Chapter 1

The California sun felt different, warmer and heavier than back home. I gripped the steering wheel of my modest sedan, following the sleek, black car in front of me. My older brother, David, was inside it, leading me to the apartment he' d found for me. He' d insisted. "You focus on the drive out here, Sarah. I' ll handle the rest."

That was David. Always handling things.

We pulled into the parking garage of a modern, glass-fronted building in a nice part of Los Angeles. He got out of his car, a wide, successful smile on his face. He looked every bit the high-flying executive he was-sharp suit, perfect hair, an aura of confidence that filled the space around him.

"What do you think?" he asked, gesturing to the building. "Good enough for my little sister, the star architect?"

"It's amazing, David. Too much, probably."

"Nonsense," he said, pulling my heaviest suitcase from my trunk like it was nothing. "You got the job at the firm. You deserve it. We' re going to be working together. It' s perfect."

He was right. It did feel perfect. I' d dreamed of working at Sterling & Associates since my first year of college. David, who had been adopted by my parents a few years before I was born, had gotten a finance position there right out of business school and climbed the ladder with incredible speed. He was the one who had pushed my portfolio in front of the partners. He was the reason I was here.

We rode the elevator up, the silence comfortable. It was the same way it had always been between us. He was the protective older brother, and I was the adoring younger sister. He opened the door to my new apartment, and I gasped. It was beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city.

"David, this is incredible."

"Only the best for you," he said, setting the suitcase down.

My phone, which I' d placed on the clean kitchen counter, suddenly buzzed to life. An unknown number. I almost ignored it, but it rang again immediately after the first call went to voicemail.

Curious, I answered. "Hello?"

A woman's voice, sharp and cold, cut through the line.

"Is this Sarah Miller?"

"Yes, it is. Who's this?"

"So you' re the one. The little sister." The words were laced with a strange kind of venom. "I just wanted to hear the voice of the girl who' s trying to sleep with her brother."

I froze. The phone felt cold against my ear. I looked at David, who was arranging a welcome basket of fruit on the counter, his back to me. He hadn't heard.

"I' m sorry, I think you have the wrong number," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Oh, I have the right number, Sarah. Stay away from my fiancé. Stay away from David. You got a job in his company, you moved into a building he picked out. Don't you think that' s a little too close for comfort?"

My mind went blank. Fiancé? David was engaged? He hadn't told me.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered. "David is my brother."

"I know what he is to you," she sneered. "And I know what girls like you do. You play the innocent little sister, but you' re just a homewrecker waiting for a chance. I' m watching you. Remember that."

The line went dead.

I stood there, staring at the phone, my heart pounding. Homewrecker. The word echoed in my head. It was absurd, disgusting. David and I were siblings. We were raised under the same roof by the same loving parents. The idea of anything else was unthinkable. Our relationship was simple, clean. He was family.

David turned around, finally noticing my expression. "Everything okay? You look like you' ve seen a ghost."

"I just got a weird call," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "From your fiancée."

His smile faltered for just a second. "Oh. Chloe. She called you?"

"She said some... horrible things. She accused me of trying to steal you from her."

David let out a short laugh, but it didn't sound genuine. He walked over and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Sarah, I am so sorry. You have to forgive Chloe. She can be a little... intense. She' s just a bit childish sometimes, you know? She gets jealous easily."

"Childish? David, she called me a homewrecker. She sounded... unhinged."

"I know, I know," he said, his voice smooth and placating. "Look, she' s had a tough life. She' s just fiercely protective of me. She loves me so much, and when she sees anyone new come into my life, she gets a little insecure. Especially my brilliant little sister who she' s never met."

He made it sound almost like a compliment. He described her as passionate and devoted, a woman who loved him so much it sometimes spilled over into irrational jealousy. A woman who was so different from the cold, hateful voice on the phone.

"I haven' t even met her," I said, feeling helpless. "Why would she do this?"

"She probably saw my credit card statement for this apartment's deposit and got worried. She' s just being silly. Don' t pay any attention to it. I' ll talk to her."

The phone in my hand buzzed again. A text message from the same number. It was a single sentence.

I meant what I said.

The words were a direct threat, a promise of more to come. I showed the screen to David.

He sighed, a look of tired frustration on his face. "God, she' s being so dramatic. I really am sorry, Sarah. This is not the welcome to LA I wanted for you."

"She' s your fiancée, David. You need to do more than just say she' s being dramatic. This was a serious accusation." I was trying to explain the violation I felt, the shock of being attacked by a complete stranger, but he was already moving to dismiss it.

"And I will," he insisted. "I' ll handle it. I promise. Let me call her right now and clear this up."

He stepped out onto the balcony, his voice a low, soothing murmur as he spoke into his phone. I couldn't hear the words, but I could see his posture. He wasn't angry. He wasn't demanding she apologize. He was calming her down.

A few minutes later, he came back inside.

"Okay, all sorted," he said with a bright, forced smile. "She feels terrible. She said she' ll call you to apologize tomorrow."

I didn' t believe it for a second. The voice on the phone had not been the voice of someone who would feel terrible. But what could I do? This was David' s fiancée. This was the woman he was going to marry. For the sake of family harmony, for the sake of not ruining my first day in a new city, I nodded.

"Okay," I said, my voice flat.

"Great," he said, relieved. "Now, let' s forget about this. Let me take you out to a celebratory dinner."

I looked out the window at the sprawling city lights. The perfect start had been ruined. And as David talked about restaurant reservations, a heavy feeling settled in my stomach. This wasn't over. It was just the beginning.