Chapter 1

Rebecca Deveroix stood perfectly still as three women circled her like careful artists working on a priceless sculpture.

“Turn slightly,” one of the fitters said.

Rebecca obeyed.

Silk whispered around her legs as the midnight-blue gown was pulled tighter along her waist. The fabric shimmered in the tall mirrors lining the walls of her bedroom suite, one of the largest rooms in the Deveroix estate overlooking the Charles River.

She barely recognized the girl staring back.

Five feet tall, dark brunette waves pinned halfway up, blue eyes framed with delicate makeup. The dress hugged her small figure flawlessly.

Almost flawlessly.

One of the fitters paused. Rebecca noticed immediately. They always paused when something was wrong.

“Is something the matter?” she asked softly.

“Just a minor adjustment, Miss Deveroix.”

The woman tugged at the bodice.

Behind them, the bedroom doors opened. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.

“Ah,” came Harriet Deveroix’s voice. “Let me see my daughter.”

All three women stepped aside at once.

Rebecca turned slowly. Her mother stood near the doorway in a perfectly tailored ivory suit, not a strand of hair out of place. Harriet’s eyes were sharp, observant, missing nothing.

They traveled from Rebecca’s hair to her shoulders to her waist.

Silence stretched.

Then Harriet smiled, though it did not quite reach her eyes.

“Beautiful,” she said.

The word hung in the air. Rebecca relaxed slightly.

Until.

“You’ve gained a little weight.”

The fitters froze. Rebecca felt the familiar tightening in her chest.

“It’s barely noticeable,” Harriet continued calmly, stepping closer. “But we must stay ahead of these things. Appearances matter.”

Her fingers lightly pressed against Rebecca’s waist.

“This will need correcting.”

“Yes, Mother.”

But Harriet was already moving on.

“No matter. The party begins in an hour, and tonight is important.” She straightened the dress with precise hands. “Your third evening with Bill Masters.”

Rebecca nodded politely. Everyone in the city seemed to know Bill Masters. His yacht parties were legendary, music, champagne, flashing cameras, and the kind of attention families like hers valued. Bill was handsome, charming, approved.

Harriet studied Rebecca again.

“You will make an impression tonight,” she said. “I expect it.”

Rebecca forced a small smile. “Yes, Mother.”

As the fitters resumed their work, Rebecca’s eyes drifted toward the window. Beyond the estate grounds, the city glowed with thousands of lights. Lives unfolded far beyond the reach of the Deveroix name. People laughing somewhere. Choosing their own paths.

For the briefest moment, Rebecca wondered what it might feel like to live a life no one had already planned for her.

Outside, the evening waited. And so did the party that would set everything in motion.

****

The limousine ride to the harbor was quiet except for the soft hum of the engine. Harriet checked Rebecca’s reflection in the tinted window, adjusting a strand of hair, and Rebecca stared at the city lights fading behind them. The harbor sparkled, tiny reflections dancing on the dark water, boats bobbing gently. Somewhere, music and laughter echoed across the water from yachts anchored nearby.

Rebecca stepped onto the dock and immediately felt the press of attention. Flashing cameras reflected on her gown, the shimmer of her jewels, and the nervous flutter in her chest. She could hear the faint murmur of the crowd, catching fragments of conversations that all seemed to center around the same subject. The Masters name.

The yacht itself was enormous, gleaming white against the dark harbor, with golden lights strung along the deck like stars. The smell of saltwater mixed with perfume and the faint tang of champagne. Guests were already boarding, laughing and chatting, drink in hand. Musicians played a soft tune somewhere near the stern, their instruments twinkling in the evening air.

“Stay close,” Harriet said, her voice sharp and commanding, and Rebecca fell in step beside her mother.

Everywhere she looked, the Boston elite moved in a perfectly orchestrated dance. Athletes in tailored suits shook hands with sponsors. Media personalities whispered in corners. Influential families lined the deck, drinking in the spectacle of wealth, power, and reputation. Rebecca felt simultaneously invisible and intensely observed.

Bill Masters appeared at the top of the stairs, all ease and charm, greeting guests with a confident smile. Cameras seemed drawn to him naturally. The connection to the Boston Bruins, the parties, the attention, the control, it all radiated from him. Everyone wanted to know him, everyone wanted to be near him, and here he was, approving the world around him like a conductor leading an orchestra.

Harriet nudged Rebecca gently toward the crowd. “Remember, appearances matter.”

Rebecca nodded, keeping her smile practiced and her posture perfect. She was part of the spectacle, and for now, that was all she could be.

And yet, as she stepped onto the yacht, she could not shake the strange flutter in her chest, a feeling that this night, like so many before, would not unfold exactly as expected.