CHAPTER 1

JOCELYN’s POV

People always said I was lucky, the kind of lucky that made strangers smile at me in the grocery store and old friends watch me a little too closely when you weren’t looking.

I am Jocelyn Campbell, Heiress of Campbell Group, the one marrying Ethan Blackwood. The girl with the life every girl dreamed of, or at least, that’s what the world thought, and until a week ago, I believed it too.

My life felt like a perfectly cut diamond. It was priceless, flawless, untouchable. I was at the top of a cliff, looking down at everyone. No one could touch me. On the outside, I had it all. The Campbell estate and the Campbell Group, my parents’ legacy, which I’d inherited after they passed when I was sixteen.

My parents' death had hit me too hard, but my boyfriend held my hand so I wouldn’t drown. We had been together for years. It was so easy to fall in love with him. He was my anchor. He got through every hard moment and every wave of grief. Life after my parents’ death had been hard. It had been late nights balancing my inheritance, my grief, my responsibilities. He was dependable in a way few people ever were. The kind of man you could picture yourself growing old with.

Then there was Clarissa, cousin, almost-sister. We grew up in the same house after my parents died. Her parents became my guardians. They’d been nothing but supportive, smiling at every milestone, always at my side for the good moments and the bad. It was a picture-perfect life.

I should have known perfect things are brittle.

On the morning my whole world crashed, I was at my bridal fitting surrounded by fashion and laughter. My designer was pinning the hem of my gown while Clarissa lounged on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked away from her, pushing away the envy that always returned.

Clarissa had always been beautiful, more than I was. Her beauty was effortless. She looked like a Queen even when she just rolled out of bed. It took me almost an hour to make myself presentable, but things were easy for her. She had long hair and an elegant figure that would look beautiful even in rags.

“Ethan called earlier,” She said absentmindedly. “He said he had to finalize something for the wedding with the hotel. Your man is obsessed with details.” She flashed me a grin.

I should have looked harder and would have seen something in her eyes, but I was tangled up in my daydream. Ethan was always precise. The fitting ran longer than we expected, so Clarissa had to leave. When we were done, I realized it wasn’t too late, so I could surprise him.

I wanted a moment together before the chaos of the wedding got to us. I stopped by a small wine shop on the way and picked up his favorite Merlot. My driver raised an eyebrow at the detour but didn’t question it. Soon, I was standing in front of his building, which was tall and sleek, a reflection of his personality, modern, sophisticated, and polished.

The doorman greeted me with a practiced smile. “Miss Campbell, always a pleasure. Mr. Blackwood didn’t mention you were coming by.”

I smiled faintly. “Because he has no idea. This is a surprise.”

He smiled and made way for me to pass through.

In the elevator, my reflection stared back at me in the mirrored walls. My hair was perfect from the fitting. My dress was designed but simple. Clarissa had picked it for me. I looked every bit the calm, composed fiancée. I didn’t know I’d remember that moment later, the last time I looked like a woman who believed her life was flawless.

The elevator opened with a soft chime, and I stepped into the quiet, carpeted in cream, which was when I heard the laughter of a woman, not just any woman, but Clarissa.

I froze outside Ethan’s door. It was slightly ajar, enough for sound to drift out. Ethan’s voice followed, warm and deep. “You’re impossible.”

Clarissa laughed again. “But you love it.”

My lips curved in a small smile as I shoved away any weird thoughts I had in mind. Clarissa must be here to help him with wedding plans. She’d been unusually involved lately, always

around him and always on her phone about “arrangements.”

This was what I thought until she spoke again, and my blood ran cold.

“You know she’d hand you the shares without a fight. She trusts you completely.”

Ethan’s chuckle was low and confident. “I know that. Jocelyn has been a complete fool, crazy in love with me. Once we’re married, I’ll control Campbell Group and make it known that you are the one I love. No more hiding us.”

Us, the word rang in my head like a warning siren.

Clarissa’s reply came sharp with amusement. “I can’t wait. Do not be surprised if she still adores us both, even as we take everything. She’s so blinded by loyalty she’ll never see it coming.”

My lungs constricted. My chest caved in. Goosebumps broke over my skin as realization dawned on me. My eyes burned with tears. There was no point holding it back. I sank to my knees, pain radiating through my whole body, searing through me like lava.

My fiancé and my cousin, the two people I trusted more than anyone else in the world, were laughing and plotting to gut my life from the inside out.

I wanted to kick the door open. I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask why, but I didn’t. There was no point. A hollow ache spread through my chest like something vital had been scooped out. My shoulders caved inwards like my body was trying to protect my heart. Tears flowed down my face. My vision was blurred as I staggered to the elevator.

The elevator ride down was silent, but it felt like something inside me was being stripped away with every floor I descended. A scorching heat flushed through me. It killed me. By the time I reached the lobby, the Jocelyn Campbell who had walked into this building no longer existed.

In the car, I sat still, the city blurring past the windows. My phone buzzed, and I looked to see it was Clarissa calling, probably to send me another picture of shoes or flowers.

How could she be this evil? I didn’t answer.

I leaned against the wall for comfort and cried like a baby.

They wanted my company, my life, and my future. They thought I was blind; they believed I’d be too in love to see them for what they were. I trusted them. I loved them. They were my whole life, and this was what I got in return?

I almost laughed. Rage coiled in me like a rope.

They had no idea who they were dealing with. I will make them pay dearly. I got home and moved to sit in my study with the curtains drawn, my phone silent on the desk, and thought.

Confronting them now would be useless. People like Ethan and Clarissa didn’t crumble when caught; instead, they would twist the truth and make me look like the unstable one.

If I wanted to win, I needed precision. I needed a weapon sharper than shock or heartbreak, and there was only one person who came to mind.

Daniel Steele.

Just thinking his name made my teeth clench. A shiver went down my spine. I hated the idea of needing him, but my hatred for Ethan and Clarissa was more.

“Fine,” I whispered. “Let’s see how much you hate your brother, Daniel Steele.”