Chapter 4

Just as Julian and Scarlett' s engagement was announced, a new player entered the game.

Noah Vanderbilt stepped forward.

He went directly to my father, his face a mask of calm determination. I watched from my place within the cold metal of the sculpture, my rage a constant hum.

"Senator," Noah said, his voice steady. "I want to help. I know this looks bad for Scarlett, for your family."

My father eyed him with suspicion. "What are you proposing, Vanderbilt?"

"Let me be the fourth fiancé," Noah said. "It's obvious someone is targeting the men who get close to Scarlett. Let me draw them out. I'll be the bait. We'll catch whoever is doing this."

Scarlett, who was in the room, looked horrified. "Noah, no! You'll be killed!"

"I can protect myself," Noah said, his eyes on my father. "And I can protect her. It's a sting operation. We can end this."

The family was desperate. The police were getting nowhere. The "Black Widow" story was threatening to unravel everything my father had built. He hired a private investigator, a man named Miller, to look into the deaths.

Unbeknownst to them, Miller was not just any PI. He was a retired FBI Special Agent, an old colleague of Noah's diplomat father. And he was secretly working for Noah.

Miller met with the family. "The plan is sound," he told my father. "Using Mr. Vanderbilt as bait is our best chance. We'll have surveillance on him 24/7. When the killer makes their move, we'll have them."

My father, cornered and seeing no other option, agreed.

A public announcement was made. Scarlett Hayes was now engaged to Noah Vanderbilt. The wedding was set for one month's time. It would be the most secure, most watched wedding in D.C. history.

I watched it all, a storm of confusion and hate brewing inside me. Noah, the man who handed me over to my murderers, was now playing the hero. He was going to marry the sister I died for.

The hypocrisy was sickening. He would stand with them, protect them, and erase my memory completely.

He was the worst of them all.