Chapter OneThe Stranger at My TableThe first time I saw Damien Cross, I wanted him gone, not because he was rude but because he had insulted me.He haven't even spoken to me.There was just something about the way he sat across the room, completely comfortable in a place where everyone else was pretending to belong.The ballroom was crowded with people who knew exactly how much their clothes cost and made sure everyone else knew too.My mother's charity gala had always been like this, champagne. Cameras and fake smiles.And enough family friends asking when I planned to settle down. I took another sip of my drink and looked toward the entrance."I swear, if one more person asks me about marriage tonight, I'm leaving."My best friend, Maya, laughed beside me, "You've said that three times.""And I meant it every time.""You won't leave.""Watch me."She gave me the kind of look that said she knew me better than I knew myself.Then her eyes moved past my shoulder."Oh.""What?""Don't look now."I immediately looked.Maya sighed."I literally said don't.""Then why did you tell me?"She leaned closer. "The man in the black suit."I found him almost immediately.He was standing near the bar, tall, broad shoulders, dark hair, and no visible wedding ring.And he wasn't talking to anyone.He simply watched the room not in the bored way rich men usually watched parties.He looked like he was studying it, studying everyone.My smile disappeared."Who is he?""I don't know.""Then why are you staring?""I'm not staring.""You absolutely are."She nudged me."He's looking at you."I turned back, he was, and our eyes met for a second, neither of us moved.There was nothing romantic about the look and if anything, it made the back of my neck prickle.His expression didn't change.He simply held my gaze as though he already knew something about me that I didn't know about him i uust have to looked away first."Okay," I muttered. "That's creepy."Maya laughed. "You were interested five seconds ago.""I was curious.""Same thing.""No, it isn't."Before she could answer, my mother appeared beside us."There you are."I smiled. "Hi, Mom."She kissed my cheek."You've been hiding all evening.""I'm standing in the middle of the room.""You know what I mean."Unfortunately, I did.My mother glanced toward the crowd before lowering her voice."Mr. Harrison wants to introduce you to his son."I nearly choked on my drink."Absolutely not.""He's twenty-seven.""I don't care if he's twenty-seven or seventy-two.""Please, Ariana.""No."She gave me the look mothers perfected long before their daughters were born."We'll talk later.""Mom" I shouted She was already walking away.Maya was trying not to laugh."You could just meet him.""I could also walk into traffic. Doesn't mean I should."She laughed harder.I set my glass down."I'm getting some air.""Ariana""I'm not running away.""You're definitely running away."I ignored her.The terrace doors opened onto a quieter section of the building. Cool night air touched my face as soon as I stepped outside.Finally silence.I rested my hands against the railing and closed my eyes for three peaceful seconds.Then a man's voice came from behind me "You shouldn't be alone out here."My eyes opened and turned.Damien Cross stood several feet away. The stranger from the ballroom up close, he was even more intimidating.His suit was simple. Black. Expensive without looking like it was trying to prove anything.His eyes were darker than I'd expected."I wasn't aware I needed permission to stand on a terrace.""You don't.""Good."I turned back toward the city.He didn't leave. I glanced at him."Can I help you?""No.""Then why are you still here?"His gaze shifted toward the ballroom."Because someone inside is looking for you."I frowned."That's not exactly unusual at my family's events.""This is different."Something in his voice made me straighten."Who are you?"He looked at me again."Damien.""Just Damien?""For tonight."I almost laughed."That's ridiculous.""So is trusting strangers.""Then why are you talking to me?"A faint smile touched his mouth.It disappeared almost immediately."Maybe I'm making a mistake."I should have walked away.Instead, I found myself staring at him.There was something unsettling about him.Something magnetic.I hated that I noticed."Do you always talk in riddles?""Only when people ask too many questions.""I ask questions when people behave strangely.""And you think I'm strange?""I think you're hiding something."His eyes held mine."You're right."My heartbeat changed before I could respond, and the terrace door opened.My father's security officer stepped outside."Miss Vale."I turned."Yes?""Your father needs you."I looked back at Damien.He had already stepped away."Wait."He stopped.I didn't know why I called him.I didn't even know what I wanted to ask.But before I could speak, he said quietly,"Don't trust the man standing b

Mara Quinn was broke, evicted, and invisible to the world. Then a letter arrives, she has inherited everything from a man she has never met, Elias Thorne. A crumbling mansion. A hidden fortune. And a life that was never meant to be hers. But Elias didn't die peacefully. He left behind debts, enemies, and a son who is convinced Mara is a liar. Julian Thorne is cold, ruthless, and determined to destroy her. He believes she manipulated his father. She believes he is hiding how Elias really died. The more Mara uncovers secret journals, locked rooms, whispered threats, the more she realizes she didn't just inherit his money. She inherited his enemies, his sins, and the truth someone killed to bury. Now, someone wants her gone before the 90 days are over. Was Elias's death an accident? And why does living his life feel like becoming him?