Chapter 3

I asked everywhere, hospitals, boarding places, every vet I knew. Nothing.

The Harlow family heir announcement was tomorrow. Per tradition, my fiancé had to be named tonight.

I changed carefully into something loose-fitting and headed to a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Inside, representatives from the Walker, Dunn, Cole, and Astor families were already seated. Significant names on the East Coast, though all ranked below the Harlows.

All four pairs of eyes swept toward me with barely concealed assessment. They knew I was a Harlow. They didn’t know I was the heir.

The private room door opened again. I assumed it would be the eldest White grandson.

It was Lucas Mercer.

“Can’t shake you, can I, Sofia.” He said it, then swapped immediately to a professional smile and extended his hand to the four men.

“Gentlemen, Walker, Dunn, Cole, Astor, I’m so sorry for the wasted trip. She’s my ex. She’s been struggling since the breakup, convinced herself she’s a Harlow heiress.”

He pulled out his phone and held it toward them. “She’s been violent. Emotionally unstable. It’s all over social media, look it up and you’ll see.” It was the clip of Ashley pushing me into the grooming tub, audio cut.

He performed it beautifully. The four men hadn’t spoken, but their expressions were shifting.

“Lucas, what I am has nothing to do with you. Get out.” I kept my anger in check. I didn’t want him derailing the evening.

He gave the room a pained smile. “I really didn’t want to do this. I was trying to protect you all.” He played another clip. “She just killed my fiancée’s dog.”

My patience ran out. I called for security. Then a tiny yelp came through his phone speaker. Everything in me went cold. I lunged for his phone, trying to see if that was Buddy in the footage.

He didn’t dodge. His other hand clamped down on my arm. “You really think you can climb this high and hurt me in the process? Know your limits.”

At that moment, the hotel manager and security pushed through the door. Ashley was with them, her face drawn and eyes red-rimmed. She raised a shaking finger at me. “She’s the one who hurt that dog.”

“It’s already all over Twitter and TikTok. You’re going to pay for what you did to Buddy!”

My chest squeezed. I grabbed my phone and pulled up the video, scrubbing through it frame by frame, zooming in.

Something was off.

That wasn’t Buddy. There was no blue collar on its neck, the one I’d tied there myself. Looking closer, it might not even have been a dog.

I needed another second to be sure, but security had already grabbed my arms and was dragging me toward the door. I caught a glimpse of all four business cards landing in Lucas’s hands, Ashley standing beside him, watching me go with a smile.

The next second I was thrown out the front of the hotel. My phone skidded across the steps, and I was reaching for it when a long, steady hand picked it up and held it out to me.

My assistant. I took it and answered immediately.

“Ms. Harlow, Buddy is at the emergency vet. Someone tampered with your brake fluid.” A brief pause. “Your grandfather is asking which candidate you selected.”

My chest tightened. No fiancé tonight, and the old guard would start making noise by morning.

“None of the four work. The White son was late—” Before I could finish, that same hand appeared again.

“Hello. I’m Ethan White.”