless smile.

"Careful what you wish for," he murmured.

He didn't wait for her answer. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his hard body. He guided her out of the elevator and toward the double doors at the end of the hall.

Vanessa let him. She let the darkness take her.