Chapter 4

"I think I twisted my ankle," Dara whimpered, milking the moment for all it was worth. "I was just coming down to get a glass of water, and the stairs were so dark."

"You silly girl," Edward cooed, his voice dripping with a fondness that made my skin crawl. He gently scooped her up into his arms. "You should have called for me."

I watched the nauseating display, my heart a cold, heavy stone in my chest. I had to force myself to keep watching, to burn every detail into my memory. This was fuel. This was the motivation I would need to see my plan through to the end.

Edward, carrying Dara as if she were a precious treasure, turned to me. "I'm taking Dara to her room. We should probably get that ankle looked at tomorrow." Then he paused, a strange thought occurring to him. "Some friends are having a get-together tonight at the club. A casual thing. We were supposed to go. Do you... do you want Dara to come with us?"

I was stunned. In my past life, he had always excluded me from his "tech friends" gatherings. He said they were "boring for me," full of shop talk I wouldn't understand. The truth was, he was keeping his two worlds separate. But now, with Dara in his arms, he was inviting her into my world. The cruelty was breathtaking.

He was testing me, seeing how far he could push the "kind, understanding fiancée" act.

I thought about my life. I was an heiress, yes, but my mother, the true heart of the Stone family, had died when I was young. My father was distant, and my grandfather in Boston, while powerful, was getting old. I had built my own life, my own career, separate from the family name. I had always been independent. He was banking on that independence, on my pride.

"Yes," I said, my voice even. "She should come."

I had my own reasons. This was an opportunity. A chance to see them operate in public, to gather more evidence for the spectacular implosion I was planning.

Edward looked surprised, then pleased. "Great. That's very generous of you, Amelia."

He carried Dara upstairs, and I was left alone in the silent living room. Generous. He had no idea. The man whose name was synonymous with ruthless genius thought he was playing me, but he was just a pawn in a game he didn't even know had started.

An hour later, we arrived at the exclusive rooftop club. The air was buzzing with the low hum of conversations and the clinking of glasses. Edward's friends, a mix of Silicon Valley wunderkinds and Wall Street sharks, greeted us with familiar enthusiasm.

"Edward! Amelia! The power couple arrives!" one of them yelled, raising his glass.

"You two are the talk of the town! Can't wait for the wedding of the century," another added, clapping Edward on the back.

I smiled politely, the praise tasting like ash in my mouth. I had heard it all before.

The conversation flowed around me, a river of tech jargon and stock market predictions. Then, one of Edward's friends, a man named Mark who' d had a few too many whiskeys, turned to Dara.

"And who's this lovely lady?" he asked with a sloppy grin. "Edward, you sly dog, you've been holding out on us."

Dara blushed prettily. "I'm Amelia's sister, Dara."

Mark's eyes widened. "Sister? I thought you were an only child, Amelia."

Before I could answer, Mark blundered on, his words slurring. "Wait a minute... Dara... Dara Chase... Weren't you and Edward a thing back in the day? Before he met Amelia?"

The table fell silent. The casual chatter stopped dead.

Mark, oblivious, laughed. "Man, what a small world! So, what's the deal, Edward? Are you getting the best of both worlds here? A little something-something with the sister on the side?"

Edward's face went white. He shot Mark a look that could kill. "Don't be ridiculous, Mark. You're drunk. Dara and I are just friends. She's Amelia's sister."

He was denying it. Denying the very relationship he had been flaunting in our home just an hour ago. The hypocrisy was staggering.

I felt a cold smile touch my lips. All eyes were on me, waiting for my reaction. They expected me to be angry, jealous, to make a scene.

I leaned forward, my voice calm and clear, cutting through the thick, uncomfortable silence.

"Is that true, Edward?" I asked, my eyes locked on his. "You never told me you and Dara had a past. Tell me, how close were you two, exactly?"