I never told my boyfriend’s arrogant parents that I was the one who owned the bank holding all their debt. To them, I was just “some barista with no future.” At their luxury yacht party, his mother sneered and shoved a drink into my hands, spilling it down my dress. “Staff should stay below deck,” she said coldly. His father laughed. “Careful—don’t ruin the furniture.”

and the waves below the only things filling the silence.

Carter’s eyes followed his retreating form before she turned back to the water. Her mind was racing, and for the first time that night, she allowed herself to think about the future—not the one she had built, but the one she would have to fight for.

She had done it. She had taken control of everything,continue reading …