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Chapter 1

Jonas

My grandmother is ninety-two and sharper than ninety-nine percent of the people alive, which is why she is still the chairperson of Willits My father tried to stage a coup when he was fifty and Gran was eighty-five He lost and was banished to run a siving, which is a holiday Gran hates and so it is a date that does not exist in her world My older sister has never wanted anything to do with the co for Gran to die so I can take over and start running the company less like an imperial dictatorship and more like some kind of benevolent de, too

I hitch up my pants and take a seat at the breakfast table It’s a fifty thousand dollar antique made of red lacquer and mother-of-pearl that once sat in the palace of the e in front of a bank of s overlooking a manmade pond that houses two black swans I haven’t sat at the table for nearly two years

A maid dressed in black comes up silently and pours me a cup of coffee She steps aside and is replaced by another maid, who pours a tablespoon of cream into my coffee I wave her hand ahen she atteether in a sign of slight disappointment The Willitses may not have been born into royalty, but we have dom where our rule is absolute

“You have staff for that,” she says when I place the sold spoon on the side of the saucer

“I also have hands”

Her lips grow thinner “Your hands exist to do i your own coffee is not one of them”

“If I don’t use them, they probably won’t be able to do any of those important tasks” I sip my coffee and wait She’s called me here for a purpose and it’s not to discuss whether I should be allowing someone to fix my coffee This is an official state visit It’s not as if the queen opens her doors and shares her breakfast table with just anyone—not even the heir to the throne For the past two years, I’ve been in Hong Kong adding to the Willitses’ treasure chest Gran called h, I have some dread

“You’re thirty-three”

And there it is I’ood is an heir without children? The na the old wo “I am You threw me a very classy birthday party last week”

It was on a yacht, which she said washarbor All the locals were impressed but I already have a boat It’s a small one with only one bedroom instead of three and only two decks instead of five and, most importantly, mine doesn’t have a helicopter pad That was an intentional oversight because I get ona Willits Distance does not make Gran happy If you’re part of her inner circle, she wants you a finger’s length away The fact that I haveThe existence ofspace is unspeakable

“I should have had more children so I would not have to rely on you”

“I can’t help you with that, but I’m here What can I do for you?”

“You knohat you can do You can find a bride and have soood number”

I place my now empty cup back onto the table It’s full before I can tell themarried,” I reply “We’ve had this discussion every year for the past three years”

“I cannot believe you are still irl She wasn’t worthy of you anyway”

“I guess we’re done here” I get to rasp my wrist

“Wait” It’s more of plea than a demand and the plaintive note in her voice makes me pause

“What is it?”

“I’m very tired I sense ht of it is too much for her neck to bear “I need to know that my empire is safe with you”

“I’ve been the ostensible head since I enty-eight Since then, I’ve doubled our revenues and our operating profit” I try to gentle ran and she is very old “You know that it is safe with me”

“It’s not secure unless you have heirs Look at ay and had no children and the other turned out to be a faithless traitor with only one son I know you don’t like me You refuse to live in my home You come only when I threaten you but like it or not, you are my blood and my only heir I have to leave my empire to you If you do not wish to turn out like e family so that you will have options If you do not start now, it will be too late”

I wrap htly before pulling out of her grip “I told you three years ago that I would not marry If you don’t like that, find a new heir”

“Why?” she cries “Why her? She’s gone and it’s time for you to move on”

Three years ago, if she’d said the sas about Darby Harris, I would’ve upended the table—h the s But time has dulled the pain The loss of my fiancée is a daily ache that I’ve learned to live with, but that doesn’t mean I will ever replace her “She has never been found and so there will be noon And even if she was found and we had to bury her, I would still not move on There is and alill be only one for ements”

There’s a tinkling sound of glass crashing against lacquer but I don’t turn around to see what she’s broken Her te She should take her own advice and move on because I never will

Chapter 2

Darby

I blow a raspberry on Jax’ cheek,for h as I readjust him on my hip He rests his little head on otten away from us at the park and I promised him a candy bar At least it was our Friday For et to sleep in tole I try to enjoy those days

with hi forever

“I a big boy,” Jax agrees but doesn't et down I have to ad forhih We are already over the two year benchht I know every parent thinks their kid is an angel, but Jax truly is

“Not too big” I kiss the top of his head The past two years have gone by in a flash When I was pregnant, it felt as though ti see I don’t kno I got so lucky to have gotten hiel I may not reine anything being as special as hi as I have him, we’ll always be okay He is my life We are a team

“You going to pick one?” I motion to the candy in the checkout line as ait for our turn His head pops up froles for ers dance around which candy to get “Pick one for Mo me know that he can indeed do that for h it’s thethat to him it probably is

“We share” He grabs a plain Hershey bar first My eyes drift up to the azines that are next to the candy bars I check out the headlines like I’ve done many times My eyes pause on a specific one when I see the same face I’ve seen a couple times before Jonas Willits I don’t knohy my attention always focuses on him whenever he pops up, but it does

There is so about him that catches my eye and piques azine to see he’s on a yacht in Hong Kong One that doesn’t look too shabby, to say the least They are speculating about when he’s going to finally settle down and get married

I think it’s his eyes That’s what always get me They look so much like Jax’s That’s what it has to be That depth of blue isn't often seen, but they both have it I set themyself out of the spell he has over me This must be one of the celebrity crushes everyone is always talking about

The kind where you become infatuated with soh He is just another rich man I am used to those I work for a very rich man I tend to be around the wealthy often If it wasn't for him and his family, I don’t knohere I’d be I wouldn't even knoho I was It’s bad enough I don’t re Jax

“This one?” I look back down to Jax, who is holding up a Twix bar I s it from his hand He doesn't even like Twix, but he knows it’s my favorite

“Perfect angel” I take the second candy fro it on the belt I don’t knohat I did to deserve Jax, but itspectacular

“Loyalty card?” the cashier asks I find it onto find some cash and to text Ben that we are ready to be picked up