Chapter 1

The champagne tasted like ash in my mouth.

From my corner of the ballroom, I watched my half-sister, Scarlett, glitter. She was the center of everything, always. Tonight, she wore a red dress that cost more than my car, laughing with a congressman while our father, Senator Hayes, beamed beside her.

I was the shadow in a plain black dress, holding Scarlett' s spare shawl and clutch. The unacknowledged daughter, the live-in personal assistant. Ava Reed, the family' s quiet little secret.

Across the room, my eyes found Noah Vanderbilt. He was part of the "Georgetown Four," the sons of my father' s powerful friends I grew up with. Carter Sterling, Blake Ashford, Julian Croft-they were all there, circling Scarlett like sharks. But Noah was different. He was the only one who ever looked at me like I was a person.

He caught my eye and gave a small, sad smile. My heart did a stupid little flip. For ten years, I had been quietly in love with him.

An hour later, the party was winding down. Scarlett, drunk and high, stumbled towards the exit, demanding her car keys.

"I'll drive you, Scarlett," I said, stepping forward.

Our father shot me a look that could freeze fire. "Stay out of it, Ava. Scarlett can handle herself."

She snatched the keys from my hand and blew a kiss to her friends. "See you boys later."

The screech of tires followed by a sickening thud echoed from the street just minutes later. A woman screamed. The music inside died.

The man Scarlett hit was an investigative journalist. The one who had been writing articles about our father's dirty deals for months. He was dead before the ambulance arrived.

Back at the D.C. mansion, the air was thick with panic.

"This will destroy me," our father repeated, his face pale. "It will destroy Scarlett's future."

Scarlett was sobbing, not from guilt, but from fear. "I'll go to jail. Everyone will hate me."

Then, my father's cold eyes landed on me. The decision was made without a single word.

The Georgetown Four arrived. They were a tight unit, their faces grim. Carter Sterling, the arrogant son of a lobbyist, laid out the plan.

"Ava, you have to take the fall," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We can't let this ruin the Senator."

Blake Ashford, cruel and sharp, added, "You say you were driving. You panicked. You were emotional."

Julian Croft, the tech genius, nodded. "I can erase the security footage from the gala's valet. Make it look like you took the keys."

I stood there, frozen. They were going to sacrifice me.

Then Noah spoke, his voice low and urgent. "There's another way. We get Ava out of the country. Tonight. I'll drive her to the private airstrip in Maryland. She can disappear. Everyone wins."

He looked directly at me, his eyes full of what I thought was concern. "I'll keep you safe, Ava. I promise."

Hope, desperate and foolish, bloomed in my chest. Noah was saving me. Of course, he was.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'll go."