You Crushed My Heart, So I Crushed Your Empire

A motorboat came tearing across the water.

"Don't you touch her!"

It wasn't Anthony.

It was a group of tourists night-fishing nearby. One of them had been messing around with a pair of binoculars and spotted what was happening to me. He rallied his friends immediately.

They hauled the two men to the nearest police station.

By the time I finished giving my statement, the sun was already up.

I thanked them and headed straight for the airport. I didn't want to spend another second in this place.

But while I was waiting for a cab, Anthony's bodyguards closed in around me.

The one in charge was Wyatt Whitney.

"Anthony's hosting a private dinner at his villa tonight for some big-shot director. He's trying to land Bianca the female lead in the guy's next film."

"He says if you want this deal to go through, you need to be there. So let's go."

My first thought was that Anthony had found out who I really was.

But one look at the contempt on Wyatt's face told me otherwise.

I frowned.

"I'm not going. Move."

Wyatt shoved me hard. My phone hit the ground and he crushed it under his heel, grinding it to pieces.

"Vivienne, you're a glorified coffee girl. Who the hell do you think you're talking to? I used to call you 'ma'am' out of respect for Anthony. Without him, you're nothing. You actually thought you were some rich man's wife?" He jerked his chin at his men. "Quit wasting my time. Take her."

When we arrived at the villa, I realized this was an extremely private affair.

No press. Every guest had to surrender their phone at the door.

The men in attendance were mostly wealthy businessmen of one stripe or another. Each had a young starlet seated beside him, all of them friends of Anthony's or Bianca's.

A bad feeling settled low in my stomach.

Anthony walked over the moment he saw me, his brow creased.

"Heard you were heading to the airport. Looking like a drowned rat, too. Where exactly did you think you were going?"

My expression stayed flat.

"Home to see my grandfather. Is that a problem?"

The corner of his mouth curled, as if he'd expected exactly this.

"Of course. The second you leave me, all you can afford is a plane ticket. Can't even buy yourself a decent change of clothes."

"Vivienne, don't say I never gave you a chance. That director's next film? I've already been offered the male lead."

He tossed a slinky evening gown into my arms.

"Put this on. Keep him happy tonight. Get Bianca the female lead. Do that, and I'll marry you tomorrow. We'll get the certificate first thing."

The meaning hit me all at once. My eyes went wide.

"Anthony, don't flatter yourself. Who wants to marry you? If you're so desperate to help her, go sell yourself. Why should I be Bianca Whitmore's stepping stone? She's not worth the dirt under my shoes."

His face went cold.

"Today is the second anniversary of the day Bianca and I met. I promised her I'd help her land that role so we could stand side by side in this industry."

"And after last night, faking your own kidnapping to smear her name, you owe her. Consider this your compensation."

He held up his phone, waving it lazily in front of me, a smile playing on his lips that carried no warmth at all.

"Vivienne, your grandfather back home has a heart condition, doesn't he?"

"If you don't cooperate, I'll leak your intimate photos across every platform on the internet. How do you think the old man will take it when he sees them? Think his heart can handle it?"

"And even if it doesn't kill him, you can't exactly afford his medical bills, can you?"

My fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms.

My parents died when I was young. My grandfather was the only family I had left.

He was getting older. His heart really was fragile. We'd been careful with him for years.

The slightest shock, the smallest provocation, could be the end.

And Anthony was shameless enough to use that against me.

I closed my eyes. My teeth ground together before the words came out.

"Fine. I'll do it."