Chase Sterling always felt like furniture. The kind you don't notice, the kind that's easy to shove in a corner and forget. He was used to it: people looked right through him, brushed him off like lint. But it only takes one phone call to erase a lifetime of being overlooked. When his estranged family meets a tragic end, Chase suddenly finds himself in charge of the sprawling Sterling fortune. Turns out, riches aren't the only thing the family left him. There's a curse running through his blood, warping love into something hungry and dangerous, impossible to escape.

Vivian Ashford never set out to blow Chase's life to smithereens. Just one decision (a sharp, ruthless move at graduation) was all it took to set their worlds spinning out of control. While Vivian soaks up the Hollywood limelight and collects red-carpet headlines, Chase slips into his new role as Manhattan's most intimidating heir. But no matter how far they run, something keeps yanking them back together, like a stitch in an old wound that refuses to heal.

I'm home from the hospital for two days when the Forbes article drops.


Marcus forwards it to me with a single word: Sorry.


The cover photo loads first. Chase Sterling in a perfectly tailored suit. Sitting in his office. Manhattan behind him. Looking like he owns the world.


The headline: "The Heir Who Never Sleeps: How Chase Sterling Built an Empire on Ruthlessness"


The interview is long. Detailed. Covering his inheritance, his business strategies, his vision for Sterling Industries.


The first few sections are standard billionaire profile. His morning routine. Four AM wake up calls. Eighteen hour work days. The ruthless efficiency he inherited from his father.


Then there's a section about the hostile takeover of Marcus Webb Productions. Chase talks about identifying undervalued assets. About strategic acquisition. About how emotion has no place in business decisions.


Chapter 34 - The Forbes Interview