Chapter 4

The night of the exhibition, Chase arrived dressed to the nines in a bespoke ivory tuxedo, schmoozing his way through the gallery floor.

At long last, he spotted Victoria Vance, encircled by a tight orbit of industry titans.

She wore a minimalist, floor-length midnight gown, radiating a quiet, suffocating authority.

Her mere presence commanded the entire room, making everything else fade into static.

Chase took a steadying breath, lifted two flutes of vintage champagne, and pushed his way through the inner circle.

"Ms. Vance, an absolute honor. Chase Miller, Executive VP of Sterling Group."

Victoria slowly turned her gaze toward him. Her eyes lingered on his face for barely two seconds, then drifted downward, settling on the hands holding the glasses.

"You have remarkable hands," she observed, her tone crisp and cool.

"Long, slender fingers, clean bone structure. Perfect for a concert pianist."

Chase froze, followed instantly by a surge of sheer triumph.

She was praising his body!

"You have an incredible eye, Ms. Vance. I was actually the lead pianist for our university's music society."

"Is that so?" The corner of Victoria's lips curled into a faint, mocking arch.

"In that case, would you mind playing a piece for me right now?"

Right at the center of the exhibition hall sat a priceless custom Steinway grand piano.

Overwhelmed by the sudden spotlight, Chase nodded eagerly. "It would be my absolute privilege!"

He strode over and took his seat before the keys as the spotlight snapped onto him.

He poured every ounce of theatrical romance into a rendition of Mariage d'Amour, throwing smoldering, loaded glances toward Victoria throughout the performance.

As the final note faded, thunderous applause washed over the hall.

Smug and riding high, he stood and offered an elaborate, theatrical bow in Victoria's direction.

Yet Victoria didn't look at him at all. Instead, she turned to her assistant, her voice carrying clearly:

"Find out how much that piano costs and wire the payment. I'm buying it. And make sure to sanitize it thoroughly—I despise having other people touch my belongings."

The assistant nodded instantly and marched off toward the event coordinators.

The charming smile froze solid on Chase's face.

The surrounding chatter abruptly died. The glances from the elite crowd instantly morphed from mild admiration into thinly veiled pity and smothered snickers.

Victoria's meaning was crystal clear: she was interested in the instrument, not the monkey hammering on the keys.

And as an outsider, his clumsy touch on her property had disgusted her.

It was an exquisite, public humiliation.

Chase's face flashed between burning crimson and ashen gray.

He knew he couldn't blow his temper.

In front of a titan like Victoria, any display of rage would only make him look like a cheap clown.

Swallowing the bitter bile of shame, he stepped toward her, forcing a smile that looked more painful than weeping.

"Ms. Vance, my deepest apologies for overstepping. Allow me to drink three glasses as a penalty."

Without waiting, he knocked back three neat shots of straight liquor.

Only then did Victoria shift her gaze back to him, her eyes flashing with a predatory, assessing gleam.

"Fascinating," she said softly.

"I happen to need a private curator to tend to my personal collection. You seem remarkably well-suited."

"Be at this address tomorrow morning at nine sharp. Remember: come alone."

She casually flipped an unmarked black card into his fingers, turned on her heel, and walked away without sparing him a second glance.

Chase had assumed he was dead in the water, but the game had completely inverted!

A personal curator!

Overseeing her private collection!

That was an inner-sanctum position directly at her side!

A tidal wave of euphoria instantly washed away every ounce of shame from moments before.

He watched her retreating silhouette with feral, hungry eyes.

He knew his gamble had paid off.

Without hesitation, he whipped out his phone and fired off a text to Lauren:

We're done. Keep the condo and the cars. Don't ever contact me again.

Then, he blocked her on every platform.