Chapter 1

Not long before my wedding, Olivia Lane, my fiancé's childhood sweetheart, was forced into an engagement with Eugene Sterling, a so-called notorious playboy, to save her family from going under.

My fiancé, Ethan Sinclair, couldn't stand by and watch her walk into a disaster, so he crashed the wedding and stopped it himself.

That same day, he sent drones flying over the city with a love message for everyone to see.

The whole city was waiting to see me embarrassed and the Sterling family humiliated.

The very next day, Eugene blocked my way home in his one-of-a-kind limited edition supercar.

"Your ex ran off with my fiancée," he said flatly. "So I'm taking you instead. You marry me now. Fair deal, right?"

I let my eyes drift over the tattoos spreading across his neck and shoulder, and then gave a slow smile. "I think it sounds pretty fair."

*****

I must've agreed faster than Eugene expected, because he paused and took off his sunglasses to look at me, clearly surprised.

The Patek Philippe on his wrist caught the light so bright that it practically burned my eyes.

The same went for the tangle of thorn tattoos creeping out from the straps of his tank top.

The black lines twisted across his tanned skin, giving him this rough edge that matched every rumor floating around about the Sterling family's favorite playboy.

But honestly, I had no reason to say no.

Eugene had the Sterling Group behind him. In terms of wealth and power, he was way out of my league.

Other than his less-than-stellar reputation, he was a perfect match for a marriage of convenience.

As for feelings, they didn't matter much in the business world anyway.

The quiet stretched out between us until he gave me another once-over and tipped his chin toward the car. "Get in. We need to talk."

His attitude was just as bold as his car.

I got in without hesitation. "Mr. Sterling, is this about yesterday's drone confession?"

Eugene let out a scoff and started the engine. "You think I've got time for that crap?

"Ethan stole my match, so I'm taking something of his to even the score."

Yesterday flashed through my mind. Ethan had circled overhead in that helicopter, blasting "I can't let her marry anyone else" through a megaphone like some bad movie.

And I was the girl he'd publicly humiliated while the whole city watched.

I let out a long breath and sank back into my seat, watching the city blur past outside the window.

"Yes, fair point. So, Mr. Sterling, what's your plan for 'even the score'?" I asked.

"First, we get married." Eugene pulled up outside a 24-hour café and got out. "Let's talk inside."

The place was dead at this hour. He ordered two black coffees and cut straight to it. "Let me be upfront. I've got a bad temper, I spend money like it's nothing, I'm impatient, and..."

He gave a pointed shrug, the ink on his shoulder seeming to move with him. "And you can probably tell I'm not exactly husband material. I run wild, always have."

He finished and just stared at me, leaving it hanging, waiting for my response.

I took a sip of my coffee and nodded, unfazed. "I'm fine with that."

Eugene raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly slipped back into that laid-back attitude. "You really don't mind?"

I shook my head. "It's your life, your choice.

"We're two independent people. No point forcing each other to change for some arrangement."

Truth was, I meant it and I didn't.

Love shouldn't trap people, and that part was real. But this marriage was just business, plain and simple.

Ethan had blown up the engagement, the Sterling family needed to save face, and I needed a husband to shut everyone up.

Everything else didn't matter much.

But Eugene looked pretty satisfied with my answer. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them to me. "Here, keys to Evergreen Estate. Guess this counts as our engagement gift.

"I've got a ton of stuff to deal with, so I'll be busy for a while. I'll hit you up when things settle down."

I gripped the cold keys and watched him rush off, not sure whether to laugh or shake my head.

A shotgun wedding with a free luxury house thrown in. That was a new one.

I was still figuring out how to give the keys back next time we met when I heard someone call my name.

I turned to see Ethan hurrying over from the café entrance, still dressed in the custom suit I'd once gifted him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, frowning.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" I shot back coldly.

My tone caught him off guard. He blinked, clearly not expecting that.

Then he forced a smile and reached for my hand, but I turned sideways before he could touch me.

"What do you want?" I said, keeping my voice chilly.

His hand hung there awkwardly for a second before he dropped it. "Grace, are you still mad at me? I know I messed up, but I didn't have a choice.

"Olivia was about to marry some guy with a terrible reputation. I couldn't watch her ruin herself. You understand, right? You're on my side?"

I almost laughed at the absurdity. He'd spent all that energy worrying about his precious Olivia, left me as the punchline for the whole city, and now wanted me to understand and support him.

I gave him a cold smile. "Nope. Don't understand. Not on your side. Nothing else? I'm leaving."

I brushed past him, ready to walk away, but his voice stopped me.

"Grace, I... I know this isn't fair to you, but Olivia and I really do love each other. Can't you cut me some slack?" he pleaded.

He leaned closer, softening his voice in the way he always did when he wanted something from me. "I just can't give you a title, but you're still the one I care about. We can keep seeing each other, you know?

"Lots of wealthy people do this these days. It's totally normal. Don't overreact to it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

He called off our engagement, ran off with someone else's match, and now he wanted me to be his side piece. And he sounded like I was the one overreacting to it.

A wave of disgust washed over me, and I shot him a cold glare. "Ethan, don't flatter yourself.

"Whatever was between us ended the moment you crashed that wedding yesterday. From now on, let's keep our distance and stay out of each other's business."

"Ended?" Ethan laughed, like he'd just heard the funniest joke ever. "Grace, don't push it.

"I came back to you. That's me being generous. You really think you can find someone better than me?"

"That's none of your business. Even if I end up alone, it's still better than being with someone who can't stay loyal," I shot back.

Brushing past him, I strode out of the café without even a backward glance.

Behind me, Ethan's furious curses echoed, but I couldn't care less.