Chapter 1

Marcus Dawson put a price on everything. If he decided something wasn't worth the money, he refused to pay for it.

I had broken my right leg saving his life.

Even then, he refused to buy me the custom orthopedic brace that would protect my healing leg.

"You won't need a brace for that long. It's such a waste of money."

"Be reasonable, Ren. I'll get you the best crutches instead. Walking more will help you recover, and they won't cost nearly as much."

I was quiet for a long moment. Then I whispered, "Okay."

But minutes earlier, I'd seen a new Facebook post from my best friend, Jessica Vance: a five-thousand-dollar designer handbag with one breezy word in the caption. "Surprise."

The hand holding the bag was blurred, but I would have known the fresh scar on that forearm anywhere. Marcus had gotten it in a car accident only weeks ago.

It was Marcus.

A five-thousand-dollar brace was a waste. A five-thousand-dollar bag was a surprise.

The same number was excessive when it was spent on me and romantic when it was spent on her.

I'd always assumed he was just being frugal. Now I realized he'd done the math a long time ago.

My leg wasn't worth five thousand dollars.

And neither was I.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time.

"Nathan, I want to come home."

Chapter 1

"What are you looking at?" Marcus's voice reached me before he did.

"Here. I got you the crutches." Marcus walked over and held out a pair.

I took them and looked them over. Cheap stainless steel crutches, the kind that cost maybe twenty dollars.

Even worse than the ones I'd been using before.

They were heavy and rigid, the kind that would rub my underarms raw after a few minutes.

"Try them out. When you're done, clean up the condo. Jess is coming over, and I don't want her walking into a mess."

He didn't wait for a response before hurrying out the door.

No need to wonder where he was going. He was off to pick up my so-called best friend.

My phone screen lit up. A text from my brother, Nathan.

[Flight's booked. Tomorrow night at nine. I'll pick you up at the airport.]

[Okay.]

Ten minutes later, Jessica and Marcus walked in together.

The moment they stepped through the door, Marcus frowned.

"Ren, didn't I tell you to clean up?"

"The place is a mess. What's Jess going to think?"

Jessica looped her hand around his arm and gave him a sugary pout. "Oh, don't worry about it. Not everyone is as obsessive as I am about keeping a place spotless. Besides, Ren can barely walk right now. Don't be so hard on her."

"A broken leg is exactly why she needs to move around more. I just got her new crutches. A little walking won't kill her."

Marcus's expression softened. He tapped Jessica lightly on the forehead, his voice warm with affection. "You spoil her too much. No wonder she's gotten so lazy."

"You're partly to blame for that." Jessica laughed.

I watched their little performance in silence. In that moment, they looked like the couple.

And I was just the hired help who'd done something wrong, waiting to be scolded.

Scenes like this had played out countless times before.

The day I came home from the hospital, Jessica suggested we celebrate with taco night.

"Ren, why don't you go pick up the groceries? A little exercise will be good for you. Help you recover faster."

She made it sound so thoughtful.

"Not a bad idea. She really should get more exercise," Marcus agreed.

Marcus hesitated, then picked up the grocery list and his keys. "Actually, Ren, I'll come with you. You can lean on me."

He'd barely opened the front door when a shriek came from the kitchen.

"Marc! I cut my hand! It really hurts!"

He rushed to the kitchen in a panic. "Ren, go get the groceries yourself. Let me check on her."

I stepped outside into twenty-three-degree cold.

By the time I made it back from the supermarket, my hands and feet were completely numb.

I could barely stay on my feet.

But when I walked through the door, the two of them were curled up on the couch under a blanket, chatting and laughing.

When Marcus noticed me, he hurried over with a mug of hot tea.

"Ren, you must be freezing. Here, drink this and warm up."

"Jess says she's cold and might be coming down with something, so we're skipping taco night. I'm taking her home. You can figure out dinner for yourself."

Finally, Jessica seemed to remember something.

She pulled a set of clothes from a bag. A pair of cartoon pajamas.

