He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

After leaving the estate and my father's toxic shadow for good, I'd managed to find a small apartment near my office. It was meant to be a fresh start—a place where I could be just Clinton, not a weapon for the Harringtons. The walls were bare, and the air lacked the heavy, suffocating scent of expensive cologne and old money that defined my father's house, but it was mine. It was the first time in my life I felt like I was breathing air that hadn't been filtered through a Harrington agenda. 


The day before the gala, during lunch, Octavia told me about the invitation.


 "Franklin's grandfather Frederick invited me. So I have to go," she'd said, looking weary.


"You know, I can come with you," I'd suggested, trying to lighten her mood with a wink. "I make an excellent plus-one."


Chapter 57 - ~ 57