Chapter 1

Ethan Vanderbilt was used to getting what he wanted.

The Vanderbilt name opened every door, silenced every objection.

His father, William Vanderbilt Sr., had built Vanderbilt Innovations from nothing into a tech giant, a titan of AI and software.

Ethan, in his late twenties, was the sole heir to this empire.

He wasn' t a bad guy, just a bit naive, a bit soft around the edges.

He had a line of women, the "Vanderbilt Vanguard," handpicked by his father, paraded before him.

They were all brilliant, beautiful, accomplished, pulled from hardship and polished by Vanderbilt money and opportunity.

Any one of them would have been a strategic match.

But Ethan only had eyes for Isabelle "Izzy" Monroe.

Izzy was different.

She was a genius coder, sharp, cool, almost aloof.

She didn' t fawn over him like the others.

Her intelligence was a magnet, her composure a challenge.

Ethan found himself acting like a fool for her, a "simp," as the internet would call it.

He craved her attention, her approval.

He thought her distance was just her way.

He was wrong.

The Vanderbilt Charity Gala in the Hamptons was the event of the season.

Sparkling lights, champagne, the elite of New York society.

Ethan was looking for Izzy. He' d planned to ask her to dance, to try, once again, to break through that cool exterior.

He found her, not alone, but with Chloe Davis and Olivia Chen, two other Vanguard women.

They were tucked away in a quiet alcove, near the overflowing buffet, their voices low but clear enough for him to catch as he approached, unseen.

He stopped, hidden by a large floral arrangement.

"He's so predictable," Chloe was saying, a smirk in her voice. "Thinks a big donation will impress Izzy."

"It' s not about impressing her," Olivia scoffed. "It' s about which one of us draws the short straw and actually has to marry the golden boy."

Izzy let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "It' s a sacrifice, yes. But a necessary one. For Leo."

Leo.

Izzy' s "brother." The charismatic, troubled artist she' d insisted on bringing with her from Chicago when Mr. Vanderbilt Sr. had recognized her potential.

"As long as Leo is taken care of," Maya Sharma, another Vanguard, added, joining their huddle, "Ethan can have his trophy wife. He' ll never know the difference."

"He' s such a simp for Izzy, it' s almost painful to watch," Jessica Lee chimed in, her tone dripping with disdain.

They laughed, a low, conspiratorial sound that cut Ethan to the core.

His devotion, his infatuation, all a joke to them.

Izzy, his brilliant, captivating Izzy, was part of it. Leading it, even.

The world tilted. The champagne in his hand suddenly felt like poison.

Ethan turned, his stomach churning, and walked away from the alcove, his mind reeling.

The music, the laughter, the clinking glasses of the gala faded into a dull roar.

He found his father, William Vanderbilt Sr., holding court with a group of business associates.

"Father," Ethan said, his voice tight, "I need to speak with you. Privately."

William, ever perceptive, took one look at his son' s pale face and excused himself.

In his father' s temporary office, away from the noise, Ethan paced.

"I' ve made a decision," Ethan said, the words tasting like ash. "About marriage."

William raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Have you finally decided on Isabelle? It' s about time. She' s a brilliant girl, though a bit... reserved."

"No," Ethan said, his voice flat. "Not Isabelle. Not any of them."

He took a deep breath. "I' m going to propose to Sophia Davenport."

Sophia. His childhood friend. Daughter of a tech CEO who was more ally than rival.

Sophia, who was down-to-earth, intelligent, and genuinely cared for him, not his billions.

William looked surprised, then thoughtful.

"Sophia Davenport? A good family. Solid. But what about the Vanguard Initiative? I had hoped..."

"The Vanguard Initiative is a sham," Ethan bit out, the words raw. "Or at least, its candidates are."

He paused, the humiliation still fresh. "They' re not interested in me, Father. None of them."

"What are you talking about, Ethan? They' re all accomplished. They owe their careers to this family, to this company. They should be grateful, loyal."

"They are loyal," Ethan said, a bitter twist to his lips. "Just not to me. Or to the Vanderbilt name."

"I overheard them, Father. Izzy. Chloe. Olivia. Maya, Jessica. All of them."

He recounted the conversation, the casual cruelty, the mockery.

"They' re all in love with Leo Hayes. Izzy' s 'brother' ."

"Their plan is for one of them to 'sacrifice' herself, marry me, to ensure continued Vanderbilt support. For Leo. They were laughing about it. Laughing about me."

William' s face hardened. "Leo Hayes? The boy Isabelle insisted on bringing with her?"

"Yes. They see him as one of their own, an 'authentic soul' they need to protect and provide for. They see me as a means to an end. A fool."

The humiliation burned.

His father was a shrewd man. He' d created the Vanderbilt Vanguard Initiative with a clear purpose.

He' d told Ethan it was about giving back, finding exceptional talent in underprivileged young women, offering them education, resources, a place in Vanderbilt Innovations.

And yes, his unspoken hope was that one of them would prove a worthy, loyal partner for Ethan.

Someone capable, who would support him and the family business.

Someone who wasn' t a gold-digger. He' d wanted to observe them, see their true colors.

It seemed he had.

Izzy had been the crown jewel of the program.

Rescued from a rough part of Chicago, a genius coder, a strategist.

His father had seen her raw talent, brought her and Leo into his sphere.

Ethan remembered the day Izzy arrived. She was barely twenty, but her eyes held a maturity, a guardedness, that intrigued him.

She' d been polite but firm. "Leo comes with me. He' s my brother. He needs me."

No one questioned it. Leo, with his artistic flair and charming vulnerability, quickly became a fixture, doted upon by Izzy, and soon, by the other Vanguard women who also came from difficult pasts.

Ethan had been blind.

He' d seen Izzy' s devotion to Leo as a mark of her loyalty, her capacity for deep care.

He' d excused her coolness towards him, thinking she was just focused, driven.

He' d made excuses for all of them. Chloe' s public scandal – a disruptive scene at a charity event last year – he' d thought it was just her being rebellious, "too cool for school."

Now he knew. She' d admitted it in that overheard conversation. It was a ploy to make him find her unsuitable. So she wouldn' t be the one chosen. So she could be with Leo.

His mind flashed back to countless moments.

Izzy' s subtle deflections of his advances.

The other Vanguard women, their polite but ultimately dismissive smiles.

Their shared, knowing glances when Leo was around.

He' d doubted himself, wondered if he was too boring, too predictable, not exciting enough for women like them, especially Izzy.

The truth was far more cynical.

He had been a mark. A stepping stone.

The worst part was Izzy.

He replayed her words in his mind, the ones that sealed the betrayal.

He' d heard her speaking to Leo later that evening, after the group conversation, her voice soft, intimate, full of a tenderness she never showed Ethan.

He' d followed, drawn by a morbid curiosity, a need to hear the final nail in the coffin of his affections.

They were on a secluded balcony, moonlight silhouetting them.

"Don' t worry, Leo," Izzy had murmured, stroking Leo' s hair. "I' ll handle Ethan. He' s easy to manage. Once we' re married, you' ll have everything you need. We' ll have everything."

Leo had leaned into her, a picture of contentment. "You always take care of me, Izzy."

"Always," she' d whispered, her voice thick with an emotion Ethan now recognized as obsessive love.

Not sisterly affection. Not even close.

The way she looked at Leo, the way her hand lingered on his cheek.

It was the look Ethan had craved from her, a look she' d reserved for another man while planning to chain herself to Ethan for convenience.

The devastation was absolute.

His infatuation, his "simp-like" devotion, shattered into a million pieces.