"Yes, that is him," a businessman replied, his tone dripping with absolute disgust. "He is the disgrace. Do you not remember the massive scandal? They say he was the one who drugged Berry.""I heard the rumors," another woman gasped quietly, her eyes wide with scandalous delight. "They say he slipped something into her drink at a private estate party. He ruined her reputation completely. His family threw him into the streets to rot because of it. What is a monster like him doing back in high society?"The dark, ugly rumors echoed loudly enough for everyone in the circle to hear. The crowd stared at Dane with overwhelming revulsion, treating him like a convicted criminal who had just crawled out of a sewer.Bary smiled smugly, feeling entirely vindicated by the crowd's reaction. He stepped closer to Dane. "Do you hear that? Everyone knows what you are. You are a disgusting criminal. Security will be here in a minute to drag you out by your hair."Dane did not look at Bary. He did not l

The grand ballroom of the Sterling estate went entirely, completely silent. It was a heavy, suffocating silence. The classical music from the orchestra had faded away. Hundreds of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the city held their breath, their eyes wide with anticipation. They all watched Patriarch Sterling marching directly toward Dane.Everyone expected an explosion. They expected the powerful old man to scream, to demand that his security guards beat this insolent outcast and throw him into the street for ruining his granddaughter’s reputation all those years ago.But as Patriarch Sterling stopped just two feet away from Dane, the deep, burning anger on the old man's face completely melted away.The Patriarch stared into Dane’s cold, calm, unblinking dark eyes. He felt the terrifying, heavy pressure radiating from the younger man's body. In that split second, a memory hit the old man with the force of a speeding train.Years ago, Patriarch Sterling had been hunted. A terr