Chapter 52

Octavia Mercer's hotel suite in Chicago offered a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, a vista most would stop to admire. She noticed none of it. Instead, her attention remained fixed on the tablet in her hand, fingers swiping through news article after news article, each headline worse than the last.

"BILLIONAIRE BACHELOR GIDEON SINCLAIR GIFTS $100M NECKLACE TO MYSTERIOUS MERCER HEIRESS"