Chapter 2

Chloe stared at Liam, the man from the hotel, the man from Ethan's secret shrine, who was now standing in her house. The pieces clicked into place with a sickening finality. Liam Miller. Elaine Miller. Of course. The "precious son" was him.

Her father and Elaine came into the foyer, beaming. "Liam, this is Chloe," her father said, gesturing expansively. "Chloe, say hello to your new brother."

Chloe felt a laugh bubble up in her throat, sharp and hysterical. "Brother? You've got to be kidding me." She descended the stairs slowly, her eyes locked on Liam's. He maintained his look of gentle confusion, as if he had no idea what was going on.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Chloe," Liam said, his voice soft. "I've heard so much about you."

"I bet you have," Chloe shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And I've seen so much about you."

She walked right past him and faced her father. "So this was the plan all along? Get me out of the way so your real family can move in?"

Her father's face hardened. "I'm warning you, Chloe. Don't make a scene. Liam is part of this family now."

"This isn't a family," she said, her voice dangerously low. "It's a business transaction. And I'm the asset you're selling off."

Elaine stepped forward, placing a protective hand on Liam' s arm. "That's enough. You should be grateful. This marriage to the Sterlings is a great opportunity for you."

"Grateful?" Chloe scoffed. "I'm being shipped off to marry a dying woman I've never met, and I should be grateful?" She turned her glare back to her father. "I'm holding up my end of the deal. I'm leaving. But don't think for a second I'm going quietly."

She walked to the front door. "I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" her father demanded. "Your flight to the East Coast is in three days!"

"I need to pack," Chloe said with a sweet, poisonous smile. "Just a few essentials."

Instead of packing, Chloe went straight to the most exclusive shopping district in the city. She walked into the first designer boutique, pulled out the unlimited credit card her father had given her as a "wedding gift," and started spending.

"I'll take this," she told a stunned sales associate, pointing to a diamond-encrusted handbag worth more than a luxury car. "And that one. And one of everything on that rack. In my size."

She went from store to store, a whirlwind of chaotic spending. She bought couture gowns she would never wear, jewelry she would never put on, and shoes she would never walk in. It was a scorched-earth strategy. If her father wanted to sell her for fifty billion, she was going to make him feel the cost of it first. She had the packages delivered directly to the Davis estate, dozens and dozens of them, enough to fill the entire foyer.

Her phone rang. It was her father. She let it ring for a minute before answering.

"Chloe! What the hell are you doing?" he roared into the phone. "The credit card alerts are going crazy! Have you lost your mind?"

"Just picking up a few things for my new life," she said calmly, examining a ridiculously expensive watch. "You want me to look the part of a wealthy bride, don't you?"

"You've spent over ten million dollars in two hours!"

"Is that a lot?" Chloe asked, feigning innocence. "I guess I lost track. It's just so easy to spend your money."

"I'm cutting you off!" he shouted. "The card is canceled! You won't get another cent from me until you're on that plane!"

"Fine by me," Chloe said, and hung up.

She tried to pay for the watch, but just as he'd threatened, the card was declined. The sales associate looked at her with a mix of pity and disdain.

"It seems there's a problem with your card, Miss," she said coolly.

Chloe just shrugged and walked out of the store. The plan had worked. She was officially cut off, stranded in the middle of the city with no money and no way to get home. She started walking, the expensive heels she was wearing already beginning to pinch.

The sun went down, and the city lights came on. She was tired, hungry, and for the first time in a long time, completely on her own. As she was walking down a darker, less crowded street, two rough-looking men started following her.

"Hey, pretty lady," one of them called out. "Lost?"

Chloe picked up her pace, her heart starting to pound. They cornered her in an alley. One of them grabbed her arm. "That's a nice purse you got there."

"Get your hands off me," she snarled, trying to pull away.

Just as the man was about to rip the purse from her shoulder, a black sedan screeched to a halt at the mouth of the alley. The headlights blinded them.

The driver's side door opened, and a man in a sharp suit got out. It was Ethan' s assistant, Mark.

"Let her go," Mark said, his voice calm but firm.

The men hesitated, then shoved Chloe forward and ran off into the darkness.

Chloe stumbled, catching herself against the brick wall. Mark walked over to her.

"Miss Davis," he said, his expression unreadable. "Mr. Hayes sent me to find you."

A black car door opened, and Ethan himself stepped out. He walked toward her, his face a mask of cold fury.

He stopped in front of her, his tall frame blocking out the light from the street. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Running around the city, getting yourself into trouble?"

"What's it to you?" Chloe retorted, pushing herself off the wall. "I thought you were busy with your 'first love'."

His jaw clenched. "Get in the car, Chloe."

"No."

"I'm not asking," he said. He grabbed her arm, his grip like steel, and pulled her toward the car.