Chase Sterling always felt like furniture. The kind you don't notice, the kind that's easy to shove in a corner and forget. He was used to it: people looked right through him, brushed him off like lint. But it only takes one phone call to erase a lifetime of being overlooked. When his estranged family meets a tragic end, Chase suddenly finds himself in charge of the sprawling Sterling fortune. Turns out, riches aren't the only thing the family left him. There's a curse running through his blood, warping love into something hungry and dangerous, impossible to escape.

Vivian Ashford never set out to blow Chase's life to smithereens. Just one decision (a sharp, ruthless move at graduation) was all it took to set their worlds spinning out of control. While Vivian soaks up the Hollywood limelight and collects red-carpet headlines, Chase slips into his new role as Manhattan's most intimidating heir. But no matter how far they run, something keeps yanking them back together, like a stitch in an old wound that refuses to heal.

The engagement announcement dominates every outlet for seventy-two hours, seventy-two hours of watching "Hollywood's Golden Couple" trend while processing that Vivian said yes to Jackson on camera, seventy-two hours of tabloids crowning them perfect redemption story while I'm branded toxic ex she wisely left behind.


"Vivian Ashford and Jackson Crane Engaged - Actress Finds Happiness After Sterling Family Drama"


"Second Time's The Charm: Hollywood Celebrates Vivian and Jackson's Rekindled Romance"


"From Toxic to Healthy: Vivian Ashford's Journey From Chase Sterling to Jackson Crane"


Every headline frames engagement as evolution. Growth. Proof that Vivian learned from toxic relationship with me and chose wisely. Every comment section celebrates her escape. Every analysis positions Jackson as savior and me as disaster she finally escaped.


Chapter 166 - The Yes