A single tear slipped down Julie Morgan's cheek before disappearing into the pillow under her head. Cameron Taylor had forgotten. He'd forgotten the story behind the butterfly brooch… or maybe he'd never really cared at all.

When she was thirteen, Julie had scraped together every penny of her allowance for years just to go to that auction alone. She'd been dead set on bidding on that stunning diamond butterfly brooch. But she never even got a chance to raise her paddle—her savings fell short. Back home that night, she locked herself away and cried for a whole week. Her eyes swelled shut so bad she had to ice them, lying to Laura Taylor that she just hadn't slept well.

One evening, a week later, Cameron barged right into her room and tossed the brooch straight down in front of her. "Take it," he said. When he saw how stunned she was, he kept going in that signature impatient tone of his: "Being part of the Taylor family means you fight for what you want. And if you can't win it yourself, why the hell wouldn't you just say something? You think we're all invisible around here?"

Julie held that brooch tight, her eyes shining so bright with gratitude she could barely speak. "Thank you… thank you, Cam…"

Cameron stared at her for a minute, then flicked her forehead soft and easy. "No more crying from now on, got it?"

When her parents died, she was so little she barely even understood what happened. But the second she moved in with the Taylors, they wrapped her in love. Still—all the hard lessons about how life works? Those came from Cameron. He once told her to fight for whatever she wanted, and if she couldn't win the fight alone? He'd fight it for her.

But now? She fought, and he called her arrogant. He wants to break off their engagement. It's fucking ridiculous.

Julie was jolted awake by her phone blaring from the nightstand. It was Khloe Boyd on the line.

"Get down here now! Cameron Taylor just sent a cease-and-desist!"

Julie threw on clothes and rushed to check out of her hotel room. The receptionist smiled all sweet at her: "Miss, your room's already been paid for the whole month. You can stay as long as you'd like."

Julie insisted on checking out anyway, and transferred the leftover balance to Silas Olson, texting him: Brother, put today's room on my tab. I'll pay you back after payday.

When she pushed through the doors of Exposé Entertainment's office, Khloe's voice was already echoing all the way down the hall. "He was the one who picked out the engagement ring! He draped his coat over her at that gala last winter! We have proof of their seven-year secret relationship! And now he's suing us for defamation? This is complete bullshit!"

The second Julie ran in, Khloe shoved the legal notice straight into her arms. "Here—this is your hot mess to hold."

Julie glanced it over and almost cursed out loud. "Why the hell am I the main defendant?"

"Because they go after the person who looks weaker!" Khloe shrugged. "The whole company's getting sued, but you're getting special treatment."

"It's 'cause of Julie's article—views and shares are through the roof, girl. Your bonus is locked in this month," Ryan Dunn joked with a grin.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. "My bet? She hit a nerve. Cam's definitely feeling the heat now."

Julie sighed, turning back to Khloe. "You said this morning it wouldn't blow up this far."

Khloe spit her lollipop out into the trash can beside her, fist clenching in frustration. "I'm this close to cursing his entire family tree back eighteen generations!"

While they were still hashing it out, the legal team walked over, asking for Julie's ID info. Cameron was specifically gunning for the Exposé article and its author. The piece dug into his hidden romance with Sophie Chavez—an all-nighter Julie pulled to get it right, and he's calling it fake news.

Julie had published it under a pen name, but the legal team needed to confirm her identity to prep for court. Judging by how hard Cameron was coming after them, a court showdown was inevitable.

Just as Julie pulled her ID out of her wallet, a hand reached over, pushed it back, snatched the legal notice, and ripped it straight to shreds right in front of everyone.

"Let him sue," Silas Olson's voice was ice cold. "If Cameron Taylor is bold enough to act, he shouldn't flinch when people call him out on it."

No one had more right to call out Cameron's coldness than Julie Morgan.

"But…" the legal rep hesitated, thrown off. Silas was always so level-headed—seeing him this visibly angry threw everyone off.

"If he dares sue, the company will handle the response. You don't have to worry about a single thing," Silas said flatly.

"But…" the lawyer tried again.

"Is Exposé Entertainment really such a big company that it can't even protect one of its own writers?" Silas's tone left no room for argument.

