Chapter 3

Florence Horton POV

The marrow extraction had been agony.

It felt as though they were drilling into the very core of my existence, siphoning out the last drops of warmth I possessed.

But I hadn't asked for anesthesia. I refused it.

I wanted to feel the violation. I wanted to sear the memory of this pain into my bones.

Two days later, I walked into the offices of *Carroll & Whitehead*.

I wore a black suit-tailored, sharp, armor for the wounded. My hair was pulled back into a severe knot, and I wore no makeup to mask the deathly pallor of my skin. I looked like a ghost. Or perhaps an executioner.

I raised my keycard to the sensor.

It didn't beep. instead, the little red light blinked frantically at me.

*Access Denied.*

I pressed the intercom button, my finger lingering on the plastic. "It's Florence."

"One moment," the receptionist's voice crackled, trembling with nerves.

A buzz signaled the lock releasing, and the glass doors slid open. I stepped into the lobby I had designed. The vein-cut marble floors, the vaulted ceiling that caught the morning light-it was all my vision, my sweat, my lines on paper.

I bypassed the reception and went straight to my office.

The door was ajar.

Kenzie was sitting in my chair.

She was twirling a pen-*my* pen, a Montblanc I'd received at graduation-and laughing at something on her monitor. She looked sickeningly healthy. Radiant, even. My marrow must have been a potent vintage.

"You're in my seat," I said, my voice cutting through her laughter.

She jumped, the pen clattering to the desk, before she settled back, a smirk curling her lips. "Julius said you were taking a sabbatical. To recover from your... mental breakdown."

"Get out."

"I'm the Creative Director now, sweetie. Julius promoted me this morning." She stood up, smoothing the fabric of her skirt with exaggerated slowness. "He thinks the firm needs a fresh perspective. Your designs are so... dated."

She picked up a roll of blueprints from the desk, unfurling them carelessly. "Like this Museum project. It's boring. I'm adding more glass. More flash."

I glanced at where her finger rested on the plans. "That is a load-bearing wall, Kenzie. If you put glass there, the roof collapses and kills everyone inside."

She rolled her eyes, tossing the plans aside. "You're always so negative. That's why Julius is tired of you."

Leo, a junior architect I had mentored since he was an intern, hurried past the door. He froze when he saw me, his eyes widening in genuine shock.

"Mrs. Carroll," he whispered, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the coast was clear. "Thank God. The union reps are furious. Kenzie changed the concrete supplier to a non-union vendor to cut costs. They're threatening to walk off the site."

"I know, Leo," I said softly. "Keep your head down. Don't let them see you talking to me."

"Florence!"

Julius's voice boomed from the hallway.

He marched toward us, flanked by two security guards I didn't recognize. Hired muscle. Cheap suits, dead eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, stopping inches from me. "I told you to stay home."

"I work here, Julius. I own forty-nine percent of this company."

"Not anymore," he sneered. He threw a thick manila folder onto the desk between us. "You're disruptive. Unstable. The Board voted this morning in an emergency session. You're out."

"The Board?" I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "You mean your golf buddies?"

"Sign the papers, Florence. We're buying you out. Fair market value."

"I built this company," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous low. "I brought the contracts. I drew the lines. You just shook the hands."

"You were a glorified decorator!" he shouted, his face flushing a mottled red. "I did the real work! Me!"

He signaled to the guards. "Escort her out."

One of the guards stepped forward, grabbing my arm. His grip was rough, bruising.

"Don't touch me," I hissed.

"Make her leave," Kenzie chirped from behind the safety of my desk. "She's scaring me, Julius."

Julius looked at me. There was no love left in his eyes. Only annoyance. Only the look of a man dealing with a pest. "You heard her. Get her out."

I didn't move. I planted my feet and stared him down.

"You want me out?" I asked. "Fine. I'll sell. One hundred million."

"You're insane," Julius spat. "You'll get ten, and you'll be grateful."

"One hundred," I repeated. "Or I burn it down. I will burn this entire firm to the ground."

Kenzie let out a high, incredulous laugh. "She's threatening us, Julius! Slap some sense into her!"

It was a test. A violation of every code of conduct, a breach of basic humanity.

Julius looked at Kenzie, then back at me. I saw the calculation in his eyes. He wanted to impress her. He needed to demonstrate his power.

He stepped forward and slapped me.

It wasn't a hard slap-it was dismissive. Insulting.

My head snapped to the side. The sting bloomed hot and fast on my cheek.

The office went dead silent. Somewhere behind me, Leo gasped.

Slowly, deliberately, I turned my face back to him. I tasted the metallic tang of copper in my mouth.

I didn't hit back. I didn't scream. I just stood there, memorizing the feeling. The exact weight of his hand. The gleam of triumph in Kenzie's eyes. The flicker of cowardice in his.

"Okay," I said. My voice was dead, void of all emotion. "I'll sign."

I reached out and picked up the pen Kenzie had been playing with. I signed the paper without reading a single word.

"Smart girl," Julius said, adjusting his cuffs as if he had just finished a business lunch. "Now get out."

The guards shoved me toward the elevator.

I didn't look back. I didn't need to. I had seen enough.

They thought they had broken me. They thought I was walking away defeated.

They didn't know I had just marked them for death.