Chapter 3

ALEXANDER Watching Eliza practically bursting with joy made me sick. Her being over the moon— like this wedding was a dream come true, was something I'd expected, but it was still annoying to behold. I didn’t want this marriage—not now, not ever—but she was too blind to see that, of course. She never did. To her, this was the beginning of some grand fairytale. But to me, it was a burden. A charade. I wouldn't be marrying out of love, but because it was expected. If I wanted to get her pregnant without a ring, I knew she’d agree without hesitation. But the blowback… the whispers in society, the looks from people I cared about— even those I despised at times— would be enough to corner me into marrying her anyway. My reputation was worth more. As much as I didn’t care about her or the wedding, my name mattered. So I’d do what I had to, even if it meant chaining myself to a… woman such as Eliza. My phone buzzed, and I inwardly sighed in relief. A call. Finally, an escape from the room filled with too wide smiles and Eliza’s empty chatter. "Excuse me," I muttered, barely glancing at either of the women as I left them to the excited conversation they were having— after practically clawing at each other’s throats a few minutes ago. It was my assistant on the other end, reminding me of the Golden Ball Charity event I was to attend that night. Shit. I had completely forgotten. “Right, thanks. I'll be there.” Returning back to the women I announced curtly, “I hope you didn't forget we have the Golden Ball charity event this evening. I think it's time we left to start preparing.” I didn’t wait for their reactions, already moving to the door and then out to my car. Eliza, of course, squealed with excitement— probably already imagining herself announcing to everyone there that we had fixed a date for the wedding— and the shrill sound followed me outside. I shook my head. The drive home was quiet, for the most part. Eliza, thankfully, stayed glued to her phone, likely ordering another overpriced gown she didn’t need. Vanessa was grinning like a Cheshire cat when we arrived. “Excited for the ball?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I hadn’t seen her this animated in months. “Oh, very,” she said, winking. “I might meet my future husband tonight. You know, Alexander, this event is for elites, the one percent. The kind of place paupers and wannabes— like Raina— would never dream of attending.” She spat my ex-wife’s name with such venom it actually startled me. Raina. I clenched my jaw but said nothing, a familiar irritation creeping into my chest. No matter how hard I tried to push her out of my mind, she always found a way to worm her way back in. My family— they all hated her. Despised her. She had become the villain of my family’s soap opera, and they loved to remind me at every turn. The thing was, I didn’t give a damn about Raina as my wife anymore. The divorce made that clear. But I was tired of hearing their slander, of watching them twist the knife, over and over again. She was still Liam’s mother, and despite everything, I was the one who had been left with unanswered questions. What had happened to her? Where the hell did she go after the divorce? Was she alive? Was she suffering, struggling like she deserved to be? And the child… the one she had run off with. What was her name? Was she still sick? Did she still… look like her mother? I sighed inwardly. But then, I’d never stood up for Raina back then— there was no point doing so now. When we got home, Eliza trailed behind me into the room, prattling on about how excited she was for tonight. She hadn’t worn her engagement ring in weeks, a silent protest against my coldness, but tonight, she’d be flaunting it like a prize, as if the glittering diamond could fix everything wrong between us. I sighed, tuning her out— only half listening. I just wanted some peace. That was the one thing I had taken for granted in my marriage with Raina— she knew when to leave me be when silence was necessary. Eliza, on the other hand, didn’t have a clue when to shut up and seemed incapable of understanding just that. Shaking my head, I forced thoughts of Raina away. I couldn’t afford to let her ghost haunt me this evening— not when I had more important things to think about. Namely, securing the Graham family— New York's most influential elites— as business partners, and tonight, they would finally be in attendance. For years, I had tried to penetrate their inner circle or gain their favor, to close a deal that would elevate my standing, but each time I thought I was close to garnering their attention, something always got in the way. Canceled meetings, vague excuses… but tonight, I felt different. I was almost certain they’d take notice of me. The Vince Project… It was my golden ticket. I hadn't sacrificed it for nothing, and tonight was the night it would all pay off. I could feel it. ~~~~~ The Golden Ball was everything I knew it would be— and everything the women in my life had dreamed it would be— luxurious, dazzling, filled with the who’s who of high society. And to my chagrin, Eliza clung to me like I was some trophy, her manicured nails digging into my arm, posing for pictures as if we were already on the front cover of a glossy magazine. Her laugh was too loud, too rehearsed, and the media swarmed up, taking pictures of New York’s most glamorous couple. Every photo the media took made her grin wider. It irritated me. Everything about this charade irritated me. But I kept up appearances, nodding and smiling in all the right places. Then came the whispers— the Graham's had arrived. They began quietly at first but soon increased as the anticipation of the powerful family’s entrance rippled through the crowd. I could feel my heart pounding as the announcement echoed through the hall that the Grahams would be present in a matter of minutes. This was it. My chance to finally break through, to secure the deal I’d spent years chasing. Suddenly, a hush fell, and then real excitement buzzed through the room. The Grahams had arrived. Vanessa and my mother were instantly by my side, whispering with barely contained glee. “Did you hear?” Vanessa gushed, eyes sparkling with excitement. “The Grahams’ long lost daughter has been found, Alexander! She might even be here tonight!” Sure, that had been what she was excited about. Not the prospect of bagging one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. I felt the urge to roll my eyes. She'd probably realized that having her eyes on Dominic was a lost cause. I hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her she was being delusional and I was glad she'd come to her senses. I nodded absently through their chatter, barely registering their words; my mind was racing, too focused on the thought of meeting Dominic Graham and making the right impression tonight. If I could do just that, my reputation was set for life. For that reason, I couldn’t afford to let anything—or anyone—distract me. The Grahams were untouchable. If this mysterious daughter was here, it could change everything. Vanessa was already fantasizing about befriending her, and I had to admit, any connection to the Grahams would cement our family’s status permanently. But then the whispers around us grew louder, and I turned to see Dominic Graham— heir to the empire— walking into the room, the epitome of power and control. But it wasn't him that made my heart stop. It was the woman on his arm. The woman Dominic Graham had entered hand in hand with… Raina… No way… She looked… different. Better than she ever did with me, I must say, and the sight of that nearly had me winded. My ex-wife. The woman I had been searching for— no, desperately trying to track down for years. Vanessa’s shriek pierced through the air. "What the hell is she doing here? With Dominic Graham, of all people! I can't believe she hasn't quit her whoring around!" Her voice continued in an angry tirade, calling Raina every foul name she could think of—a slut, a social climber—but I didn’t hear any of it. Her voice faded to background noise as I stared at Raina, my pulse roaring in my ears. She hadn’t just vanished into thin air, she had resurfaced here— with the Grahams. And not just anyone from the family, but Dominic, the crown prince of high society himself. How long had she been with him? What was she doing, cozying up to the Grahams after disappearing like a ghost? Standing beside Dominic like she belonged there? Questions swirled in my mind, none of them making sense. Raina was in a place she didn’t belong, with people I’d only dreamt of associating with. The anger simmered, burning slowly and steadily in my chest. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I had spent years imagining her suffering, broken, raising that child alone and struggling like she deserved. But instead, here she was— draped in a luxury gown and attached to the arm of the most powerful man in the country. So fucking beautiful, it hurt my eyes to see. And I hated her for it.