I stared out the window as the jet made its descent. I had told Sasha I would be flying out of Italy the next morning, but among other things, that had been a stretch of the truth. It wasn’t that I cared too much that she knew what time I was leaving the country—it was that I didn’t trust myself.

Ever since the moment I turned and walked away from the girl, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her curves. Her features. The way she looked at me, the way she laughed when I said something funny. Everything about her was so captivating I simply could not get her out of my mind. But I was in London on a different matter, and I knew I had to go through with what I went there to do.

Travel by private jet was much faster than by commercial airline, but it certainly wasn’t as fast as I would have liked. I knew my impatience largely came from the agitation I felt about my journey, but I didn’t care what the cause of it was—I was frustrated with how slow everyone around me was moving, and I wanted to get this over with.

London boasted many beautiful hotels, but I wasn’t there to see the city. I was there to see a person—a girl. I chose the most luxurious room available and spent the night tossing and turning as I debated on what I was going to say the next day. I did my best not to think of the blond American I had met on the beach, and instead focused my energy on my upcoming wedding—a wedding for which I didn’t have a bride.

Though I did everything in my power to fall asleep, I ended up spending most of the night staring at the ceiling and forming my proposal in my mind. I knew it would be pointless to try to bring in any romance. I felt nothing for this woman. She was shallow, uninteresting, and only cared about money and appearances.

Sophia Beckenham-Huxtable was her name, and becoming the mistress of some grand estate was the game she played. I had to admit, if there was anyone my parents would approve of as my wife, it would be this woman. She came from blue blood and knew how to carry herself with the most exquisite of the elite.

She was perfect company when she was in the presence of anyone of power or influence, and she knew what it meant to put on a show for those who were watching.

I had called the day before to let her know that I wanted to speak with her in person. Sophia had insisted that she send someone to meet me when I got off the plane and I spend the night at her mansion, but I had declined, not wanting anything to happen between us before I got the chance to talk to her.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t control myself around her, but she and I did have somewhat of a history together, and I knew there would be no way I could discourage her advances without pissing her off and making it less likely she would agree to my proposal.

Then again, I did know that her family had taken several financial hits over the years, and their wealth was virtually gone. Of course, Sophia did her best to keep up appearances: continuing to go to parties and hang off the arms of those who were rich and successful, playing the part of the rich girl who just couldn’t seem to pay for anything—even going so far as to claim she was in the process of buying more land to add to her estate.

I didn’t care about any of that. Really, I didn’t. Sophia and I only really saw each other when we bumped into each other at parties, and even then, I didn’t spend much time talking to her if I could help it. When I did so, it was only a matter of time before I’d end up stuck there for hours, listening to her talk about herself—and only herself.

Politely, I would ask her how she was doing, and rudely, she would never return the favor. By the end of any excursion, I would know everything she wanted me to know and wished I would believe, but she knew next to nothing about me. Everything she knew about me was the result of some kind of gossip she gleaned from any source she felt was reliable, though whether the source was truly reliable or not was left up to the judgement of the listener.

After hours of staring up at the ceiling, I finally fell asleep. It was a fitful night as I tried to find a comfortable position on the hotel bed, but I knew that I was going to need my rest. If there was one thing Sophia knew how to do, it was play a field until she got exactly what she wanted. I knew if I was going to approach this woman and come out on top, I was going to have to be well rested.

Sophia knew what she wanted in life, but not in an ambitious kind of way. No—she was looking for someone to sink her claws into, and a checkbook that would finance the rest.