Chapter 13  The explosion ripped through the ballroom like thunder cracking open the sky.  Glass shattered. Screams pierced the air, raw and high. The marble floor split under the pressure,…

Chapter 12  The ballroom glowed with soft golden lights, crystal chandeliers humming above the crowd like a quiet storm. Cameras flashed. Waiters moved like clockwork. Every table shimmered under the…

Chapter 11  The room was dim and heavy with silence-except for the faint static hum of the hidden receiver echoing through the walls.  Matteo’s voice spilled from the speakers, calm…

Chapter 10  The papers spread across the table like a map of lies.  Sam flipped through the stolen documents, eyes narrowing as he scanned the logos of powerful backers. “This…

Chapter 9  The TV cast a cold glow across the room, washing everything in flickering shades of blue and gray. I sat in the corner of the couch, back straight,…

  Chapter 8  Later, in the main hall, Rupert was holding court. Laughing. Sipping his drink like he hadn’t sold his soul for power and perfume. And then his eyes…

Chapter 7  The woman in the mirror wasn’t Ivanna Rossi.  Not anymore. Her name was Aria Vale now.  Birthplace: Marseille.  Mother: Deceased.  Father: Unknown.  Occupation: Luxury estate liaison for a…

Chapter 6  My cheeks were sunken. My skin-gray, waxy. A long, angry scar slashed across my abdomen, aint but cruel. And my hair… it was gone. Buzzed down to the…

  Chapter 5  The next few days after I “died” didn’t feel like anything at all. I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’ hinking. I wasn’t floating or reaching for light or…

Chapter 4  I don’t remember when they took me into surgery even when I clearly told Chris I’m not having surgery. It was like my body gave up but my…