Chapter 1: The Woman They Never Investigated
"Dad..."
"Seal the exits."
I spoke into my phone without raising my voice, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.
Above me, crystal chandeliers bathed the charity gala in golden light.
Champagne flowed.
Diamonds sparkled.
Billionaires laughed as though nothing in the world could disturb their perfect evening.
No one looked at the bruise forming beneath my eye.
Or perhaps they did...
And simply decided it wasn't their problem.
The man who had slammed me against the marble wall straightened his custom-tailored cufflinks, wearing the satisfied smile of someone who had never been told "no."
He stopped in front of me.
"Still calling for help?"
His friends erupted into laughter.
Several guests glanced at my torn sleeve...
My tangled hair...
The blood staining my lips...
Then calmly looked away.
No one wanted to challenge the heir of the city's most powerful family.
Because everyone in that ballroom believed the same thing.
I was alone.
I had already lost.
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Deploy the security unit."
My voice was steady.
Cold.
"Lock down the entire estate."
A brief pause.
Then one answer.
"Yes, ma'am."
The call ended.
The heir threw back his head and laughed.
"So cute."
"You actually think someone's coming to save you?"
More laughter rolled through the ballroom.
A few guests even raised their champagne glasses, treating my humiliation like the night's entertainment.
To every person in that room...
The story had already reached its ending.
They thought they were watching the final moments of a helpless woman.
Slowly, I slipped my phone back into my purse.
The fear in my eyes was gone.
Only certainty remained.
I lifted my gaze toward the security cameras mounted high above the ballroom.
Then...
I smiled.
BOOM.
A deafening metallic crash ripped through the building.
The laughter died instantly.
Another explosion of steel echoed down the corridors.
Then another.
Heads whipped toward the exits—
Just as reinforced steel barriers slammed into place.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Every doorway disappeared behind solid steel.
The orchestra stopped mid-note.
Champagne glasses froze halfway to waiting lips.
Silence.
Then panic.
"What the hell is happening?"
For the first time that night...
The smile vanished from my attacker's face.
Confidence drained from his eyes.
He stared at the sealed exits.
Then back at me.
His throat tightened.
"W-What did you do?"
I took one slow step forward.
"You made one fatal mistake."
His voice barely escaped.
"...What mistake?"
My smile grew colder.
"You thought these doors were built to keep people out."
The final locking mechanism engaged with a thunderous CLANG that echoed across the ballroom.
Every exit was sealed.
Every window was secured.
No one was leaving.
I looked straight into his terrified eyes.
"No."
May you like
"They were built..."
"...to make sure no one gets out."
