Chapter 2

2.

Because of my relationship with Orion, the Sinclair and Thorne families were deeply entangled in multiple trust funds and real estate projects. A messy breakup would cause stock fluctuations and hurt both our families.

My father, Richard, was a terrible businessman. Even worse, he was a serial cheater.

My mother fell into a coma after an “accidental” car crash and now resides in a high-end care facility in Switzerland. The trust fund her father left her was now controlled by Richard, under the title of her “medical guardian.”

I started dating Orion because of his seemingly stable personality. But more importantly, the Thorne family’s power could help me fight my father and reclaim my mother’s inheritance.

Seven years. I traded seven years of my youth for an ally.

I just never expected a man so poised and aloof to stab me in the back.

As dinner continued, Orion’s phone rang. When he returned, his face was a mask of apology. “Nora, an emergency with the legal department.”

A classic excuse. He was waiting for me to give him an out.

Those blue eyes looked so innocent and devoted, faking ten-tenths of love out of a three-tenths reality.

I played along, sipping my wine. “Go ahead. Work comes first.”

Orion stood up and gave me a light hug. “This one’s on me. You’ve always wanted to go to Provence, right? Next month, I promise. Just the two of us.”

The moment he turned to leave, my phone buzzed.

A bank alert: $50,000. The memo: “Get yourself something nice.”

Not long after, I saw him on Chloe’s Instagram Live.

He had changed out of his suit and was wearing a silly matching hoodie with Mickey Mouse ears on his head, surrounded by a crowd. I had never seen this version of Orion before.

I turned up the volume.

“Today’s mission: help Mr. CEO rediscover his inner child!” Chloe’s cheerful voice chirped from my phone.

The camera zoomed in. She batted her eyelashes. “So, you’ve really never been to Disney?”

The man beside her shook his head, his eyes full of adoration.