He wouldn't make Julie stand against Cameron alone in court. Cameron wasn't worth it.

"Mr. Taylor, we still haven't found her." Jeremiah Hoffman reported anxiously from the executive suite atop the Cloud-Taylor Group building. Cameron's temper had been absolute garbage since he got back to his estate last night.

Julie Morgan was missing.

Cameron closed his eyes, rubbing hard at his temples. "Pull her spending records."

On the desk in front of him sat a shattered phone screen and a bank card snapped clean in half.

Jeremiah still remembered how Cameron had smashed his phone in a fit of frustration last night when all his calls went straight to voicemail. The way he'd reacted when he found the half-broken bank card on her nightstand? It was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.

"I checked… Miss Morgan hasn't made any transactions at all."

Still with his eyes closed, Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hotel check-ins?"

"Checked all the local ones, no records under her name."

A dead, heavy silence filled the room.

Jeremiah didn't even dare breathe. After what felt like an eternity, Cameron opened his eyes—they were streaked red with exhaustion and rage. "What's Exposé saying?"

Jeremiah wanted to cry right then and there. "Exposé's standing firm. They won't pull the article, and they say they're ready for court whenever he is, sir…"

Bang!

Cameron kicked the solid oak coffee table right over. Shards of glass went flying, clattering and skittering across the marble floor.

Jeremiah nearly jumped out of his skin, heart hammering so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest.

This was the second straight day Cameron hadn't slept. If this kept up, Jeremiah was half-convinced he'd be the one to collapse from stress first.

"Mr. Taylor," assistant Zach Harper walked in, throwing Jeremiah a sympathetic look, "the flight's all arranged."

Cameron stood, adjusted his cufflinks, and strode straight for the door, his whole demeanor dark as a thunderstorm.

Jeremiah wanted to beg him to stay and sort this out first, but Zach subtly shook his head. Not even a family tragedy would make Cameron change his itinerary, let alone Julie Morgan—who he supposedly loathed with every fiber of his being.

Cameron's obsession with work was practically fanatical.

"Alert the police, pull all traffic cam footage in the area," he ordered Jeremiah right before he walked out.

Jeremiah hurried to scoop up the broken phone and snapped bank card out of the glass shards. Cameron didn't have to say it out loud—he knew. The phone's SIM card wasn't to be thrown out, and the broken bank card needed to be reissued immediately.

"Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Taylor just called," Jeremiah reported nervously as they boarded the plane, "she asked about you and Miss Chavez…"

Cameron tore his gaze away from his computer screen and looked up. His eyes were as cold as Arctic ice.

Jeremiah wisely handed over the new phone and the reissued bank card instead of pushing further. "We've got the police on it; we should have a lead soon."

Cameron said nothing else. He just reclined back into the plush leather couch of his private jet, watching the runway blur past as they took off.

Julie Morgan, he thought, was just as always—full of tricks, greedy for everything she could get.

"Julie, don’t give those rags a single second of your time!" Laura Taylor’s voice practically trembled with frustration over the phone. "It’s all garbage—they just pull cheap stunts for clicks!"

"You belong with this family. No one else gets that spot."

"I tried to get ahold of Cameron to give him a piece of my mind… couldn’t reach him, so I just let it all out to Jeremiah instead."

"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. I’m holding up okay," Julie Morgan replied in that soft, steady way of hers.

Laura sighed in relief. "Julie, honey, you’re just too sweet and too forgiving. Cameron does care about you—he just has those infuriating blind spots. Don’t you worry, once you’re married I’ll make sure he learns how to treat you right."

The idea that he cared about her…

That’s what the entire Taylor family kept insisting, over and over.

Julie had let herself believe it too, once. But reality taught her: empty words without real love behind them mean empty feelings, too. If that wasn’t true, how could she—who’d once loved Cameron so deeply it ached—be hiding what she’d already decided?

Expecting a man who’s checked out before the wedding to turn around after?

That’s a pipe dream.

In the end, she just couldn’t bring herself to say the words: I’m breaking up with him.

Calling off this engagement, the person Julie felt guiltiest toward was Mrs. Taylor.

But she figured Laura would find out soon enough anyway.

The staff and maids at The Carlton aren’t exactly known for keeping secrets.

