Twisted vows

e: The Pri

ike it bled darkness. Isla didn't have to open it to know who it was from. Only one man could afford to send

as handwritten in perfe

mbled as she

fe for

o save you

ry

ek. My

es. No

walk away with yo

nd he dies.

. The ink bled into the paper, curling like smoke-Lucien Ward

r pulse beat a chaotic rhythm in her ears. It felt like a cruel prank. L

ead, she walked to the cabinet, pulled out the bottle of wine her sister had

en W

edia dubbed him "The Phantom Billionaire" after the trial-though there had never been a trial, only a mysterious silence following her sister Ava's death. N

ith a marriage proposal t

ry

It wasn't a plea

price she couldn'

there was a trial-experimental, expensive, and nearly impossible to qualify for. Lucien Ward didn't need to bribe

ing it-for a wee

per, screamed at the wind, cursed every god tha

e stared at

arted

Days

forest that whispered secrets to the wind, it looked like something torn from a Gothic novel. As her ta

been expect

r her boots. The suitcase in her hand felt heavier than it should

o Chicago for a work assignment. She couldn't bear to tell him the truth. Tha

or of the e

the marble steps, dressed in black

en W

presence turned her family's grief into a silent warzone. He looked no diff

slicked back, the same jet-black shade Ava used to run her

ched her, as if drinking

ders. "I'm here. Let'

is lips. "Always so eager to

ther word. The air between them crackled. She c

ide. Marble floors. Tall windows. Dim lighting. I

e door with a soft click. The sound

ve read the te

I'm only doing th

rence between you and Ava. She loved barga

"Don't talk

this house once. Stood where you're

napped, meeting his g

le

s lips. "Careful, Isla. This hous

posturing? Or do you want to remind

stepped closer. "You'll know it when

on't

ll s

de was a ring-black diamond, ant

ust you, me, and the contract

y. As she scribbled her name beside his, som

o longer

s Isla

That

as beautiful-dark wood floors, a canopy

he bedside

at sunrise. Sleep

until her eyes blurred.

she just

et. But the danger was in the silence. In the smile he wore like armor. In t

ightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the cliff the estate

that was why Luc

e just how close

chapter 1 was an