Chapter 1

The day I was supposed to marry Landon Hayes, my sister was pushed from the 99th floor and left in a coma.

The killer was his stepsister, Lila Hayes.

In the security footage from the police investigation, I watched as Lila and her friends beat my sister, Josie, so badly she lost control of her body. Then, she knelt on the ground, begging for her life.

"Look at you, all grown up and still wetting your pants like a baby!"

Lila laughed as she closed in, then shoved her off the ledge.

The sight of them cheering sent shivers of rage through my entire body. Landon’s face was grim as he wrapped a tight arm around my shoulders.

"She's gone too far! The company's entire legal team is at your disposal. This time, Lila is going to learn her lesson!"

I thought Landon was finally done spoiling his stepsister, finally ready to draw a line.

But on the day we were supposed to file the lawsuit, Lila dropped out of college.

Her social media post read: [My big brother is sending me off to live like a princess in Great Britain. Hope certain people don't choke on their anger! xo]

Landon’s “like” on the post stabbed me right in the eyes.

I held up the phone, my hand trembling as I confronted him.

"Aria, Lila cried and admitted she was wrong. She even wrote an apology letter."

"Just let it go. Your sister is still alive, after all. I'll take care of her from now on."

So, that was it. A human life wasn't worth as much as Lila's tears.

...

Landon pushed the apology letter into my hands, his expression calm.

"Aria, Lila wrote this herself."

"She's still young. A mark on her record would ruin her entire life."

"When her mother died, I promised I would take care of her. I can't go back on my word."

Three sentences, and not a single one was for me.

They were all just excuses.

Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the sloppily written note.

My sister fell from the 99th floor. If it weren't for an awning breaking her fall, she would have been nothing but a smear on the pavement.

When we watched the video, Landon’s eyes had turned red with anger, too.

But the moment Lila cried, he forgot everything he had promised me.

I took a deep breath, holding up the flimsy piece of paper and forcing myself to meet his gaze.

"A single piece of paper? You think this is enough to pay for my sister's life?"

Seeing my tears, Landon’s brow furrowed. He moved to hug me, a look of frustration on his face.

I shook my head, backing away and pressing my hand against his chest to stop him.

"Landon, I don't care if she runs to the ends of the earth. I'm still suing her!"

His face darkened instantly, a flash of ice in his eyes.

"Aria, it was just kids roughhousing that went too far. It was an accident. Why can't you let it go?"

"I already told you, I'll support your whole family. I'll even give your parents a thirty-million-dollar compensation payment. Just sign the settlement agreement, okay?"

"Even if your sister had lived a full life, she'd never have earned this much."

"Your family isn't losing out on this deal."

Not losing out?

Those two words pierced through my eardrums, so sharp and mocking that I could barely see his face anymore.

"Landon, that's my sister, my own sister! She's not some object you can buy with a string of numbers!"

"Search your heart and tell me, was that just 'kids roughhousing'? That was bullying! It was attempted murder!"

I ripped the settlement agreement and the apology letter to shreds right in front of him.

Landon watched the pieces of paper flutter to the ground, his brows knitted tightly together.

He snapped his fingers. His assistant stepped forward and held a phone in front of my face.

"Aria, sign the papers or I pull the plug. The choice is yours."

The screen showed my sister's hospital room. A bodyguard in a black suit stood over her bed, his hand hovering over her oxygen tube.

A scream tore from my throat.

Landon gripped the back of my neck, forcing me to watch the screen and make a choice.

"Aria, you know as well as I do that no lawyer in Seacrest City will take this case for you."

His threat made my heart tremble.

I stared at him, letting the tears flow freely down my cheeks.

The Hayes family's power in Seacrest City was absolute. He was right. I'd never find a door to knock on, never a court to hear my plea.

He was determined to protect Lila, which meant I had no chance of winning.

In that moment, I hated myself. And I hated the power of the rich.

"Be a good girl. Sign the papers. In a few days, we'll go get our marriage license, and I promise, I'll give you the most magnificent wedding."

A wedding...

Right. We were supposed to get married.

But now, it seemed that wedding was off the table.

I'd been with Landon for eight years. I’d followed him right out of college, fighting alongside him as he clawed his way up in the Hayes family.

He wasn't the most legitimate heir, nor the most brilliant, but he was the most ruthless.

For eight years, he used me to do his dirty work.

But he also gave me more love than I could imagine.

The day he finally defeated his rivals and took over, he proposed to me in the most extravagant way.

The entire city envied me, saying I was the CEO's one true love, that I had captured 100% of his heart.

But then, his Lila returned.

And in that moment, his love began to shift.

"Landon, I don't want to marry you anymore."

Landon's hand flinched, and his grip on me loosened.

I could finally breathe again, but the dense pain in my chest made each breath an agony.

"Aria, don't say things you don't mean."

"It's not worth ending things over something so small."

"She'll be your sister, too, someday. There's no need to make things so ugly."