Chapter 1

I am Victoria Sterling, the sole heiress to the Sterling Shipping empire.

Today was supposed to be the grand celebration of my engagement to Oliver Winston, the eldest grandson of the Winston family. However, the leading man, who was meant to be down on one knee, had vanished into thin air.

"Are you saying Oliver ran away?" I asked, the champagne flute in my hand tilting ever so slightly.

"Yes... rumor has it he went to chase after that actress named Mia..." The assistant kept her head bowed, her voice trembling, daring not to meet my gaze.

My father, trembling with rage, slammed his cane heavily against the floorboards.

For the sake of this alliance, the Sterling and Winston families had long been building momentum on Wall Street. All of New York's elite were exchanging toasts in the banquet hall, and famous gossip columnists were poised with their pens, waiting for a headline.

If Oliver didn't want this marriage, he could have stepped up like a man and said so earlier. But to choose tonight? This wasn't just a humiliation for me; it was a declaration of war against the entire Sterling family.

My parents hurriedly went backstage to negotiate with the Winston elders, attempting to control the spiraling situation.

I sat alone on the terrace, gazing at the Manhattan nightscape, calculating how to minimize this public relations disaster. Suddenly, a strange commotion rippled from the banquet hall entrance. I turned to see a man striding in, dressed in a dark bespoke suit, his face as cold and chiseled as a marble statue.

That was Alexander Winston, known as "The Duke," the current iron-fisted helmsman of the Winston financial group and Oliver's own uncle. Despite his seniority in the family tree, he was only thirty-six this year—in the prime of his life—and remained single.

Alexander was known for his reclusive nature, rarely appearing at social events. His arrival instantly silenced the noisy banquet hall; everyone's eyes were glued to him as if drawn by a magnet.

Watching Alexander's suffocatingly handsome profile, a mad plan formed in my mind. I watched him coldly wave away the crowd attempting to curry favor and walk straight toward the terrace.

"Mr. Winston," I stood up, greeting him with a smile, while letting just the right amount of desolate sorrow seep into the corners of my eyes.

He paused, his voice low and magnetic, carrying the authority of one accustomed to absolute power. "Miss Sterling, I apologize for Oliver's foolishness. I have already sent people to intercept his private jet. Once he is dragged back, he is yours to deal with as you see fit."

"I will announce the postponement of the engagement. All losses will be borne by the Winston family."

It was a dignified damage control plan, certainly, but I wanted more.

"Mr. Winston, the essence of this marriage is a powerful alliance between the Sterlings and the Winstons, is it not? Whether the groom is Oliver or not doesn't really matter, does it?"

"What?" His deep, blue-gray eyes narrowed slightly, clearly unprepared for my audacity.

After a moment of dead silence, he asked, "Then who do you want?"

I raised my chin and extended a hand clad in a delicate lace glove toward him. "Will you marry me?"