Chapter 8

• The families were worlds apart. My family, the ones who raised me and made me who I was, ran a finance company, though no one would call it an ordinary one. We weren’t exactly a shining example of ethical business practices. Our company was built on lending money at exorbitant rates, and to many people, we were nothing more than loan sharks. The kind of business that thrived on desperation, taking advantage of those who had nowhere else to turn. I hated the way it made me feel, but it was the life I’d been born into.
• Then there was Phillip’s family. They were the complete opposite. Phillip’s family was well-respected, deeply rooted in the upper echelons of society. The Becker family was known for their power, their wealth, and their influence. They ran legitimate, high-profile businesses and had a reputation that made them untouchable. The kind of family that wouldn’t even glance in the direction of someone like me, not unless they had a very specific reason to.
• And yet, here we were. Our families were about as different as two families could be. It was almost laughable that they would ever cross paths, that my stepsister Tila would ever be in the same room as someone like Phillip. But that was the thing about my stepmother, Josey. She always had a way of bending the rules, manipulating situations to her advantage, and finding ways to get what she wanted. And in this case, what she wanted was to secure Tila’s place by Phillip’s side.