Chapter 3

Julian's brow drew together slightly. Something shifted in his expression — confusion, and something close to shock.

He stared at me for a solid five seconds.

Jessica followed his line of sight and went pale.

She dug her fingers into his arm, her voice going shrill.

"Julian, why are you looking at her?!"

Julian shook her off without a word and walked straight toward me.

Every pair of eyes in the lobby swung in our direction.

"Have we met somewhere before?" His tone was unusually polite — almost careful.

Jessica came barreling after him, shoved herself between us, and pointed a finger at my face.

"Katherine! Have you no shame?! Did you seriously dress like that just to seduce my fiancé?!"

"You're twenty-nine, completely unlovable, destined to die alone — and you're going after your own cousin's future husband?! Do you have any decency at all?!"

The lobby erupted in sharp intakes of breath. Whispers raced through the crowd.

"Did she really come here to go after her cousin's fiancé?"

"She looks so sweet. Hard to believe she'd pull something like that."

"Twenty-nine and still single — she's probably just desperate for money."

I looked at Jessica's face, twisted with jealousy, and found it almost funny.

"Jessica," I said calmly, "do you have some kind of paranoia? The man you think is such a prize? He's nothing to me."

"You dare talk back to me?!"

Barbara must have rushed out of the elevator at some point. She came charging straight at me, raising her hand to slap me across the face.

I grabbed her wrist and shoved it back, hard.

Barbara wobbled on her heels and went down.

"Help! She hit me!" Barbara wailed from the floor, making a scene for anyone who would watch. "This pathetic, loveless old woman just assaulted me!"

"Security!" Jessica was screaming now, pointing at me like I was a fire that needed to be put out. "Get her out of here!"

Two broad-shouldered guards closed in from both sides.

"Ma'am, you need to leave the premises. If you resist, we will remove you by force."

I ignored the guards. My eyes stayed locked on Barbara.

"I'll ask one last time. Where is my grandmother?"

Barbara dragged herself off the floor, seething.

"You want the old woman? Fine. She's in a storage room on the top floor. You don't sign, you don't see her."

My blood ran cold.

A storage room. Grandma's heart couldn't take a room with no ventilation. What was Barbara thinking?!

I turned and lunged for the elevator.

Both guards grabbed my shoulders and pinned me back.

"Let go of me!" I struggled.

"Throw her out!" Jessica shrieked. "Don't let her trash the Sterling family's space!"

Julian stood off to the side, frowning, visibly torn about whether to step in.

"Hold on," he finally said.

"Julian! You're taking her side?!" Jessica's eyes filled with tears on the spot.

Julian didn't look at her. He looked at me.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're making a scene at my engagement party. That's not okay. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

I stared at him — at that cool, effortlessly superior expression — and suddenly I smiled.

I stopped struggling. Smoothed out my shirt where it had been grabbed.

"Julian," I said. "Are you sure you want to throw me out?"

His jaw tightened when I used his name directly.

"I don't care who you are. Nobody causes a scene on Sterling family. Security — escort her out."

"Alright," I said quietly. "Fine."

I raised my left hand slowly and held my ring finger inches from his face.

"Open your eyes and look carefully."

The diamond caught the lobby lights and threw brilliance in every direction.

The room went dead silent.

Julian looked down.

And froze.