"Remember when you said my pajamas were cute? I knew you liked them, so I bought you a matching pair." She handed the pajamas to Marcus.

His face lit up. I'd spent years hoping he would look that excited over something from me.

Now I was finally seeing it. Just not because of me.

I'd once spent hours picking out pajamas for him, then watched him open them with my heart in my throat.

All I'd gotten was a flat, "Thanks. I already have enough pajamas. Don't buy me any more. They just take up closet space."

He wasn't wrong. Those pajamas had sat at the bottom of the closet since the day I bought them. He never wore them once.

Marcus took the bag and walked into the bedroom.

Jessica finally turned her attention to me.

"Sorry, Ren. The store didn't have your size, so I couldn't get you a matching set."

"But don't worry, I got you a different present. You're going to love it."

She produced a shoebox.

"Ta-da! The high heels you've been wanting forever."

Then she gasped. Her gaze dropped to my leg, and her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry, Ren. I forgot about your leg. You can't wear heels right now."

Forgot. Again. This was the third time she'd "forgotten" since I came home from the hospital.

The first time, she'd given me running shoes. The second time, she'd invited me to go swimming.

Every single time, she jabbed at my sorest spot, then tearfully apologized, and then...

Chapter 2

"Renee! What did you do to Jess now?" Marcus appeared in the bedroom doorway, wearing the cartoon pajamas.

"It's not her fault, Marc." Jessica's eyes were rimmed red, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "I forgot about Ren's leg and bought her high heels."

"I spent forever tracking down her size. I went to so many stores."

Right on cue, Marcus raised his voice.

"Renee! Jess was just being nice. She didn't do it on purpose."

"Stop snapping at her every chance you get."

Jessica stood beside him, dabbing at her tears, clutching the edge of his sleeve, her voice breaking. "Marc, don't blame Ren. It's all my fault. I'll just take them back."

"No." Marcus glared at me, eyes full of disappointment.

"You can't keep using your injured leg as an excuse to lash out at people."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Do you even remember how my leg got injured?"

"Ren, that was my fault, and I'll make it up to you."

Marcus froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, and his tone softened.

"But Jess is innocent. You can't take this out on her. Just take the gift. You've wanted these heels forever, haven't you? Try them on. I'll hold you up. I promise you won't get hurt."

That same old promise. The last time I'd heard it was when Jessica talked me into going hiking.

"Marc, Ren just sits at home all day. That's so boring. Let's take her hiking! She can't skip out on everything just because of a little pain."

Jessica clung to Marcus's arm, batting her eyes.

Marcus could never resist her helpless act. He turned to me. "Come on, Ren. We'll go to Stone Ridge tomorrow. The trails are easy. I'll support you the whole way, and if it gets to be too much, we'll turn around."

I believed him.

At Stone Ridge, Marcus supported me all the way to the halfway point before Jessica spoke up.

"Marc, you've been holding Ren this whole time. You must be exhausted. Take a break. I'll take over."

Marcus gave in to her insistence.

At first, he kept a close eye on us, afraid we might stumble.

But seeing how carefully Jessica held on to me, he gradually relaxed.

We'd barely taken two more steps when Jessica's grip suddenly loosened.

I crashed to the ground. A bolt of agony shot from my foot through my entire body.

Marcus rushed over in a panic. When he saw that I was in too much pain to speak, he lifted me onto his back and started downhill.

Then Jessica wailed behind us.

"Marc! I think I twisted my ankle!"

Marcus hesitated, then set me down.

"Ren, rest here. I'll carry Jess down and get her checked out, then I'll come back for you."

He hoisted Jessica onto his back and took off down the trail.

Then he left me alone on the hillside, baking in the sun and drowning in pain.

In the end, a passing hiker carried me down the mountain, and I took a cab to the hospital.

That time, Jessica's ankle had nothing but a tiny scrape. My fracture, on the other hand, had gotten significantly worse.

I pulled myself back to the present and raised my hand. Jessica's eyes visibly brightened as she held out the shoebox toward me.

Marcus exhaled with relief.

