PROLOGUE
The nor'easter hammered against the windshield of the unmarked black cargo van. Inside, the heater was fighting a losing battle against the chill.
I looked down at the carbon-fiber delivery case on the passenger seat. Inside was a custom Omakase set from Masa, worth fifteen thousand dollars.
Beside it lay a single, crisp hundred-dollar bill—a tip from a previous delivery. I had been smiling about it just moments ago.
One hundred dollars. It meant I could buy Dorian the organic supplements he needed for his therapy this week.
I parked near the service entrance of the cliffside villa, shielding the case with my body as I stepped into the driving rain.
I was about to ring the bell when I heard laughter drifting from the cracked terrace door.
"She actually believes you're paralyzed? And she's out there in this storm working like a dog to feed you? She even sold her mother's heirlooms?"
The voice was sharp, cruel, and unmistakably familiar.
Felicity.
"If she knew you were actually Dorian Lockwood, the trust-fund heir worth billions, just playing poor to test her... wouldn't she just die crying?"
Dorian swirled the wine in his glass, a smirk playing on his lips.
"That kind of cheap woman is born to serve, Felicity."
He took a sip.
"Who asked her to be better than you in school? Tricking her... it's just her punishment. For you."
I stood in the rain, the water mixing with the sudden, hot tears tracking down my face.
Two years.
He had faked it for two years.
The broken legs, the dead parents, the helpless tears at night... it was all a carefully orchestrated lie. Just to help his childhood sweetheart get revenge.
I pulled out my phone. My hands were trembling, but not from the cold.
I dialed a number I hadn't touched in years.
"Dad," I said, my voice breaking. "I lost. I agree to the merger."
