Ellery pulled the yellow tape measure away. She picked up her clipboard and quickly scribbled down the numbers.

Crystal walked out of the VIP room and marched straight to the front reception desk. She tapped her long acrylic nails against the marble counter.

"Ring me up," Crystal demanded.

Ellery walked behind the counter. She typed the custom order details into the computer. The total price flashed on the screen. She turned the monitor so Crystal could see it.

Crystal scoffed. She reached into her limited-edition Birkin bag and pulled out a heavy, matte black card.

It was an American Express Centurion Black Card.

Ellery's eyes locked onto the card. She recognized the specific wear on the metal edges. It was Holland's secondary card. The blood drained from her face.

"He gave this to me last night," Crystal bragged loudly. "As an apology."

The two sales assistants standing nearby gasped softly. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Ellery did not reach for the card. Instead, she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

She unlocked the screen and dialed Holland's private number.

The phone rang three times. Holland picked up.

"What?" his deep, irritated voice came through the line.

Ellery did not press the speakerphone button. She turned the volume on her phone all the way up and stepped around the marble counter, holding the device right next to Crystal's ear.

"Mr. Sutton," Ellery said. Her voice was incredibly soft, yet dripping with pure venom. "You are certainly generous to your mistresses."

There was a split second of silence on the other end. Then, the sound of a heavy leather chair scraping across a wooden floor echoed through the earpiece.

"Ms. Crystal is standing at my register," Ellery continued smoothly. "She is attempting to use your Black Card to pay a fifty-thousand-dollar bill for custom lingerie."

Crystal's face went pale. She lunged forward, trying to grab the phone out of Ellery's hand.

Ellery easily swatted her hand away, keeping the phone locked in place.

Holland was silent for two full seconds. The silence was heavy and terrifying.

When he finally spoke, his voice was like absolute zero, cutting through the quiet studio just loud enough for Crystal and the nearby assistants to hear. "Any secondary card in my name is under my wife's jurisdiction. You should be apologizing to her, not bothering me."

His words hit Crystal like a physical blow.

Crystal's face flushed a deep, ugly purple. Her entire body began to shake with humiliation.

"Cancel the secondary card ending in 4092," Holland barked, clearly speaking to an assistant in his office. "Immediately."

The call disconnected. The dial tone buzzed loudly in the room. It sounded like a slap to the face.

Ellery picked up the heavy black card from the counter. She swiped it through the POS machine.

The machine let out a loud, angry beep. The screen flashed bright red: DECLINED.

Ellery pinched the card between her index and middle finger. She tossed it back at Crystal. It hit Crystal's chest and clattered onto the floor.

"My studio does not accept clients with bankrupt credit," Ellery said, offering a flawless, empty smile.

A few of the staff members let out low, muffled laughs.

Crystal's eyes filled with tears of rage. She let out a high-pitched scream, grabbed her Birkin bag, and spun around. She didn't even look at the card on the floor.

She ran toward the exit. In her panic, her ankle twisted in her high heels. She stumbled, slamming her shoulder into the heavy glass door before pushing it open and disappearing onto the sidewalk.

Ellery watched her run away. She bent down, picked up the useless black card, and dropped it into the trash can under the desk. She let out a long, shaky breath.

The sun was setting as Ellery drove her car through the massive iron gates of the Sutton estate.

She parked her car near the stone fountain. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and pushed the heavy oak front doors open.

The main living room was brightly lit. Goldia sat on the center of the French antique sofa. Her eyes locked onto Ellery the second she walked in.

A maid stood rigidly next to Goldia. The maid held a silver tray in her hands.

On the tray sat a delicate porcelain bowl. It was filled with a thick, ink-black liquid.

Ellery walked closer. A foul, pungent smell of rotting herbs and raw fish hit her nose. Her stomach immediately churned.

Goldia pointed a sharp fingernail at the bowl. "This is a top-tier fertility supplement prescribed by our private doctor. Drink it."

Ellery stared at the black sludge. Bile rose in the back of her throat. "Goldia, I don't think I can stomach that."

Goldia let out a cold, sharp laugh. "You will drink it. It is the rule of this family. If you refuse, it means you are actively trying to end the Sutton bloodline."

Ellery thought of Hayward's threat. She thought of her mother lying in the hospital bed in Switzerland. She had to keep Goldia happy to keep Holland's money flowing.

Ellery reached out with a trembling hand. She picked up the warm porcelain bowl.

She held her breath, closed her eyes, and tipped the bowl back. She forced the thick liquid down her throat.

The taste was metallic and overwhelmingly bitter.

The second the liquid hit her stomach, her body violently rejected it.

Ellery dropped the bowl back onto the tray. She slapped her hand over her mouth. She shoved past the coffee table, her knees knocking against the wood, and sprinted toward the first-floor powder room.

She crashed into the bathroom, gripped the edges of the marble sink, and violently threw up. The black liquid and stomach acid burned her throat.

Tears streamed down her face from the physical strain. She turned on the gold faucet, splashing cold water into her mouth.