But the instant my fingers touched the box, I swatted it aside.

The force wasn't much, but it was enough to send Jessica toppling sideways.

She fell straight toward the space heater.

Jessica's scream split the room.

"Renee!" Marcus's shout came at almost the same instant.

He rushed to her side and pulled her to the sink to run cold water over the burn.

Only a small patch of skin on the back of her hand had been burned, yet Marcus looked more frantic than he had the day I was hit by a car.

When he finally looked back and saw me standing there, his face twisted with rage.

"What are you standing there for? Go buy burn cream!"

I looked out the window at the falling snow and said nothing.

That day, I'd gone out in weather just like this, alone, on crutches, to buy things for them.

He seemed to remember that too, and tried a different approach.

"The pharmacy's right across the street. Quick there and back. Nothing's going to happen. Why won't you go? You're not exactly in a position to take care of Jess right now anyway."

He threw the words at me without looking, his eyes never leaving Jessica for a second.

A person too unwell to manage basic tasks at home was apparently well enough to hobble through a snowstorm to buy medicine.

Chapter 3

Marcus looked both achingly familiar and completely strange.

When he'd first pursued me, he used to panic over a paper cut on my finger.

He used to drive seven miles through a downpour just because I'd mentioned craving something from a trendy restaurant across town.

...

"Hurry up! Jess has a gala tomorrow night. She can't have a scar."

Marcus's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"It's fine, Marc. Let Ren go with you. The invitation includes family, and I'm not family, so it wouldn't be right for me to attend," Jessica said.

"What do you mean, 'not right'? Ren's leg hasn't healed. She'd be uncomfortable there. Besides, this gala wouldn't even be happening without you." Marcus didn't hesitate for a second.

I said nothing. I picked up my crutches and walked into the bedroom.

They were talking about Sterling Group's contract-signing gala.

Sterling Group was a Fortune 500 multinational corporation.

Jessica's uncle, Gerald Vance, was Sterling's regional director for the city.

Thanks to that connection, Marcus had landed a major contract with Sterling, latching onto the company like his personal cash cow.

If the deal went through, his wealth would skyrocket.

Just then, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen. Nathan.

Nathan Sterling was the CEO of Sterling Group. He was also my brother.

"Nathan, what's up?"

"Ren, there's a gala here in town tomorrow night. Want to come? It might do you good to get out."

I almost said no. But just as the word reached my lips, Marcus's face flashed through my mind.

"Sure."

Tomorrow night would be the perfect time to settle things.

When I stepped out of the bedroom, it was already dark. Marcus and Jessica were leaning against each other on the couch, whispering about something. Under the lamplight, the back of Jessica's hand glistened with ointment. Someone had clearly already taken care of it.

As I came closer, I noticed a third person sitting on the other side of the couch, facing away from me, laughing with Jessica.

Sensing someone approaching, the man turned slowly.

He looked about fifty.

His brow furrowed the moment he saw me. "Marcus, who is this? What is she doing in your condo?"

Before Marcus could answer, Jessica jumped in.

"Uncle, this is Marcus's girlfriend, Renee. They're living together."

Gerald slammed his palm on the coffee table.

"Marcus, you understand what tomorrow's gala means, don't you?" Gerald roared.

"You're not planning to bring this so-called girlfriend as your date, are you?"

"It's okay, Uncle. Let Ren go. I don't mind. As long as Marc gets the contract, I'll be happy," Jessica said in a sugary voice.

Marcus read the room fast. He shot me a conflicted look, then quickly distanced himself.

"Don't worry, Mr. Vance. I've been planning to break up with her. She was in a car accident, and the timing never felt right. Tomorrow night, I'm bringing Jess."

"Good. I'm glad you understand what's at stake. Nathan Sterling himself will be at tomorrow's gala."

Gerald looked pointedly in my direction.

"We can't just let any stray off the street walk in."

Marcus nodded frantically, all smiles and compliance.

"If you're already planning to break up with her, why is she still here?"

Gerald clearly wasn't done with me.

