[LAURETTA POV]I had barely stepped out of the elevator before the news reached me. The continuous noise of clicking keyboards and ringing phones had been replaced by a low, hum of excitement. Toby, the junior copywriter, was practically vibrating in his chair, while two social media coordinators were huddled over a tablet, speaking in hushed, reverent tones."Her private jet cleared customs at O'Hare at six AM," one of them murmured."I heard the security detail already took three racks of custom gowns straight to the Peninsula Hotel," the other replied.I didn't need to ask who they were talking about. *Vanessa Whitmore.*For five years, that name had been a recurring bruise in my life. I had seen it emblazoned across glossy luxury magazines, splashed across European society blogs, and constantly linked next to Aaron’s name in the sports columns. She was a billionaire heiress, a major global philanthropist, and the undisputed diamond of the Chicago high-society circuit. To the
Last Updated : 2026-06-19 Read more