Chapter 1

After my family's empire crumbled and my parents passed away, I was taken in by the Sterlings, my mother's best friends.

During the eight years we spent together, I fell head over heels for Summer Sterling, my adoptive sister who was three years older than me.

I thought she loved me just as much as I loved her.

But I recently discovered the devastating truth: she was only using me as a pawn to climb into the elite social circles of the Hamptons.

Her real goal was to snag a billionaire heir.

The only reason she kept me around was because Snow Sinclair, the princess of a legendary dynasty, publicly declared that I was the only man she ever wanted.

Summer knew exactly how I felt about her, yet she worked tirelessly to push me into Snow's arms.

This time, I didn't fight back.

I played along with her schemes and accepted Snow's confession.

1.

"Summer, you told Mason that the party next week is yours, but isn't that a risky lie?"

"He's going to find out the second he gets there that you're just setting him up with Snow Sinclair."

In the VIP lounge of a private social club, Summer's best friend, Riley, leaned in with a worried expression.

I was about to push the door open, but I froze the moment I heard my name.

Summer elegantly raised her crystal wine glass, her face twisted in a look of pure disdain.

"He's just a loyal dog. If it weren't for the Sinclair heiress having a crush on him, I wouldn't even waste my breath on him."

"Don't worry. As long as he shows up that night, I have plenty of ways to make sure he stays put."

Riley thought about it for a moment, and her tense expression instantly relaxed.

"True. Mason is so obsessed with you. He'll do anything you say."

Summer's red lips curled into a smirk as she tilted her head back and drained her glass.

She clearly thrived on the attention, running her fingers through her hair with a practiced, seductive flair.

"Exactly. I don't call him my personal lapdog for nothing."

"Once I whisper a few sweet nothings in his ear, he'll do whatever it takes to keep Snow happy. And then, my golden ticket into the top-tier socialite circle is as good as mine."

The two women shared a knowing look and laughed.

I knew their plan went even deeper than that.

They were also eyeing the wealthy men in Snow's inner circle.

They only held back because Summer's current boyfriend, Zander Thorne, was nearby.

I looked back on everything I had done to make her smile.

I had played the part of the devoted fool perfectly.

Back then, Summer wasn't entirely cold to me.

She always greeted me with a bright smile and acted concerned about my well-being.

That was why I foolishly believed she actually cared.

My friends had tried to warn me when they saw how deep I was falling.

"Summer Sterling doesn't have a heart, Mason. She only cares about leverage. You're just her favorite backup plan."

Having lived with her for eight years, I wasn't completely blind to her nature.

But when my world fell apart, Summer was the one who pulled me out of the darkness.

Her kindness was a seed planted in my heart that had grown into a massive tree.

I found it nearly impossible to let go.