"Jessica lost her father young. I've raised her like my own daughter. I don't want her suffering any kind of slight. And I won't be handing this project to an outsider."

The threat couldn't have been more blatant.

Jessica played the saint, as always. "Uncle, Ren's leg hasn't healed. Kicking her out now seems a little harsh."

"You're absolutely right. I've been wanting to get rid of her for a while. She's been clinging to me ever since the car accident. That's the only reason she's still around."

Marcus ran with Jessica's setup. A flash of guilt crossed his eyes before he turned to face me.

"Renee, you heard him. Pack your things and get out."

I looked at the snow falling outside the window. I didn't argue. I walked to the bedroom, grabbed a flash drive, and headed straight out the front door.

I'd barely made it downstairs when a text from Marcus came through.

[Ren, move out for a few days. It's only temporary. Once the contract is signed, I'll bring you back.]

Come back? Come back so Jessica could humiliate me even more?

I gripped my phone and didn't reply.

Marcus and I had bought that condo together.

But I'd been so blinded by love that I hadn't put my name on the deed, convinced that my unconditional trust would mean something to him.

Now that boomerang had hit me right between the eyes.

But it didn't matter. After tomorrow night, I would take back everything I was owed.

I took a cab to the gala venue and found the person overseeing the screens, Derek Cole.

We'd met in college, and years ago I'd helped him land his job at Sterling.

I quietly handed him the flash drive and told him to play the files during tomorrow night's signing ceremony.

With everything in place, I checked into a nearby hotel.

The stage was set. All that was left was for the players to take their marks.

Chapter 4

At six the next evening, I arrived at the Grand Century Hotel's main ballroom.

I was early. I sat alone on a sofa in the corner, my crutches beside me, and watched the room fill.

I paid no attention to the occasional sideways glances and hushed whispers.

Business partners and company executives filed in one after another.

A stir rippled through the entrance, and I looked up instinctively.

Marcus strode in wearing a sharp suit, looking like a man on top of the world.

Jessica was on his arm in a flowing white evening gown, gliding in beside him.

The picture of a perfect couple. They turned heads across the room.

"Welcome, everyone, to this evening's gala! It is our great honor to witness the signing ceremony between Sterling Group and MJ Corp."

MJ Corp. That was the company Marcus had founded.

When he'd named it, he claimed that blending his initial with Jessica's would make the company lucky.

He'd overruled my objections and finalized it.

"It's an incredible honor to be partnering with Sterling Group. When my girlfriend and I first started this company, it was just for fun. We never imagined it would grow into what it is today, much less land a project of this magnitude."

Marcus held Jessica's hand, gazing at her with open adoration.

What he said was true enough. I'd helped him build the company from day one, mostly because I wanted to humor his ambition.

In the early days, the funding gap was enormous. I'd drained my personal savings to keep the company afloat and help him survive the hardest stretch.

In the end, all the credit went to Jessica. My contribution was erased entirely.

"Will both signing representatives please take the stage for the official signing."

Marcus and Gerald stood at the table onstage, pens poised.

"Wait."

Both men froze. Marcus looked startled. He knew that voice.

I stood below the stage and stared up at them, enunciating every word.

"I've reviewed MJ Corp's qualifications. They clearly don't meet the standards for this project. I suspect someone has been pulling strings."

"Renee, what are you doing here?" Marcus blurted out, visibly rattled.

"Young lady, that's a serious accusation." Gerald, on the other hand, kept his composure.

"Talk is cheap. If you're saying the qualifications don't hold up, show us the proof."

"Of course. If everyone would please direct your attention to the screen."

I'd anticipated this. The evidence I'd collected was exactly what I'd given Derek the night before.

Every eye in the room turned to the display.

The screen flickered and switched to the next slide.

One second. Two seconds. Nothing else appeared.

"What's going on? Where's the evidence?"

Someone in the crowd voiced the question already screaming through my head.

With nothing but "Signing Ceremony" still on the screen, the crowd began whispering among themselves.

"Is this some kind of impromptu stunt?"

