Chapter 1

The foreclosure notice felt like ice in Ava' s hand.

Morning Sun Vineyards, her mother' s legacy, was dying.

Not from blight or drought, but from debt.

Her father, Richard Hayes, had bled it dry to prop up his own failing Hayes Family Wines.

Now, the wolves were at the door, and the biggest one was Ethan Reed.

"He's offered a way out," Richard said later that day, his voice weak, avoiding her eyes.

Ava clutched the worn wooden sign of the vineyard, its paint faded like her hopes.

"What way?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"A merger... of sorts," Richard mumbled. "He'll save Hayes Family Wines, and by extension, Morning Sun."

"The price?" Ava knew there was always a price with men like Ethan Reed.

"A marriage," Richard finally said, looking away towards the struggling vines of his own commercial winery. "To one of his daughters. He wants to unite our influence in wine country."

Ava felt a bitter laugh rise. Influence? They were bankrupt.

"He means you, Ava," Richard clarified, his gaze finally meeting hers, full of a desperate plea. "Or Maya."

Ava thought of Maya, her sweet, innocent younger sister.

She couldn't let Maya be thrown to Ethan, a man whose reputation was as cold and ruthless as the winter frost.

And then there was the secret, a cold knot in Ava' s own stomach.

The doctors had given her a name for the creeping weakness, the tremors she tried to hide.

A rare neurodegenerative disease. Aggressive. Expensive.

"I'll do it," Ava said, her voice surprisingly steady.

She had to save the vineyard. She had to save Maya.

"But the money," she stipulated, "it stabilizes Morning Sun Vineyards first. My mother' s vineyard."

Richard sagged with relief, a wave of gratitude washing over his weak features. "Of course, of course."

Later, Maya found Ava packing a small bag.

"Ava, no!" Maya cried, tears streaming down her face. "Don't go! They say he's a monster!"

Ava forced a reassuring smile, hiding the tremor in her hand, hiding the death sentence hanging over her.

It's okay, she thought. I don't have much time left anyway.

This was a sacrifice she could make. A final act to protect what she loved.

She still remembered Ethan from childhood, the boy who called her "Sunny."

That boy was long gone, replaced by a corporate raider.

But maybe, just maybe, a sliver of that boy remained, enough to make this bearable.

There was no wedding.

Instead, Ethan Reed hosted the annual Napa Valley Vintners' Gala.

Ava arrived in a simple, elegant dress her mother had once worn, a knot of anxiety tightening in her chest.

She expected a quiet announcement, a business arrangement.

Then Ethan entered.

Chloe Vance was on his arm, glittering in diamonds, a triumphant smile on her perfectly sculpted face.

He looked at Ava, his eyes cold, devoid of any recognition.

He took the stage.

"Tonight," Ethan announced, his voice amplified, reaching every corner of the hall, "I'm pleased to announce my engagement to the lovely Chloe Vance of Vance Industries."

A polite applause rippled through the crowd.

Then, his gaze found Ava, standing alone near the entrance.

"And as for Hayes Family Wines," he continued, a cruel smirk playing on his lips, "I've also acquired a rather... desperate offering. A trophy, if you will, from their failing legacy."

He gestured dismissively towards Ava.

The room fell silent, then erupted in hushed whispers, cameras flashing.

Ava stood frozen, the humiliation washing over her in a burning wave.

She wanted to run, to disappear.

Ethan approached her, his smile gone, replaced by a chilling intensity.

"Dare to leave, cause a scene," he whispered, his breath cold against her ear, "and Morning Sun Vineyards will be dust by morning. Your father will be ruined. Your sister on the street."

Ava' s heart hammered. She was trapped.

She looked at him, searching for any sign of the boy she knew.

Nothing.

Then, a strange thing happened.

As her devastation peaked, a voice, his voice, echoed in her mind, clear as day, yet unheard by anyone else.

[This is too much for Sunny... She looks like she's about to shatter.]

Ava blinked, shocked. Sunny. He hadn't called her that in years.

Then, another thought, harsher, cutting through the first.

[No, I can't soften. Remember what they did to Mom and Dad!]

Ava swayed, putting a hand to her head.

It had to be the stress. Auditory hallucinations. That' s what Dr. Ramirez had warned could happen.

She straightened, her face a mask of composure, even as her world crumbled.

The press hounded her, their questions like barbs.

"Miss Hayes, what is your relationship with Mr. Reed?"

"Is this a hostile takeover?"

Ava said nothing, her dignity a fragile shield.

Her father and Olivia, her stepmother, stood across the room, avoiding her gaze, already celebrating their narrow escape from financial ruin.

Maya was nowhere to be seen, probably hidden away by Olivia.

Later, as they were forced to leave in the same car, Richard had the gall to hiss, "You made a fool of yourself, Ava! Standing there like a statue!"

Olivia chimed in, her voice dripping with malice, "You should have shown some gratitude. Ethan Reed saved us."

Ava didn't respond.

A cough rattled her chest, a familiar, dreaded sensation.

She pressed a handkerchief to her lips, hiding the flecks of blood.

It doesn't matter, she thought, leaning her head against the cold window.

The Reeds and the Hayes.

A feud that had started before she was born, something about Ethan's parents' tech company, a betrayal, financial ruin.

Ethan blamed her father.

Now, she was the price. The payment for sins that weren't hers.

Let it end, she prayed silently. Let this all just end.