"Pathetic!" Goldia's angry voice echoed from the hallway. "You can can't even handle a little bitterness!"

Ellery heard Goldia snap her fingers. "Go to the kitchen. Pour another bowl. Stand there and watch her swallow every last drop."

Ellery leaned her forehead against the cold mirror. Her legs were shaking. A wave of pure terror washed over her.

Footsteps approached the bathroom door. The maid appeared, holding a fresh bowl of the black liquid.

Before the maid could step inside, the heavy front doors of the estate slammed open.

Holland strode into the living room. The cold night air clung to his dark wool coat.

He stopped. He looked at Ellery, who was pale and shaking in the bathroom doorway. He looked at the maid holding the black potion.

A dark, dangerous shadow crossed Holland's eyes.

He walked straight to the maid. He snatched the silver tray out of her hands.

With a flick of his wrist, Holland hurled the tray toward the floor.

Crash!

The porcelain bowl shattered into a hundred pieces. The black liquid splattered across the priceless Persian rug.

Goldia jumped up from the sofa, her eyes wide with shock. "Holland! Have you lost your mind?"

"I have an important business dinner tonight," Holland said. His voice was dangerously calm. "I need my wife to attend with me."

He didn't wait for Goldia to argue. He grabbed Ellery's wrist and pulled her away from the bathroom.

He dragged her toward the front door.

"Holland!" Goldia screamed from the living room. "You bring her back here! You have a midnight curfew!"

Holland ignored his mother. He shoved Ellery into the passenger seat of his Maybach and slammed the door.

The engine roared to life. The car tore out of the driveway, leaving the estate far behind.

The heater in the Maybach blasted warm air. Ellery leaned her head against the leather headrest. The painful spasms in her stomach slowly began to fade.

Holland drove with one hand on the steering wheel. He glanced at her pale face out of the corner of his eye. He reached over and turned the heat up another notch.

The car slowed down and pulled up to the curb in front of the Tumi Exclusive Club, a highly private venue in Manhattan. A valet immediately rushed forward to open Ellery's door.

Holland stepped out of the car. He walked around to her side and grabbed her freezing hand.

Ellery tried to pull her fingers away. "I don't want to go in here."

Holland ignored her resistance. He laced his fingers through hers, locking her hand in a tight grip. He pulled her toward the entrance.

They walked down a dimly lit, luxurious hallway. A waiter in a crisp suit opened the heavy, soundproof door to the VIP room at the very end of the hall.

The room was thick with cigar smoke. Holland's childhood friends-Pierce, Sterling, and Julian-were sitting around a poker table.

When they saw Holland walk in holding Ellery's hand, the room went dead silent. The three men stared in shock.

Pierce was the first to recover. He let out a low whistle. "Well, look at this. You actually brought the legal wife out to play."

Holland shot Pierce a look so cold it could freeze water. He pulled Ellery toward the main leather sofa and forced her to sit down next to him.

Julian, the doctor of the group, quietly poured a glass of warm water and slid it across the table toward Ellery. She gave him a tight, forced smile of thanks.

The men resumed their conversation about Wall Street mergers. Ellery sat stiffly, feeling completely out of place.

Suddenly, the heavy VIP door burst open. The bright light from the hallway spilled into the dark room.

Crystal stood in the doorway. Her mascara was smeared under her red, swollen eyes.

She had clearly tracked Holland down, desperate to win back her meal ticket.

Crystal ignored the shocked stares of the men in the room. She ran straight toward the sofa, throwing herself toward Holland's chest.

Holland's eyes narrowed. He shifted his body sharply to the side.

Crystal missed him completely. She tripped and fell hard against the edge of the leather sofa, her knees hitting the floor.

She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Holland! She canceled my card! She humiliated me in front of everyone!" Crystal pointed a shaking finger at Ellery.

Pierce and Sterling exchanged awkward glances. The tension in the room skyrocketed.

Ellery felt a fresh wave of nausea hit her stomach. She couldn't stand being part of this pathetic soap opera. She placed her hands on the sofa to push herself up.

Holland's large hand clamped down on her thigh, pinning her to the seat.

He looked down at Crystal, who was still sobbing on the floor.

"She is my legal wife," Holland said. His voice was loud, clear, and absolutely merciless. "Canceling your card is her right."

Crystal's mouth dropped open. The color drained from her face as the reality of his words hit her.

Holland reached over and slammed his hand down on the service bell on the table.

"Get this crazy woman out of here," Holland ordered the two massive bouncers who appeared at the door. "And put her on the permanent blacklist."

The bouncers grabbed Crystal by the arms. She started screaming hysterically as they dragged her out of the room and down the hall.

The VIP room fell into a heavy, uncomfortable silence. Pierce cleared his throat, trying to think of a joke to break the ice.

Ellery couldn't take it anymore. The cigar smoke, the violence, the absolute control Holland exerted over everyone. She stood up, ripping her leg away from his grip.

She grabbed her coat and walked out of the room without looking back.

"Damn it," Holland muttered. He slammed his whiskey glass onto the table and chased after her.

He caught up to her halfway down the hallway.