Chapter 1

I came to Hawthorne Bay on a top-secret mission. No time to mess around.

If Henley could act like a decent human—for old times—I might've helped him out.

The car I was driving? Not normal. One scratch, one dent—big problem.

The phone rang twice before he picked up. "You're the eighteenth woman today claiming to be my ex."

I barely got a word out before he hung up.

I just stood there.

'...What? Are all CEOs this full of themselves?'

Kiara saw the call drop and lost it—laughing so hard she was shaking.

"Oh please. I thought you were actually our CEO's ex. You even had my boss's number. Turns out you're fake." She smirked. "You're young, so here's some advice—pay up and move on. You don't want to mess with the Chatham family in Hawthorne Bay."

I just stared at her. "You cut in first. However you spin it, this is on you."

Her eyes slid over my car—a Crownell. She sneered.

"Nice try. You're just looking to scam my boss." She scoffed. "Not happening. Someone like you, driving a local brand? You probably can't even scrape together a few bucks. I'm being nice talking to you, and you're still running your mouth?"

The crowd jumped in, loud and eager.

"Yeah, miss—that's Henley Chatham's assistant. Nobody crosses her!"

"Someone really tried to embarrass Henley Chatham? She's asking to get wrecked!"

And of course—someone went live.

"Everyone, look! This woman hit Henley Chatham's car and won't pay. Now she's trying to extort them!"

My expression shifted.

My identity was classified. Cameras were a hard no.

I reached for the phone—Kiara got there first.

"Girls these days look all sweet, but they're just chasing a payout." She angled the camera at me. "C'mon, get a good look. Don't get played by someone like her."

My face filled the screen.

The comments were already digging me up.

Kiara soaked it in, grinning. I frowned.

I'd had elite training since I was a kid. I didn't deal with people like this.

"I'm warning you. Turn off the stream."

She didn't even look at me—just hyped it up more. "Like and follow, guys. Let's expose her!"

The crowd piled on.

"Yeah—dig her up! Let's show what happens when you mess with the Chatham family!"

"She doesn't look like she just sleeps to sleep. How much does she make a day? Bet that Crownell paid for it."

With everyone backing her, Kiara got even louder.

"So that's what you do. No wonder you don't want to be on camera. Scared your 'clients' might see?"

She grabbed my face. "So what are you, huh? Someone's girl?"

My temper snapped. "Someone's girl? All that praise got to your head? Let me spell it out—my status is something you'll never touch in this lifetime."

Guess no one had ever talked to Kiara like that in this city. Her face went red.

"You little tramp—how dare you?" She scoffed. "I'll show you who runs this city!"

She swung.

Right before it landed, someone rushed in and stepped between us.

He caught her wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"