LOGINFor three years, she was nobody. No name worth remembering. No money worth counting. She was just Jason Sterling’s quiet, invisible wife—the woman his world walked past without a second glance. That was exactly how Jasmine Vance wanted it. On their third anniversary, she found him where he shouldn’t have been—with the woman he’d sworn was “just family.” She didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. She just smiled, pulled out her phone, and let the world watch. By morning, Jason Sterling’s empire had a crack in it. By the end of the week, it was rubble. Only then did people start asking the real question. Who exactly is Jasmine Vance? Because powerful men don’t fall that fast. Not unless someone very specific wants them to. And somewhere in the shadows, a man who has always known the answer to that question is finally stepping into the light. He never once saw her as a nobody. He knew exactly who she was. And he had been waiting for the day she finally stopped hiding.
View MoreJasmine
The background jazz music was soothing as it wafted through the large dining hall. I found myself humming along until… “Another glass of the Dom Pérignon, Madame Sterling?” the waiter asked in a thick French accent, tilting the bottle. “Mr. Sterling is delayed, but there is no reason the night cannot begin.” I looked at the empty chair across from me. Jason was forty minutes late. It wasn’t the first time, but tonight was very special to us. I really wanted to believe tonight would be different. “Yes, please,” I said, forcing a polite smile. I took a sip, the cold champagne bubbling against my throat. It tasted expensive, the kind of vintage my father used to stock by the crates in our winter estate. But I had spent three years pretending to be amazed by Jason’s upper-middle-class lifestyle, letting him believe he was introducing me to a world I couldn’t otherwise afford. It turned sour the moment I looked around the room. In the corner booth, a young couple was holding hands over a candle, whispering and laughing. Near the door, a man walked in with his arm wrapped tightly around a lady’s waist, pulling her close. My chest ached. Three years ago, Jason and I were just like them. Starry-eyed, holding hands, completely obsessed with each other. We married within six months. Today was supposed to be our third anniversary. We should have walked in here together, with his arm around my waist, just like the couple sitting in the corner. My eyes wandered to them. They were leaning so close to each other that they were almost touching noses. I stared at them with dazed eyes, completely sucked in, until my phone beeped loudly. I blinked, pulling myself back to reality. My heart did a quick, hopeful flutter as I grabbed my bag. I expected a text saying, ‘I’m downstairs,’ or ‘Stuck in traffic.’ It wasn’t from Jason. It was an unknown number. Unknown: You look very fine tonight, Mrs. Sterling. It’s a shame Jason is balls deep in another woman right now. Sienna Suites, 104 West Lane. Penthouse B. I froze. Instantly, the warmth of the restaurant vanished, replaced by a wave of cold goosebumps that broke out across my arms. A violent spike of nausea hit me. My head spinning, I swept a panicked glance around the dining room, terrified that someone was watching me, laughing at me. But the waiters kept gliding past with silver trays, and the lovey-dovey couples remained locked in their perfect, smiling worlds. My mind raced. I clutched my bag, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold it. This can’t be real, I told myself. Jason is cold; he’s arrogant, but he would never do this. Can he? I couldn’t sit there for another second. I stood up, abandoning the bubbling champagne, and rushed out into the humid night air. The drive across the city was a blur. Neon lights smeared across the windshield as tears burned behind my eyes. My grip on the steering wheel was trembling, the tires screeching as the car veered recklessly over the lane lines. I gasped for air, but my chest felt locked behind iron bands. I had given up everything for him. My family’s staggering wealth, my status, my inheritance—I had walked away from it all and accepted a vow of poverty to prove I loved a man who was currently throwing me away like trash. I had endured his mother’s snide remarks about my lack of a family pedigree. I had let his friends look down on me as a penniless nobody. When I finally pulled up to the Sienna Suites, I felt completely hollow. I entered the lobby, legs wobbling. I approached the reception desk and mumbled the words, half-expecting the lady to turn me away or call security. “I’m here for… Penthouse B. Jason Sterling.” Instead of looking confused or asking for identification, the receptionist smiled. It was a wide, brilliant, rehearsed smile that sent a shiver down my spine. It felt surreal, as though I had stepped into someone else’s nightmare. I actually pinched the flesh of my inner arm to force myself awake. “Ah, yes, Mrs. Sterling,” she said cheerfully, sliding a sleek black card across the counter. “Our guest has been expecting you. Here is the master key card.” Expecting me? I didn’t breathe a reply. I snatched the plastic with a clammy hand and hurried toward the elevator. The ride up was dead silent, save for the thumping of my own pulse roaring in my ears. Ding. The doors slid open directly into the penthouse. I didn’t even have to look. The noises hit me first. A low, breathless giggle, followed by a heavy, familiar groan. I knew that groan. I had heard it a thousand times in the dark of our own bedroom. It was him. But the high-pitched, desperate whimper that followed didn’t belong to me. It belonged to Victoria—his stepsister. The very woman I had spent months feeling insecure about. Every time I had brought her up, Jason had scoffed, calling me crazy, telling me it meant nothing. My heart plummeted straight into my stomach. I took unsure steps forward, my heels making no sound against the soft, plush carpet. The double doors to the master bedroom were wide open. They were right there on the bed. Jason’s tailored suit jacket was discarded on the floor; his shirt was torn open, his pants pulled down around his thighs. They hadn’t even had the decency to fully undress. Victoria was straddling him, her silk dress bunched up around her waist. I stood paralyzed