Chapter 1

I am Avelia Sterling, the sole heir to Sterling Media, yet because I am a woman, many whisper that the true power will fall to one of the three "candidates" my father handpicked. They've never truly seen me, not once. I've tried to catch Ethan Clark's eye, offered a hundred small gestures of friendship, maybe more, only to be met with countless disdainful glances.

I once thought he was like that with everyone, cold and distant.

Then I saw him, on his knees, before Bella White, our housekeeper's daughter. His voice, usually so clipped and formal when addressing me, was thick with emotion.

"I'm only agreeing to this charade with Avelia to repay Mr. Sterling for his generosity, for taking me in. Once I have control of Sterling Media, I'll marry you properly, Bella. We'll have the wedding you deserve. As long as Avelia Sterling doesn't try to hurt you, I can even give her a few million to go live comfortably in Europe."

"You, Bella, you're the only one I've ever wanted."

The words hit me, a cold wave washing over the years of quiet hope I'd harbored.

On the eve of the shareholder meeting that would essentially decide the future leadership, my father asked me, "Avelia, have you decided? Ethan, Noah, or Lucas?"

I remembered their averted gazes, the way they always seemed to look through me, or at Bella who was invariably hovering nearby. A small, bitter smile touched my lips.

"I am the Sterling heir, after all. My marriage should maximize our family's benefit."

"I choose Leonardo Kingsley of Kingsley Tech."

My father's brow furrowed. "Kingsley? The one from the West Coast? He had that skiing accident five years ago. Paralyzed from the waist down, they say. And...rumors are he can't...perform his duties as a husband. Are you sure, Avelia?"

His concern was genuine. He loved me. But that didn't change his underlying belief that a woman couldn't helm Sterling Media alone.

I kept my voice light, but my resolve was steel. "For people like us, Father, true love is a luxury, not a prerequisite. Since it's all about benefits, then we should choose the alliance that brings the greatest. The Kingsleys are a powerhouse."

He looked at me, his expression heavy. "So, none of the three I chose for you? Not one of them caught your eye?"

My father had loved my mother deeply. She died from a sudden brain hemorrhage the year I was born. He couldn't bring himself to remarry, but he also couldn't rest easy leaving the vast Sterling empire solely in my, a daughter's, hands.

Following a close friend's advice, he'd brought three boys from disadvantaged backgrounds into our lives, funding their education, grooming them. His will stipulated that whichever one I chose would co-manage the company with me, a united front against any dissenting board members.

He loved me, yes, but that didn't conflict with his conviction that a woman needed a man to truly secure the Sterling legacy.

I met his gaze. "Leonardo Kingsley may be in a wheelchair, and he may have...limitations. But I can still have his child through IVF. He's also the sole Kingsley heir. Instead of propping up one of your protégés to support Sterling Media, why not align with an already formidable ally?"

My father nodded slowly. "If those three couldn't win your heart, then there's no reason for them to remain at Sterling Media."

If I had simply said it was because Ethan didn't love me, that I wouldn't force it, Father would have summoned Ethan immediately. He would have demanded to know what right an adopted son, a beneficiary of our charity, had to refuse me.

I didn't want my father to use years of benevolence as a cudgel. I didn't want to coerce Ethan into marrying me. I certainly didn't want to be one half of a resentful, loveless couple.

Besides, Ethan's words to Bella had frozen my heart.

Letting them go, a clean break, was the greatest mercy I could offer.

As I left his office, my father shot a pointed look at Ethan, who was waiting outside.

Ethan dutifully saw my father off, then turned to me, his brow furrowed. "What did you tell him now? More complaints?"

His eyes were filled with a familiar disgust and impatience, as if I'd committed some unforgivable sin.

Before I could answer, Noah Baker, always the most volatile, sneered. "What else? That we don't include her in our games? That we don't dote on her enough?"

Lucas Hall, the quietest of the three, chimed in, his face a mask of disdain. "Really, Miss Sterling, the era of princesses expecting everyone to revolve around them because of a little money is long over. Don't you think?"

The three of them, a united front, their words like barbs.

I genuinely didn't understand. "None of you want to marry me. Why did none of you ever tell my father? He might have groomed you as candidates, but he'd never force it. If any of you had said no, he would have given you a generous sum and sent you off to make your own way."

Ultimately, it was the Sterling fortune they couldn't walk away from.

Noah let out an irritated "Tsk!" "Easy for you to say. We're living on your family's charity. We're practically your family's trained dogs. What right do we have to refuse?"

Ethan's face was grim as he looked at me. "If you insist on choosing me, fine. Just...don't make things difficult for Noah and Lucas in the future."

Noah and Lucas looked genuinely touched by Ethan's "sacrifice."

Seeing Ethan's expression, as if he were marching to his execution, a profound bitterness welled up inside me.

Before I could utter a word, Bella White appeared.

The moment she saw me, she flinched, scurrying behind Ethan as if terrified.

Ethan instinctively stepped in front of her. "She hasn't done anything. Just leave her alone today, Avelia."

I looked at them, bewildered. The three men who were supposed to be my potential partners, my protectors, were now shielding Bella from me, as if I were the villain.