Chapter 1

One year ago

"Dayton, wait! Dayton!" Caroline Rochester called after her fiancé as she followed him through the hospital corridors. "Dayton, please wait."

Dayton Stark turned hostile green eyes to his fiancé and glared her down. Not prone to anger, seeing his face contorted in it made Caroline take a step back. She had never seen this side of him and hoped she never would.

"I brought you down her to sit with the Hurst family in their time of need. Not only did you not do that, but you also embarrassed my family. Not just my family, but you embarrassed me as well. Why did you lie to me?" he asked.

"I didn't." she whispered.

"Really? Then why do I believe Tophyr more than I believe you? I just met the girl and she has more truth in her voice than you do right now."

"She's just mad that I broke it off with her brother."

"Even her brothers and sisters corroborated her story. Why would six people make up the same story and not change it in years? That doesn't make sense, Caroline." She didn't say anything to him. "Were you only after me because of my money?"

There was no way she could get out of it. His voice had dropped a few octaves, which meant he really wanted to know. She lowered her head as she answered. "Yes." Dayton nodded and held out his hand. She looked at him. He refused to back down so she slid the engagement ring off her finger and handed it to him.

"Have a nice life, Caroline." Dayton stepped into the elevator and let the doors close behind him.

Present day

After that horrible day, Caroline Rochester lost everything. Her mother decided her younger sister could be the socialite and had her marry into the Vanderbilt family. Caroline was put on a limited allowance that only allowed her to shop once a month and then pay her bills. Her family had all but disowned her.

She had gotten a job for a little extra money. It was in the mall and it didn't pay

well. The only thing she really liked about it was that she could wear her fashionable clothes and be in "uniform".

She had quickly learned how to do her own laundry and wash her own dishes. She couldn't afford to have anyone do her dry cleaning or cook for her. As for the cooking, she was still in the process of learning that particular trade. It was taking some time but she was certain she could do it.

The most depressing thing that had happened in the year since her failed engagement was that her friends quit coming around. Every time she called them to get drinks or something, they always had an excuse. Sometimes she would be out and about and see them in a club or restaurant with their husbands or fiancés. They had basically given up on her. She felt like an outsider in her own house.

"Hey, Tophyr," she said as she walked into the Brooklyn gallery where she worked.

The other woman turned around. "Hey, Caroline. There's a new collection out tonight and I need it hung please."

"Okay."

Tophyr Stark was Caroline's boss. After calling her out in front of her family, she had come around and apologized for talking harshly but not for saying it. She had respected Dayton from the day she met him and didn't want to see him hurt. After Caroline's family had ousted her, Tophyr had taken pity on her and offered her a job as the curator of her new art gallery. Now, six months pregnant, she was trying her best to keep a calm head during all this running with a new collection opening.

Caroline liked her job. Tophyr was a decent boss. She never asked Caroline to do something she wouldn't do herself and there were a lot of things Tophyr did herself that her husband scolded her for. Derek Stark was Dayton Stark's younger brother. He had always been a looker and since he had gotten married, it made all the debutantes want him more. He was a one woman kind of man and he showed it every chance he got.

"Hey, Tophyr!" Percy came into the gallery with a big smile on his face.

The second youngest Hurst was always smiling now that he and his twin sister were happily married. The joint wedding had been beautiful. Both brides had been blushing and the grooms had been debonair. It was just like the weddings you'd see in movies. It all went according to plan and a year later they were all one big happy family.

"Percy, you should know better than to touch a one of a kind painting like that," Tophyr scolded as she rounded the corner with a box.

"It's just so breathtaking. Is it yours?"

"No. I will never display my own work in my gallery. Conflict of interests."

"You and your journalist terms."

"Why are you here, Percy?"

"Damian's back in town. The Starks are getting ready to throw a huge party in his honor."

Tophyr frowned as she unloaded the box. "Why? All he does is explore for National Geographic."

"Apparently he has been gone a year and no one has heard from him. I heard from Izzy that he has been wanting to come home but hasn't had time to do so. Now that he's gotten out of his traveling contract he wants to come home and settle down."

"Will he be able to, considering we all know he is a ladies' man."

"I don't know. We'll have to wait it out and see what happens."

"You're going to make an adventure out of this, aren't you?"

"You know me too well."

Tophyr shook her head. "When's the party?"

"I don't know. Derek will probably have all the details in a few days."

"Great. Well, I got to get back to work. I got this opening in a few days and I need to spend all my time working on it."

"All right. See you, Caroline."

Caroline watched as Percy walked out the door. "Who are you talking about?"

Her boss looked at her. "Dayton and Derek have a couple of cousins they haven't seen in months. Danielle Stark is the only girl in the Stark family and she's treated like one. Her older brother is Damian. He's the only one who graduated with honors from school and left the country immediately after. He's been working for National Geographic since then."

"Now, he's coming home?"

"Yeah, he's been a nomad since I can remember and a ladies' man. He goes through girls like girls go through bras."

Caroline laughed at Tophyr's analogy. Girls did go through a lot of bras during a week.

"Hey, Caroline, why don't you come with us?"

The other woman looked at her in

shock. "Derek and I are always encouraged to invite others to these things and I know you haven't been to one in a while. Why not come with us?"

"Would Derek go for that?"

"Probably not since Dayton and Izzy are going to be there, but I can persuade him."

"You don't have to do this, Tophyr."

Tophyr shrugged. "I know I don't, but I want to. Just think about it."

As the younger woman walked away, Caroline was left with her thoughts. It had been a while since she had gone to social event. Her parents would undoubtedly be there and her sister would be as well. She so badly wanted to go to see if the Stark boy had the same features as his cousins.

Continuing with her work she went on thinking about how she would get there.