Chapter 1

For seven years, I was the secret weapon behind my fiancé Josh Palmer's political career. I was the ghostwriter, the strategist, the one who used my family's hidden resources to make him a star.

On my way to our engagement party, a news alert flashed across my phone. Josh was on live TV, announcing his engagement to a famous anchor, Kassandra Dixon.

When I confronted them, Kassandra mocked me, calling me a "useful workhorse" before her bodyguards beat me to the floor.

But her true cruelty was finding my late mother's journal.

She ripped it to shreds and ground the pieces into the marble with her stiletto.

In that moment, staring at the tattered remains of my mother's memory, the naive girl who loved him died.

They made a fatal mistake. They thought they had broken a powerless girl, but they had just awakened a queen. My name is Aurora Tyler, and my reign was just beginning.

Chapter 1

AURORA BRUCE POV:

The limo glided through the city streets, a luxurious cocoon separating me from the buzzing world outside. I traced the condensation on the window with my fingertip, a nervous habit. My heart pounded a rhythm against my ribs, a mixture of excitement and disbelief. Seven years. Seven long years, and tonight was finally it. I smoothed the fabric of my dress, a sleek emerald green that shimmered under the faint interior lights. It was a dress chosen for an engagement party, our engagement party.

My phone, lying forgotten on the plush leather seat beside me, suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up with a news alert. It was a breaking story from WBN, a major national network. I usually ignored these things when I was on my way to something important, but something, a cold premonition, made me pick it up.

The headline flashed, stark white against a crimson background: "Palmer Poised for Senate Run: Confirms Engagement to WBN' s Kassandra Dixon."

My breath hitched. The words blurred, then sharpened, stabbing into my mind. Palmer. Josh Palmer. My Josh.

A featured video autoplayed below the headline. The face of the WBN news anchor, Kassandra Dixon, filled the screen, her smile dazzling, almost predatory. Then, Josh appeared beside her, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. His eyes, usually so warm when they looked at me, were alight with a calculating ambition I' d never seen directed my way.

"Congressman Palmer, congratulations on your impending Senate campaign and, of course, your engagement!" the reporter gushed.

Josh leaned into the microphone, his voice smooth, confident. "Thank you. It' s an exciting time. Kassandra' s support, both personally and professionally, will be invaluable as we embark on this journey." He smiled at her, a possessive, public display, and she returned it with an equally manufactured adoration.

My world tilted. The luxurious car, the excited anticipation, the emerald dress – it all felt like a cruel joke. Ice water poured through my veins. It wasn't just a headline; it was a public execution.

"Ms. Bruce, are you alright?" Marcus, my driver, asked, his voice calm, oblivious. He caught my eye in the rearview mirror. "You look a little... pale."

"Turn on the news, Marcus," I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. "WBN."

He nodded, pressing a button on the dashboard. The in-car screen flickered to life, showing the same image. Josh and Kassandra, a picture-perfect couple. The reporter was still talking, her words a buzzing in my ears.

"A formidable pairing, wouldn' t you agree, Congressman? The political prowess of Palmer combined with the media savvy of Dixon. A true power couple."

Josh chuckled, his eyes meeting Kassandra' s in a way that used to be reserved for me. "Indeed. We' re very much looking forward to what the future holds."

Future. Our future, I thought, seven years of our future, just shattered on live television. Seven years of ghostwritten speeches, late-night policy debates, endless campaign strategy sessions fueled by my family' s untraceable money. Seven years of me, in the shadows, believing in us.

I remembered the early days, the endless hours I poured into his fledgling career. The way he' d look at me after a successful debate, his eyes full of admiration, whispering, "You're a genius, Aurora. My secret weapon." I remembered the private promises, the quiet dreams of a life built together, where my brilliance would elevate him, and his success would be our success. It was all a lie. A calculated, political maneuver.

On screen, Kassandra leaned in, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "It' s truly a partnership built on shared values and a common vision for the future of our state." She squeezed Josh' s hand, a gesture of intimacy that felt like a punch to my gut.

Shared values? Common vision? My stomach churned. A text message notification popped up on my phone, making me flinch. It was from Josh.

"Running a little late, babe. Major press conference just came up. Meet me at the venue? Can' t wait to celebrate with you tonight."

My fingers clenched around the phone. The words were hollow, a grotesque echo of the betrayal playing out on the screen in front of me. He was still calling me "babe," still spinning his lies, even as he announced his engagement to another woman to the entire nation. He expected me to show up, like a good little girlfriend, to our supposed engagement party, while he cemented his political future with his new, telegenic fiancée.

A cold, hard clarity began to settle in, replacing the shock and the pain. My grandfather' s words, spoken years ago when I first started seeing Josh, echoed in my mind. "Be careful, Aurora. Men like him, they see opportunities, not people. Make sure he sees you, truly sees you, before you give him everything." I had dismissed it then, blinded by love. But Harrison Tyler, my reclusive, powerful grandfather, always knew. He' d agreed to my "test" of Josh, giving him the hidden resources, watching from the shadows. And now, the test was over.

The casualness of his text, the blatant disrespect, ignited a spark of something fierce and dangerous within me. It wasn' t just about the betrayal; it was about the utter contempt. He thought I was a fool. A useful workhorse, easily discarded.

My hand still gripped the phone. My thumb hovered over the contacts. I didn't need to call my grandfather directly. I had other ways. I had been preparing for years, building a network, a shadow organization, just in case. They were loyal to me, not to Josh.

My fingers flew across the screen, typing out a series of encrypted commands. The message was concise, clear, and utterly devoid of emotion. "Initiate Protocol V. Target: Josh Palmer. Commence immediate deep dive and systemic destabilization. Priorities: Financial, Political, Reputational. Confirm receipt."

A moment later, a single, coded response flashed on my screen: "Confirmed. Execution underway."

The car was still moving towards the venue, towards our venue, but I knew now that our destination had changed. The engagement party was off. The game was on.

"Marcus," I said, my voice now steady, colder than I'd ever heard it. "Change of plans. Take me to the Dixon Tower. The WBN building."

He looked surprised in the rearview mirror, but didn't question it. "Right away, Ms. Bruce."

The limo made a smooth U-turn, the city lights a blur outside. Dixon Tower, a gleaming monument to media power, loomed in the distance. Tonight, it would be the stage for a different kind of announcement. Tonight, the pact of secrecy was over.

My heart was no longer pounding with excitement but with a chilling resolve. Josh Palmer had made a fatal mistake. He had woken a sleeping dragon, and now, he would face its fire.