...

"Julie, you’re covering the Film Gala tonight with Ryan Dunn," Khloe Boyd instructed, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Sophie Chavez will be there. See if you can get her to slip up and spill something. If she admits it on the record? We’ll see if Cameron dares actually sue you."

The Film Gala was notoriously rigged when it came to awards, and every seasoned reporter in the department wanted nothing to do with it. Khloe had had someone else lined up first, but swapping in Julie—an easygoing newcomer—didn’t get a single objection. Instead, everyone cheered her on.

"Good luck, Julie! Dig up the scoop and blow Cameron’s fake perfect cover!"

"We’ve got your back, girl!"

"Just catch Sophie in a compromising position—any compromising position—and you win the whole thing!"

What a load of crap…

Khloe nodded. "Harsh but fair. Go give it everything you’ve got, Julie."

Even though Silas had promised to back her, everyone knew a full-on fight between Taylor Group and Morgan Enterprises would hurt both bad. If Cameron actually tried to sue Julie over this, would Inertia Publications really risk their relationship with two corporate giants just for one rookie reporter?

They’d throw her under the bus before the ink even dried on the lawsuit.

Khloe looked at Julie’s stunning face and sighed quiet to herself.

Such a talented, beautiful girl. Just plain unlucky.

She’d hit the jackpot with her very first story, only to come crashing down right after.

Getting tangled up with Cameron Taylor— that cold, ruthless tycoon—was gonna cost her everything.

...

Ryan had already set up the camera, hanging back out of sight.

At tonight’s Gala, Sophie Chavez was keeping her mouth glued shut. Reporters swarmed her, but her bodyguards held them all off.

"Miss Chavez! Is it true you’re dating Cameron Taylor?"

"Sophie, over here! Is that an engagement ring on your finger?"

"Ms. Chavez, you’ve confirmed your relationship—when’s Cameron gonna do the same?"

"Ms. Chavez, rumor has it Cameron’s suing for defamation over these dating reports—what’s your response to that?"

Sophie ignored every question, holding that plastered-perfect smile while her bodyguards ushered her away.

Julie didn’t bother joining the pack.

She and Ryan were already posted up outside Sophie’s hotel, waiting for the real story to come out.

Khloe had handed her this chance to "change her fate"—and she knew full well how brutal Cameron’s legal team was.

Still…

Julie scanned the crowd of other reporters lurking all around.

She wasn’t the only one who’d thought of this play.

"Waiting around all night might get us nowhere," she thought.

Everyone was gunning to catch Cameron and Sophie together.

Cameras were trained dead on Sophie’s hotel room windows, just desperate for a single shadow of a silhouette.

But the thing was… Cameron wasn’t even in town.

"I’m gonna go try my luck," Julie said, letting down the pinned-up twist she’d worn all day.

Ryan froze for half a second, stunned by how her hair cascaded down her back, then pulled himself together. "Julie, this is The Carlton. How the hell do you plan on getting up to the fifteenth?"

The Carlton’s a five-star, members-only spot. No membership card, you only get access to the first ten floors. And Sophie Chavez was staying in the top-tier VIP suite on the fifteenth.

Julie stepped aside from the thick hedge lining the entrance. "I have one."

It was a gift from Laura Taylor.

Digging into your ex-fiancé’s new romance was guaranteed to hurt like hell.

But Julie needed this job. Needed the money—her little sister Maryam was still in the hospital, her life hanging by a thread.

Getting more solid evidence would only improve her odds of coming out on top.

If Cameron wanted to sue her? So be it.

Julie was ready to stand her ground.

His lawsuit would just be the launching pad for her career.

Ryan watched Julie walk into the hotel lobby.

Under the dazzling chandelier lights, her slender, graceful figure glowed with that quiet, innate elegance. No one would’ve guessed she was a reporter chasing a scoop.

Ryan rubbed his eyes.

Thinking back to how Silas Olson acted around Julie…

Was this rich heir actually hiding his girlfriend in the company to help her build her career?

...

Julie checked in for a suite on the fifteenth floor.

The receptionist was about to turn her down, but one glance at the name on the membership card brought the manager running over, and her check-in was done in two minutes flat.

Julie breathed out soft, slow.

