I needed one lily to escape an arranged marriage. My childhood sweetheart, Maxton Benton, promised it to me—then handed it to the scholarship student he favored and made me a laughingstock. When I left Seattle, he bought up flights to stop me leaving. I did not turn back. Instead, I married Elmore Astley, the feared New York powerhouse who treated me with a tenderness I had never known. Over three years, I built my own fortune and quietly took control of the family that had discarded me. By the time Maxton regretted his choice, his new favorite had lost her standing, my enemies were falling, and I had discovered the secret behind my husband’s devotion.
