Chapter 4

Julian thought about it and agreed with his mother. Victoria was right — the terms should match the bride's family.

So Victoria put together an offer for the Archers.

On paper, it looked like something — a bank transfer, some jewelry, a few pieces of property. But anyone who knew money could see it for what it was: leftovers. A mid-range condo in Jersey. Gold pieces that had been sitting in a vault since the nineties. A car that was two models behind.

For the future wife of the Young Don.

Mrs. Archer had been waiting for this day for weeks. She'd invited every wife and socialite she could get her hands on — she wanted an audience when the Crane family's offer arrived.

But as the inventory was read out loud, item by item, Mrs. Archer's face got darker with every line.

The women around her weren't even trying to hide their laughter.

"I've seen men send more than this to their mistresses. And this is supposed to be for the Don's wife?"

"You can always tell how Victoria feels by what she sends. This? She might as well have spit in their faces."

"And even if the Cranes sent more — could the Archers match it? You can't accept a million-dollar deal and bring nothing to the table. That's not a marriage. That's selling your daughter."

Mrs. Archer was burning with shame. She turned and looked at Selene standing there, and before anyone could react, she slapped her across the face.

"You told me he was crazy about you! That he'd do anything for you! And this is what he sends? This junk?" Her voice was shaking.

"I should've married you off to that shipping guy in Jersey. At least he was willing to put real money on the table."

Then someone whispered, just loud enough for the room to hear:

"I heard the Ashworth girl is also having her engagement today. You think it's true — what Julian said about setting her up too?"

"Could be. Look around — no Victoria, no Julian. Just the staff dropping off paperwork. And someone said they saw Julian's car heading toward the Ashworth place."

Selene's eyes went wild. She screamed, "No! He would never leave me for Vivienne Ashworth!"

And she ran out the door.

The Archer house erupted into chaos. Mrs. Archer shrieked after her: "Someone grab her! We can't afford another scandal!"

Selene made it to the Ashworth estate in twenty minutes.

The street outside was packed. People everywhere — white flowers, champagne towers, a string quartet on the terrace. Gift bags being handed out to the whole block.

And inside the gates, the engagement gifts from the Ashford family made the guests' jaws drop — a penthouse on the Upper East Side in my name, a seven-figure trust, a cut of every Ashford territory east of the river, and a diamond necklace that had belonged to Dominic's late mother.

"The Ashford family went all out."

"Well, it's an Ashworth daughter. Of course they did."

Selene pushed through the crowd, searching desperately for Julian — until she spotted him charging through the front door.

Her tears spilled over.

"Julian!" she screamed from the street. "You sent those people to my house today to propose — and now you're here proposing to her too? I'm carrying your baby! If you marry her, I'll kill myself right here on this sidewalk!"

Every single person went quiet.

Julian had just burst through the front door. He saw the flowers, the champagne towers, the guests — and froze.

Then he heard Selene's voice behind him, and his face went from white to red.

Before he could say a word, Selene threw herself at him.

"You said you'd take care of me forever! You said you loved that I wasn't like those uptight New York girls! You talked me into giving you everything!" She was sobbing, gasping.

"And now — you send me scraps and give her all of this? How could you do this to me? If you were going to humiliate me like this, why did you ever touch me?"

The crowd closed in. Every guest at my engagement party was now watching.

Selene had just announced — in front of everyone — that she'd slept with Julian before marriage. And that she was pregnant.

Julian's face was on fire. "Shut up! I never proposed to Vivienne! What are you talking about?"

Selene choked on her tears. "You're standing right here! The gifts are right there! And you still won't admit it? Are you going to wait until she walks into your house on the same day I do?"

Julian opened his mouth to argue, but a voice cut through the noise like a blade.