She’d been worried Sophie had booked the entire floor just for herself.

Thankfully, Laura Taylor’s membership card carried more than enough weight.

She was alone in the VIP elevator. As it climbed higher, her phone rang—an unexpected call from Sophie Chavez herself.

"Miss Morgan. I’m sure you’ve seen the news."

Sophie’s voice oozed smugness, thick with the kind of victory that begged to be recognized.

Julie didn’t even flinch. "Seen what?"

"The reports about me and Cameron," Sophie laughed. "We picked out a ring yesterday. It’s official. Surely you’ve heard that?"

"Is that so?" Julie replied, as calm as still water. "Last I heard, he’s suing those same reports for defamation. This announcement sounds like it’s just your side of the story. Cameron hasn’t said a word."

Sophie’s tone shifted. Her composure cracked, rattled by how unshaken Julie was.

"Julie Morgan, unlike you, I actually have a family name to protect.""

"Our relationship will get its formal announcement on an auspicious date. Right now, Cameron’s staying quiet to keep it from messing up the strategic merger between our companies."

Julie’s calm, cool demeanor stoked a ravenous urge in Sophie to prove herself. She lashed out immediately, “Even if reporters grill him, he’ll just deny it for now. But the engagement ring we picked out together, every memory we shared—those don’t just disappear overnight.”

"Sometimes what you see isn’t what it looks like," Julie murmured quietly back.

Sophie let out a sharp, bitter laugh of frustration. “The lifestyle section of the *Observer Times* dropped a deep dive today, picking apart my seven-year relationship with Cameron. It’s already gone viral. You should check it out—every single word is true.”

Julie’s tone stayed ice-cold as she answered, “You’d bet your entire family’s reputation on that, huh?”

"Hell yes! I’m the Chavez family’s oldest daughter—my word is my bond!" Sophie shot back.

"Alright, I get it. I wish the two of you the best."

After hanging up, Julie hurried out of the elevator and ducked into the stairwell, where she immediately started editing the audio recording of their call. She cut every reference to her own family, tweaked her voice slightly to muffle it, and fired the file straight to Khloe Boyd’s email.

"Khloe," she said when her call connected, her voice steady as a rock, "I’ve got a recording of Sophie Chavez admitting the relationship. It’s in your inbox."

"No way! That’s incredible!" Khloe burst out, shocked. She’d seen Sophie’s earlier interview, knew how tight-lipped she’d been the whole time. "You pulled off what the entire gossip industry couldn’t—you’re seriously this department’s lucky star!"

Julie let herself relax a little. Logically, she didn’t need to do anything more. But the more dirt she had on them, the more leverage she held, right?

She called Ryan next. "Ryan, I need you on standby tonight. I’ll tweak my plans as I go and keep you updated."

Should she meet Sophie face-to-face? Julie double-checked that the tiny hidden camera was tucked discretely to the side of her bag. Cameron, you left me no other choice…

Up on the fifteenth floor of the Ritz Carlton, the elevator doors slid open. Cameron was walking out, already listening to Jeremiah’s call.

"Mr. Taylor, hotel management just tipped us off—Mrs. Taylor got into the city and checked into the fifteenth floor of the Ritz!"

Cameron froze mid-step. "Did they spot her?"

"I didn’t push for that, but her membership card doesn’t lie," Jeremiah answered, back at the office wrapping up loose ends. Cameron had been pulling two all-nighters in a row by this point, and laying low felt way safer than blowing up. Jeremiah had cleared out the entire fifteenth floor to keep everyone safe.

The hotel never let anyone else stay this floor unless they were immediate family, anyway. Remembering the screaming calls Laura Taylor had made earlier that week, Jeremiah added a warning: "Mr. Taylor, she’s pretty furious right now."

"What room is she in?" Cameron asked.

"Be careful, sir—she’s right next doo—"

Cameron went completely still, his gaze locking straight on the door marked 1553. He stood there for a long beat, then ducked into the adjacent stairwell. Years of dealing with his mother’s temper had taught him: never confront her when she’s this heated.

Julie, who’d just finished prepping her gear and was about to step out of the stairwell, collided straight with someone coming in. Their eyes locked—both of them just as shocked as the other.