Chapter 1: The Call That Broke the Empire
The line went silent after my father’s words, but I didn’t need reassurance. I knew that tone. Calm. Controlled. Absolute.
Behind me, Adrian laughed again, though it sounded thinner now. “What was that? Calling daddy to come save you?”
Vanessa smirked, adjusting the blue diamond at her throat. “Pathetic.”
I said nothing. I simply turned and walked down the long gravel driveway, barefoot, bleeding, but no longer broken.
Halfway down the road, a black car emerged through the rain—silent, sleek, unmistakable. It stopped beside me.
The driver stepped out instantly, holding an umbrella over my head. “Miss Claire,” he said respectfully. “We’ve been expecting your call.”
I slid into the back seat without looking back.
But behind us, at the gates, something had already begun.
May you like
Inside the mansion, the lights flickered again.
And this time, they didn’t come back on.
