Chapter 1
away, and I'm the one making a scene? That's rich!"
The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the ballroom.Mymother.Elizabeth, stood before me, her hand still raised. "You disgraceful child!How dare you try to ruin your sister's special day?"
"Mom, have you literally lost your mind?" My cheek burned where she'd struck me. "Alexander is MY fiancé! What is wrong with you people?"
"What absolute nonsense are you spouting?" Elizabeth's voice dripped with disdain. "Alexander will be your brother-in-law soon. Why must you always try to compete with Victoria? It's pathetic,really."
The room spun around me. Faces blurred together-shocked guests,smirking Victoria, stern Elizabeth. And Alexander, looking at me with something between pity and annoyance.
"Alexander." My voice shook. "Tell them the truth. Tell them who you were really engaged to this whole time."
He met my eyes, and I saw nothing of the man I'd loved for three years."Summer, I'm sorry, but Victoria is the one I truly love. She always has been. You need to accept that and move on."
Something broke inside me then. The last thread of hope, maybe.Or perhaps it was just my heart.
"Alexander Stark." I straightened my spine, forcing steel into my voice."Remember this - I'm not the one being left. I'm the one walking away.And you'll regret this day for the rest of your life."
The New York evening air hit my face as I stumbled out of The Plaza.Tears blurred my vision as I rushed down the sidewalk, needing to get as far away as possible from that nightmare scene. The weight of everything I'd lost pressed against my chest: three years with Alexander, countless shared dreams, the simple trust I'd placed in my own sister. How long had they been seeing each other behind my back?How many of our phone calls had been lies? How many times had Victoria smiled at me while knowing what she planned to do?
A sudden screech of tires jerked me from my spiral of thoughts.*Great,just what I need - to be run over on the worst day of my life.* Bright headlights flooded my vision as a black Bentley came to an abrupt stop mere inches from where I stood frozen in the crosswalk. The shock sent me stumbling backward, my ankle twisting as I lost my balance and fell hard against the asphalt. *Perfect. Absolutely perfect.*
The car's rear door opened, and two men stepped out. The first was in an impeccable suit, clearly some kind of assistant. But it was the second man who made me forget to breathe for a moment.
He was tall, at least 6'2", with sharp features that seemed carved from marble and brown hair. His presence radiated authority, the kind of power that came not just from wealth, but from absolute confidence. Those eyes,though-they held me captive. Deep brown with flecks of amber that caught the streetlight, they studied me with an intensity that felt almost physical. His jaw was sharp and defined, with a hint of stubble that gave him a dangerous edge. Full lips set in a stern line completed a face that would make sculptors weep-perfect in its symmetry yet utterly masculine in its severity.
"Mr. Stark?" The assistant's voice carried a note of concern. *Another Stark,* I thought bitterly, recognizing the way oldmoney seemed to cling to him like a second skin. But there was something different about this one -something almost predatory in his focused gaze.
"James," The taller man's deep, commanding voice sent an inexplicable shiverdown my spine. "Stay back." Without waiting for his assistant's response, he stepped forward,his movements deliberate and precise. I found myself unable to look away from those dark eyes as he extended his hand toward me. For a moment.I just stared at it, my mind struggling to process this simple gesture after everything that had happened.
"Are you alright? Take my hand."