For three long years, I have been the partner of Julian Ashton, the wealthy heir in Coston City. Not once in all this time has he made a single intimate move toward me, and I naively convince myself it is love—that he holds back because he cherishes me too deeply to rush things. All of that delusion shatters on our engagement day, when he leaves me alone, abandoned in front of every guest and reporter in the city. I finally learn the brutal truth—he stays chaste not for me, but for his childhood best friend, the one person he has truly loved all along. The grand ballroom erupts with hungry stares and sharp, unkind questions from the press the second Julian's absence becomes undeniable. Just as I stand frozen, drowning in humiliation, a voice cuts through the chaos—smooth, confident, and belonging to the last person I expect. It is Finn Ashton, Julian's younger brother, the notorious playboy of the Ashton family, whose wild reputation has been splashed across tabloids for years. He steps in to shield me from the reporters' prying lenses, his tone warm and reassuring as he tells the crowd he will take me to find his missing brother. I am so desperate for an escape from the nightmare of the engagement party that I take his kindness at face value. I do not realize I have walked into a trap until the sleek black car pulls up to a gated private villa in the remote suburbs, far from the city lights. Before I can react, Finn slings me over his shoulder, carries me inside, and locks the bedroom door behind us. What follows is a day and a night I can never erase, tangled and raw, leaving me sore and shaken in every sense of the word. In the aftermath, Finn strikes a bargain with me: he will spill Julian's darkest secret in exchange for what has happened between us. That secret breaks me completely, turning every last bit of affection I have held for Julian into searing, unrelenting hatred. Tragedy strikes again, not long after: a crippling financial crisis hits my family's business, threatening to collapse everything we have built. With no other options, I make a deal with the devil himself. I agree to team up with Finn—the man who seems harmless and unassuming on the surface, but hides a sharp, calculating mind beneath his playboy facade. Together, we will turn the tide of my family's failing business and pull them back from the brink of ruin. Once the crisis is resolved and our business deal is done, I tell Finn it is over, that our partnership ends here. I expect him to walk away without a second thought, but his reaction is nothing like I anticipate. Finn's face darkens with anger, and he kisses me hard and possessively. "Eleanor, I forgot to tell you. I have been head over heels for you... not just admiring from afar... for ten long years." ***** Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life: the day I get engaged to Julian Ashton, the man I have loved for three years. But as the clock ticks closer to the ceremony start time, there is no sign of him anywhere. I dial his number for the twenty-eighth time, my hands trembling with a mix of anger and dread, and this time, the call finally connects. A beat of silence passes before Julian's voice comes through the line, breathless and strained, laced with sounds that make my blood run cold. "Eleanor, I am so sorry. I cannot make it to the engagement today. I have something far more urgent to handle right now." Low, muffled sounds echo in the background, and I do not need to ask to know exactly what he is doing. Rage and humiliation crash over me, but I force a stiff smile for the hundreds of eyes and flashing cameras staring up at the stage. "Julian, this is your final warning. No matter where you are, you get back here right now to go through with this engagement. If you do not, this is over—we are done for good," I say, my voice tight with barely contained fury. There is no hesitation in his reply, not a single flicker of regret. "I cannot do that. Just let Finn handle the guests for you; he will keep you company." The line goes dead immediately, and every subsequent call goes straight to voicemail; his phone switches off entirely. In that single moment, I go from the belle of the ball to the laughingstock of the room. Flashing camera bulbs blind me, and aggressive reporters close in, shouting invasive questions that cut deeper than any knife. "Ms. Sterling, have you been abandoned by Mr. Julian Ashton?" "Is this engagement just a one-sided pursuit from your family, as the rumors have claimed?"