"She's probably just trying to get attention. There's no shortage of media here tonight."

That comment landed, and half the room seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. The looks they shot me were pure contempt.

"Is this your evidence?" Gerald smirked at me.

I realized something had gone wrong on Derek's end.

Jessica slipped up beside me and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"We spotted you at the venue last night. He works for my uncle. Did you really think your college buddy would risk his career to help you?"

Despair surged through me, not because the evidence had failed to appear, but because someone I trusted had betrayed me. Again.

Again. Another betrayal. A laugh scraped out of my throat.

I forced a smile and fixed my bloodshot eyes on Jessica. "You really do think of everything, don't you, bestie?"

"And what makes you so sure I don't have a backup plan?" Still smiling, I leaned close enough to whisper in her ear.

Uncertainty flickered in her eyes.

"I just checked the guest list. I don't believe the young lady's name appears on it," Gerald called out from the stage.

"You're right, it doesn't. But family members were invited too, weren't they?"

My smile widened.

"So I came as family."

Gerald shot Marcus a look. Marcus wavered for only a moment before stepping forward.

"Renee, you and I may know each other, but you are not my family. You have no right to be at this gala."

"Security, get her out of here."

Two uniformed guards reached for me.

"I dare you to touch her."

A voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the room.

Every head turned toward the entrance, where a tall figure stood framed in the doorway.

Nathan Sterling, CEO of Sterling Group.

Chapter 5

"Mr. Sterling, welcome." Gerald hurried over with a deferential smile. "The ceremony is already underway, and we're about to sign. Let me show you to your seat."

Nathan didn't acknowledge him. He walked straight ahead.

Marcus saw Nathan heading his way and straightened his jacket, his face lighting with excitement.

"Mr. Sterling, I'm Marcus Daw—"

Before he could finish, one of Nathan's bodyguards stepped between them.

Nathan walked right past him and stopped in front of me. The security guards on either side of me slipped away without a word.

"Are you okay, Ren?" Nathan squeezed my shoulder. His voice was gentle, nothing like the commanding tone from seconds earlier.

"Sorry I'm late."

"You're not late. Your timing is perfect." I managed a small smile.

Marcus, Jessica, and Gerald stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief.

Hushed conversations rippled through the crowd.

"Who is she? Nathan Sterling is fussing over her like family."

"They look awfully close. What's their relationship? Married?"

"Shh. Keep it down. You want to get blacklisted?"

"Gerald Vance just kicked a hornet's nest."

Gerald finally gathered himself, his voice trembling. "Mr. Sterling, this young lady is...?"

Every ear in the room strained to catch the answer.

Nathan only spared him a cold glance before turning back to me. "What happened?"

That single look sent sweat beading down Gerald's forehead. He lowered his head immediately.

A second later, I answered everyone's question.

I turned to my brother. "Nothing much. The company in this deal doesn't meet the project requirements." I glanced at Gerald. "Mr. Vance was just asking me for proof."

The murmurs in the room grew louder.

"Mr. Vance, is this true?" Nathan's tone was completely flat.

That calm carried more weight than any threat.

"M-Mr. Sterling, there seems to be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Nathan repeated the word, eyes locked on Gerald's.

He was looking straight at him, yet somehow it felt like he was looking down.

Marcus couldn't stop himself from cutting in. "Mr. Sterling, it's—"

Nathan didn't turn his head. "Did I ask you to speak?"

Marcus's mouth snapped shut. He looked as if he wished the floor would swallow him.

"Yes, a misunderstanding. Definitely a misunderstanding." Gerald powered through his explanation. "I've personally reviewed MJ Corp's documentation. Everything checks out. We're ready to sign. Ms. Sterling may have been misled by someone with bad intentions..."

"Oh, really? Then maybe Mr. Vance can explain what's on the screen right now?" I watched him grovel and cut him off mid-sentence.

Gerald's jaw tightened, but he forced an awkward smile.

The screen flickered to life.

Marcus stared at it, eyes wide, jaw hanging open.

Gerald looked like he was about to crack.