Chapter 4The Silk Trap

At seven o’clock that evening, I made my entrance at a lavish, bustling wrap party.

It didn't take me long to spot her. Mariela, dressed to the nines.

She wore a Chanel 2025 Spring/Summer haute couture gown, Christian Louboutin custom heels, and a full set of the latest Tiffany & Co. jewels. Not a trace of the drenched rat I’d left in the pool earlier.

And there was Aidan. Kneeling on one knee before her, he was gently massaging her ankle, which was faintly red.

Mariela looked down at him, her cheeks flushed with a shy, pleased blush.

So, Aidan’s precious angel was my dear, cheap half-sister.

Two crew members nearby were whispering.

“I always thought Aidan Thorne was so cold, so uninterested in women. I never knew he could be this tender with his girlfriend.”

“Are you kidding? That’s the Sterling heiress. You see that couture? That’s probably more than our yearly salary, and she’ll likely wear it once and toss it.”

…

As I started towards them, one of the crew members stepped in my way.

“This is a private wrap party for the film Femme Fatale. You’re not cast or crew. How did you get in?”

My eyes locked on Aidan. “I’m here for him.”

The other crew member immediately recoiled in disgust. “Oh, God, are you one of his stalkers? A stan? Get lost, you’re not welcome here.”

“Aidan Thorne.”

My voice cut through the noise of the party, clear and resonant.

The entire room fell silent.

Aidan looked up, his hand dropping from Mariela’s foot as if it were on fire. He stared at me, his face a canvas of pure shock.

Mariela quickly slipped her shoe back on, looped her arm through his, and practically dragged him to stand before me. Aidan, so accustomed to groveling at my feet, couldn’t even meet my eyes.

But Mariela, emboldened, flashed a pair of matching rings at me, a blatant declaration of war.

“Little sister, I forgot to tell you. Aidan and I have been together for years. He was mine long before he was yours. I’m taking him to meet Daddy in a few days. We’re getting married.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

During the years I’d poured my resources into making him a star, I had asked him to marry me. He’d told me to wait. Wait until he was an international superstar, and he would propose to me on a global live broadcast.

And I, like a fool, had actually believed him.

Mariela leaned in close, her voice a triumphant, vicious whisper. “Does that hurt? Oh, Willow, this is just the beginning. I’m going to make everyone remember that I am the true Sterling heiress. And you? You won’t even be worthy of shining my shoes.”

RIIIP!

I grabbed the front of her gown and tore it open.

She shrieked, clutching the fabric to her chest. “Willow, what are you doing! Why would you tear my dress? This is the latest collection, it’s priceless!”

I smiled faintly. “I’m just tearing up the dress the brand sent me. What’s the problem?”

Terrified I would expose her for stealing my clothes and jewelry in front of everyone, she squeezed out a few tears, playing the victim.

“Willow… first you push me in the pool, and now you humiliate me like this… We’re sisters, not enemies…”

Her tear-streaked face was a picture of pitiful innocence.

It did nothing for me, but it broke Aidan’s heart.

He shrugged off his blazer and wrapped it around Mariela’s shoulders, his brow furrowed as he turned on me. “Willow, must you do this? Are you trying to kill her?”

My eyebrow arched in amusement. “I’m simply reclaiming what belongs to me from a common thief. How is that trying to kill her? Or did you find some cheap tramp to entertain you because I was too busy mourning my mother to grant you my favors?”

Aidan’s face hardened. “Mariela is not a thief, she is not a tramp, and she is certainly not a toy. She is the woman I have loved for ten years, and my girlfriend of three.”

“And what was I?” I asked, my voice dangerously soft.

Mariela tightened her grip on his hand. He squeezed back, finding his courage, and finally met my gaze.

“You were a mistake. Willow, we’re over.”