Chapter 1: The Ring and the rain

POV: Evelyn

The rain was beating against the stained-glass windows of the bridal suite like a barrage of tiny, relentless stones.

I smoothed the silk of my ivory wedding gown for the hundredth time, staring into the full-length mirror. Tomorrow morning, I was supposed to walk down the aisle and marry Julian. Three years of dating, two years of my family pushing us together to merge our boutique design firm with his father’s logistics empire, and it all came down to this final dress fitting.

Except my chest felt like it was strapped into a vise.

"Evelyn, darling, stop pacing," my mother’s voice rang out from the hallway outside the fitting room. "You’re going to wrinkle the train! I’m going down to the lobby to check on the catering staff. Stay put!"

"Okay, Mom," I called back, my voice hollow even to my own ears.

The heavy oak door click-clacked shut as she walked away. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence, saved only by the persistent drumming of the thunderstorm outside.

I reached for my phone on the vanity to text Julian. He was supposed to be at the venue an hour ago to sign off on the floral arrangements, but he’d stopped answering my calls two hours prior. A knot of unease tightened in my stomach.

Where are you, Julian?

Determined to find him or at least get an answer from his best man, I gathered the heavy folds of my train into my arms and slipped out of the dressing room. The grand hall of the estate was dimly lit, the staff mostly gone for the evening.

As I passed the private VIP lounge near the back executive suites, a sharp sound cut through the silence.

A laugh. High-pitched, breathless, and sickeningly familiar.

I froze. My breath hitched in my throat. That wasn't just any laugh; it was Chloe’s my step-sister.

"Stop it, Julian, someone will hear us," Chloe’s voice purred from behind the heavy velvet curtains of the VIP suite door, which was left open just a fraction of an inch.

"Let them," Julian’s voice replied, thick with an unfamiliar, sultry rasp. "Evelyn is upstairs playing the dutiful little bride, trapped in her fitting. She doesn't suspect a single thing."

My blood ran cold. The floor felt like it was tilting beneath my designer heels. I stepped closer, my hands trembling violently as I pushed the heavy door open a tiny sliver.

Through the gap, the world shattered.

Julian was pressed against the mahogany bar, his suit jacket discarded on the leather sofa. And wrapped around his waist, her arms looped around his neck in a desperate embrace, was Chloe. She was wearing the gold pendant I’d lost three weeks ago the one Julian claimed he’d accidentally knocked down the sink drain.

"You really think her father will hand over the remaining shares after the wedding?" Chloe murmured against his neck, giggling as he kissed down her jawline.

"He won't have a choice," Julian sneered, pulling her closer. "Once I marry Evelyn, the legal control transfers to me. And the moment the paper is signed, I’ll file for separation and leave her with nothing. You and I will have the company, the money, and this whole damn estate."

A gasp tore from my throat before I could stop it.

Julian snapped his head toward the door. "Who’s there?!"

I didn't wait. Horror surged into pure, blinding rage, followed instantly by absolute panic. I spun around, grabbing the skirts of my dress, and ran.

"Evelyn?!" Julian’s voice boomed down the corridor, followed by the heavy, hurried thud of his dress shoes slamming against the marble floor. "Evelyn, wait! Stop!"

I pushed through the massive glass double doors of the estate, stepping straight into the freezing, torrential downpour. The rain instantly soaked through my hair and heavy silk dress, pulling me down, but I kept running down the long, winding drive toward the main boulevard. Tears burned hot against the freezing rain on my cheeks.

Three years. My whole life’s work. My family's legacy. It was all a trap.

Headlights swept over the wet pavement behind me. An engine roared. Julian was following me in his car.

Panicked, I bolted across the four-lane avenue toward the city center, blindly ignoring the honking horns and splashing puddles. A black luxury sedan suddenly rounded the corner at high speed, its tires screeching against the asphalt as it slammed on the brakes, stopping barely two feet from where I stood frozen in the middle of the street.

The driver’s side door flew open, and a tall man in a tailored black suit stepped out, holding a large umbrella.

"Are you insane, walking out into traffic in a wedding dress?!" he demanded, his voice low, commanding, and smooth as dark velvet.

I looked up. Rain was dripping from my eyelashes, but even through the blur, I recognized those piercing blue eyes and sharp, aristocratic jawline.

It was Alexander Vance. The ruthless CEO of Vance Enterprises. The single most powerful, untouchable billionaire in the city and my family's fiercest corporate rival.

Before I could speak, Julian’s car pulled up to the curb behind us, the door flying open as Julian sprinted out into the rain. "Evelyn! Get over here right now!"

I turned back to Alexander, my heart hammering against my ribs, desperation clawing at my chest.

"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Help me."

Alexander looked past me at Julian, then down at my trembling frame and the ruined ivory dress. A slow, calculating gleam crossed his dark eyes.

Instead of opening the passenger door to let me in, he took a step closer, cupping my chin with leather-gloved fingers and looking down into my eyes.

"I can save your legacy and destroy him by morning, Evelyn," Alexander murmured, his voice laced with a dangerous promise. "But it will cost you. Marry me instead. Tonight."