focus. She was lying in her bed-the king-sized one with the sleek, minimalist headboard she'd chosen to match the penthouse's aesthetic. The air smelled of he

h caught.

eep. The sight of him-her husband, her betrayer-sent a surge of rage through her, so intense she nearly shook him awake. But something stopped her. This was

on, the smart speaker on the nightstand she'd argued with Cedric about-it was all here, but different. The digital clock glowed so

e city below buzzed with morning traffic, not the autumn stillness she remembered from her final days

The charity gala-the night her downfall began, when Cedric and Marianne's affair became undeniable-was tonight. Th

lawless, her eyes bright but haunted by the naivety she now despised. She touched her face

his voice groggy. "Ellie?

lue eyes, once her everything, now made her skin crawl. "Couldn't sleep,"

her heart. Good. Let him underestimate her. She slipped into the walk-in

eading rumors of her "instability." Marianne had been there, dazzling and cunning, cementing her role as Cedric's partner while playin

ho had died on that ballroom floor. She had knowledge-painful, hard-w

e the muted tones she'd worn to please Cedric. Tonight, she would not blend in. She

ic controlled the financial accounts, but she knew where he kept the encrypted files-on a private server in his home office. If she could access them, she could find evidence of his siphoning funds to fuel his polit

securing it with a silver hairpin-her mother's, a reminder of the strength s

*

her betrayer-sipping a latte, her blonde hair catching the light, made Eleano

said, her voice sugary. "Is that dr

up." She sat, accepting a coffee, her eyes locked on M

just for a moment. "You know me, I love a good party

elf as the future of her father's company while subtly undermining her. She sipped her coffee,

nor mirrored it, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and adrenaline. She w

acked the server password-thankfully, he still used the same predictable one. The files were there, their data revealing discrepancies she

*

her like armor. Her reflection was no longer naive. It was sharp, calculating, alive with purpose. She tucked her phone

the air. Cedric waited in the lobby, his smile polished but dist

vering. "Thank you, darling. T

stark contrast to Eleanor's emerald. The three of them stepped into the ballroom, the crowd parti

egun. And so h

contin