Chapter 1
Sienna Sloane was the heiress of the richest family in Astoria City–cast out by her parents to “gain experience” before inheriting the empire.
The day she met Adrian Prescott, she was crouched by a Southside street corner, eating a cup of instant mac and cheese. A black Maybach limousine pulled up in front of her. The window lowered slowly, revealing the face that made every socialite in the Elite Circle lose her composure.
“Come with me,” Adrian said with a lazy smile. “Be my girlfriend. I’ll take care of you.”
She froze, mac and cheese slipping from her spoon.
That was the beginning—and it lasted five years.
He moved her into his penthouse in Cadence Tower. She had unlimited use of his black AmEx card.
Once, at three in the morning, she said she wanted sliders. He drove across the entire city until he found a place still open.
Everyone said the Prescott heir had gone insane–spoiling an unknown girl like this.
Only one thing he never mentioned–marriage.
Sienna knew why.
She had fabricated a tragic backstory for herself: an alcoholic father, a sick mother, a broken home. Someone like that could never enter the wealthy Prescott family..
So when her five–year anonymity clause finally ended, the first thing she planned to do was tell
him the truth–to surprise him with who she really was.
But when she reached the VIP Lounge he always used, she heard loud cheers from inside.
“Congrats, Adrian! A son and a daughter now!”
“Your second kid, man–your parents must be thrilled!”
“Come on, bottoms up!”
Sienna froze at the doorway. Through the slightly open door, she saw Adrian surrounded by his friends, that familiar lazy smile on his face.
One of them slung an arm around his shoulder and laughed in a low voice. “You really outdid
yourself. A perfect family at home and a beauty on the side. That little Sienna girl is completely obsessed with you–she actually believes she’s the only one.”
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Another joined in. “Exactly! You hid it well though. Two kids with Celeste Harrington already? If we hadn’t heard from her family today, we’d still be in the dark.”
Adrian swirled the wine in his glass, his tone unreadable. “My family’s been pressuring me. They need an heir. Celeste is an old family ally–we’ve known each other forever.”
“What about Sienna, then?”
He was silent for a moment before speaking softly, “I love her. That won’t change. But you all know, marriage isn’t up to me. For someone like me, it has to be an equal match–same with having children.”
“She’s amazing,” he added, “but her background’s too low. She is not the kind I marry. Marriage and children… are for someone else.”
Every word struck like a blade of ice, stabbing straight into Sienna’s heart.
Her hand trembled against the wall, nails cutting into her palm, yet she couldn’t feel the pain. The
agony in her chest was sharper–enough to drown everything else.
***
“I love her.”
“But her background’s too low.”
“She is not the kind I marry. Marriage and children are for someone else.”
Those words echoed in her ears until her whole body shook.
She suddenly remembered the framed quota that had hung in the study since her grandfather’s time–Everything in the world has its price.
Her father had called it the first law of business. ‘She’d once scoffed at it.
Now she understood. To Adrian, she was priced too—and not high enough.
A woman to be kept in the shadows and a mistress who could never be shown to the world.
How absurd. She, the Sloane heiress, had been labeled unworthy.
Sienna staggered away from the door, running blindly until she reached the emergency stairwell. She slid down the cold wall and broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Tears fell like pearls on a broken string. She cried until her body shook, until she couldn’t breathe.
No one knew the Sloane family had a rule–before inheriting, the heir had to live five years under
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a false name, stripped of status and wealth, to experience the real world.
So she hid her identity and lived like an ordinary girl–cheap apartment, simple food, endless work for a meager paycheck. She endured sweltering summers without air–conditioning and freezing winters without heat. She’d survived it all.
She just hadn’t expected to be noticed–by Adrian Prescott, heir to a dynasty.
He had pursued her for half a year with patience and charm.
On rainy days, he’d hold his suit jacket over her head, getting drenched himself. When she had a fever, he stayed up all night changing towels and checking her temperature. She once mentioned she liked baby’s breath, and the next day, her office was filled with nine hundred and ninety–nine bouquets.
Sienna hadn’t planned on falling in love. Her only goal was to complete her five–year trial.
But Adrian was too good to her–so good that even a girl raised in luxury and deceit began to believe that maybe, just maybe, someone could love her for who she truly was.
She remembered his first kiss–tipsy but clear–eyed, pressing her gently against his car. “Sienna, don’t hide from me.”
On her birthday, he booked out the entire rooftop restaurant but brought out a single bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It looked plain, but his ears were red as he muttered, “It’s my first time cooking. Bad or not, you’re finishing it.”
He shielded her from trouble, solved her problems, and humbled himself in ways he never had for anyone else.
So she let her guard down, believing she’d finally found something pure.
She’d even dreamed that once her trial ended, she’d tell him the truth–and marry him openly, proudly.
But now, the man who claimed to love her had fathered two children with another woman. And
he’d said it so casually: marriage and children were for someone else.
Tears kept spilling down. She crouched in the corner, trembling.
Five years of faith shattered in an instant. Everything she had believed in–her love, her sacrifice -was a cruel joke.
When her phone vibrated in her pocket, she wiped her tears and looked down.
The screen displayed two words: Home Call.
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She answered with a trembling hand.
“Sienna,” her mother’s voice came through gently, “your five years are over. You can come back now. It’s time for you to take over the Sloane Group.”
Sienna quickly wiped her face, forcing her voice to sound calm. “Okay, Mom. I’ll finish up here and come home soon.”
Her mother paused before adding, “One more thing. Once you inherit, tradition requires you to confirm your alliance partner as soon as possible. You’re the family successor–it’s crucial. Many families have been testing the waters these past years. Have you met anyone suitable?”
Her chest ached, Adrian’s face flashing before her eyes. She shook her head hard, as if that could
erase the pain.
“No. When I return, hold an Alliance Match Ball that same night. I’ll choose the right partner myself someone worthy of the Sloane name.”
Chapter 1
Sara is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.

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