Chapter 1 - The Blackout.The black SUV glided through the neon-lit streets of the city like a phantom.
Inside the heavily armored vehicle, the silence was absolute.
I stared out the tinted window, watching the glittering skyline that I had secretly bought and paid for.
My phone vibrated violently in my hand.
It was a frantic text from Andrew's chief financial officer.
I did not bother to read it before tossing the device onto the leather seat next to me.
The man sitting in the passenger seat turned around slowly.
His name was Victor, and he was the head of my family's private security syndicate.
"The initial asset freeze is complete, Ms. Escalante," Victor said in a low, gravelly voice.
I nodded once, my eyes never leaving the passing streetlights.
"Did they realize it yet?" I asked coldly.
Victor checked the encrypted tablet in his hands.
"Mr. Whitmore's primary black card just declined at a high-end jewelry store," Victor replied.
A grim smile crept across my face.
Andrew was probably trying to buy Brenda another diamond to celebrate my departure.
"Cut the power to the mansion," I ordered.
Victor tapped the screen of his tablet twice.
"Done," he confirmed.
Ten miles away, the massive crystal chandeliers in the Whitmore estate instantly went black.
I could almost hear Margaret screaming in the dark.
My family, the Escalante cartel of corporate tycoons, had controlled global markets in the shadows for generations.
Andrew thought I was just a naive secretary he had rescued from a mediocre life.
He never bothered to look into the shell companies that funded his entire existence.
Every contract, every loan, every piece of real estate was quietly held by Escalante Holdings.
Tonight, the illusion was officially shattered.
The SUV descended into an underground bunker beneath the city's tallest skyscraper.
Heavily armed guards stood at attention as my vehicle rolled to a stop.
I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking sharply against the polished concrete.
My father, Alejandro Escalante, was waiting for me by the steel elevator doors.
He was a ruthless man, feared by politicians and mobsters alike.
"You took your time, Mariana," my father said, his dark eyes analyzing my bruised cheek.
"I wanted him to feel invincible before I broke his legs," I replied softly.
My father gently touched the red mark Andrew had left on my face.
"He will lose much more than his empire for touching you," my father promised.
I shook my head, my heart completely hardened.
May you like
"No, Father," I said.
"I am going to destroy him myself."
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