in the shadows, watching her back arch, her fingers tangled in his dark hair as she rode him. The sickening wet sounds filled the room. I couldn’t see her face, but Jason’s face was framed perfectly by the headboard. His eyes were locked on her with a look I hadn’t seen directed at me in years. The shock hit me like a physical fist to the gut. The suffocating mix of betrayal, rage, and grief tightened around my throat, choking out my air. I wanted to scream. I opened my mouth to tear the room apart. But no sound came out. And then, as the initial shock settled, I felt myself go very still. The violent shaking in my hands stopped entirely. The chaotic panic evaporated, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp clarity. The three-year test was officially over. And Jason Sterling had just failed it. I stood perfectly straight, my shoulders dropping as my face smoothed into a flawless, emotionless mask. Slowly, calmly, I reached into my designer bag and pulled out my phone. I opened the camera app, framed the sweating, writhing couple perfectly in the lens, and hit the button to unlock the live feed to my family’s network.JasmineA soft R&B song was playing in the living room of Sebastian's mansion. Laura was fussing around me, adjusting the neckline of my oversized white wool sweater for what felt like the hundredth time. She stepped back, tilting her head as she looked at me, squinting her eyes. Her hands were positioned like she was peering at me through the lens of a camera.“Perfection," she murmured, smiling. "Jasmine, you look stunning, but simple and effortless. Exactly what I wanted for this photoshoot!”I looked at my reflection in the mirror set up on the side table. My hair fell in soft waves, and my makeup was so light it barely felt like I had any on. We had gone simple with the jewelry, too. Laura had insisted this was the right vibe to go with for an official announcement of our relationship. Though I highly doubted an announcement was needed, since everyone had already gotten on the wild ride of this relationship from the beginning.The doors opened, and Sebastian walked into the livin
JasonThe air in the private waiting suite on the third floor of the hospital smelled like bleach and that nauseating scent of sick people. Downstairs in the main lobby, the media crew were setting up their cameras, doing last-minute adjustments to the lights and all.Eleanor Sterling was standing near the tall glass windows, staring at her reflection and adjusting the pearls around her neck. Her white hair was pulled back in an updo that made her look regal. She had that calm, graceful look she always put on when she knew people were watching.A little boy in a hospital gown walked past the open door, dragging an IV pole behind him.Eleanor clicked her tongue and looked away. "You’d think with how much money we gave this hospital, they could keep the sick kids in their rooms until the cameras start rolling. It’s depressing.”I kept my hands in my pockets, leaning against the wall by the door. In the past, I wouldn't have said anything. Today, hearing her talk like that made my stomac
JasonI stood in the kitchen of my penthouse, listening to the soothing hum of coffee brewing on the counter. Morning light shone through the floor-to-ceiling glass, casting a warm glow in the living room.I had cleaned out the house and had it professionally cleaned. I had taken out every trace of that night, the broken table and all. I glanced at the living room, where the new table was sitting, my mind automatically throwing me back to that moment with Victoria. I had never spoken to her like that. I never had a reason to, and she was right. I used to do anything to get her to forgive me when we had an argument. But with what happened the last time she was here, I doubted she would want to look at my face, let alone forgive me.And then, like clockwork, another memory forced its way in. Jasmine.I turned my gaze toward the bubbling cup of coffee. Jasmine had a way she made her coffee. I didn’t quite learn how, and she never did teach me either. Or maybe she did, and maybe I was too
JasmineI paced back and forth in my living room, nervously biting down on my fingernails. I heaved a deep sigh, tucking my hair behind my ear.I hadn't gone to Jason's penthouse. I hadn't replied to his texts. I hadn't given him a single thing he demanded, and now I was just waiting for him to drop the bomb on me."Jasmine, stop pacing. You’ve been doing that for so long, you’re putting me on edge," Laura said from where she sat on the couch, her laptop resting on her knees."I can't help it, Laura," I said, my voice growing louder as I turned to face her. "He's going to leak it. I know him. He's furious, and he's going to post that video online and say the two of us are getting back together. And it wouldn’t be hard to convince everyone because, I mean, they’ve seen us everywhere together in the last week…”Laura let out a huge exhale.“There’s only so many hate trains a person can survive, Laura. My career, my reputation... everything I've built is going to get destroyed if this ge
Jason“Smile, Jason,” Victoria hissed under her breath, her fingers digging into the sleeve of my tuxedo. “The cameras on the left are watching us.”I loosened my jaw, plastering a stiff, practiced smile across my face as we walked down the red carpet of the Grand Imperial Gala. Flashbulbs went off
Jason“Are you that dumb, Jason?” Eleanor screamed. This was the first time I had seen her in a state of disarray. She was always perfect, not a hair out of place. Now, her clothes were damp, and her hair was sticking to her forehead as she paced the marble floor of the foyer. The storm outside was
JasmineThe car was still on the inside, but outside, it was the complete opposite. The rain lashed against the bulletproof windows, blurring my view of the city.And then I finally broke.The cold mask I had worn in the penthouse and on the driveway crumbled. I pulled my knees to my chest, buried
JasmineThe camera on my phone didn’t shake. I held it perfectly steady, watching the little red ‘LIVE’ icon blink. Thanks to the master access credentials I’d quietly retained after helping design parts of Sterling Media’s shareholder communications network years ago, this wasn’t just going to my






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