glittering sea of people murmuring praise. My solo exhibition. The culmination of a de

sn't. It

g was alw

ad been trapped in the back office, smoke filling my lungs, the roar of the flames a living thing. Liam, who was just a rapidly rising tech star back then,

g tech startups that were nipping at his heels and dismantled them. He to

aw it too, at first. I felt cherished, special, shielded by his immense power.

is arm a heavy, possessive weight around my waist. He was smiling, hi

voice booming with pride. "I knew it the moment I saw her. A

ance. Hi

o. I smiled, the practiced, hollow smile of an artist who h

e crowd

I sa

. She had the same wide, curious eyes I once had, the same wild, dark hair I'd long since tamed into a sleek bun at Liam'

a ghost. The ghost of

smile touched his lips. It was a smile I had n

r just for me. He released my waist and strode tow

ose name I learned was Scarlett, looked

carlett's shoulder. "Meet Scarlett. She's an incred

ly at me, a chal

ribs. I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bo

stood in the main hall, surrounded by my life's work. My p

s clasped behind his back, look

, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "But a new star need

nal work, a raw, chaotic canvas of color and pain that depicted my feelings after

e voice he used right before he was about to be exceptiona

left m

" I wh

lection of her own brilliant beginnings, anoints her successor. You will gift her your most iconic piece.

. Liam, you can't be serious. Not

ening. "Art is meant to be seen, to create impact

h a mixture of confusion and hope. She wanted

I said, my voice

revealing the cold, hard predator beneath. He walked slo

said, his voi

d to block him, my body acting on p

e talons. With his other hand, he unhooked the painting from the wall. The

hove

I fell hard, my head hitting the concrete floor with a sickening th

e was carefully propping the painting against the wall, then turning to Scarlett

he cold, empty space on the wall where "Echoes of the Fall"

ds trembling. The screen

His New Protégé, Scarlett, with a Symbo

Ava Monroe Gifts Masterpiece to Newc

e her, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. The caption quoted him: "True artistry isn't about

tion. He had wrapped it up in a p

control. A legac

, and the darkne