Chapter 1 Shards of Pain

"Why am I tied up? Why can't I see anything? How do I get this blindfold off? Where... where the hell am I?" Cleopatra's voice cracked, raw and ragged, her panic clawing its way up her throat. Darkness pressed in from every side, her hands struggled uselessly against the bindings, and her heart raced as if trying to escape her chest. Every second felt like a lifetime, and terror wrapped around her like a vise.

Footsteps scraped closer to the car. Cleopatra froze, every muscle tensing the moment the doors swung open. Two figures slid inside one claiming the driver's seat, the other perching beside him with a taut, urgent energy that made her pulse spike.

"What the hell are you talking about? This wasn't our agreement!" Guinevere's voice dripped with bitterness and hate.

"Since when do you give orders?" Anthony snarled. "Without me, you wouldn't have accomplished anything. Stop being ungrateful and remember your place."

"Still, if I hadn't tricked her into meeting me, you wouldn't have this opportunity," Guinevere snapped. "Now tell me, what exactly do you plan to do with her?"

Cleopatra remained limp, feigning unconsciousness as she strained to catch every word. Then, without warning, Anthony twisted in his seat and shot a sharp glare toward the back.

"She's still knocked out. Why are you in such a hurry, Guinevere?" he asked coolly.

"What kind of question is that?" Guinevere hissed. "You know how much of a threat she is to me."

Anthony's eyes narrowed, a sharp, assessing glint cutting through his gaze as it swept over Guinevere's face, as though he were trying to peel back every mask she wore.

"Don't tell me you're still afraid of her. She never even made it into modeling; we made sure of that, and she never will." His voice held cold certainty.

"Then what do we do with her?" Guinevere snapped. "Let's just kill her already! We're wasting time, she could wake up any second!"

"What the hell?!" Anthony exploded.

"Oh, please you... you still have feelings for her, don't you?" Guinevere burst into laughter, sharp and unrestrained, the sound bordering on hysteria as it filled the confined space of the car. "My cousin has been completely bewitched. Damn it!" Rage and disbelief twisted her features as she slammed her palm against the dashboard, the impact echoing like a gunshot

"That's not it," Anthony growled, jaw tightening.

"What do you mean, 'not it'? Have you slept with her?" she demanded.

"Not yet," he said, frustration seeping from every word.

"Then that explains everything," she sneered, her lips curling with bitter amusement. "You're parading around like some ridiculous knight in shining armor." Her hands shot out, seizing his hand with a grip that was possessive and unyielding.

"Why don't you just sleep with her already?" she went on, her voice dripping with mock generosity. "I'll even give you space." Her eyes gleamed coldly as she leaned closer. "When you're done, call me back and then we'll kill her." A cruel smile stretched across her face. "We'll end this once and for all."

"Hell no!" Anthony barked.

"For God's sake, Anthony, we're running out of time!"

"Shut up, Guinevere!" he roared. "I'm not killing her, I have something far worse in mind. She's not dying; she'll be mine to control." A twisted smirk curved his lips.

"Then what do you plan to do?" she murmured, reclining slightly in her chair, her gaze sharp.

"I'm taking her to my mansion on Dawnspire Mountain, in Eban. She will spend the rest of her life there pleasing me," Anthony said, a satisfied smirk curling his lips.

"What if she escapes?" Guinevere shot back.

"No one escapes that place," he said, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction. "It's completely isolated and surrounded by water miles from the nearest town."

Anthony slid open the glove compartment, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and tossed one to her with a casual flick of his wrist.

"Let's smoke outside. I'm still not okay with your plan," Guinevere muttered, sticking the cigarette between her lips.

"Too bad," he murmured, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "My decision is final."

They stepped out of the car, each movement slow and deliberate. The night seemed to hold its breath, shadows stretching long across the ground as if the world itself sensed the danger they carried.

Cleopatra froze, her heart hammering in her chest. The searing hatred in the eyes of her best friend and the one she loved cut through her like a jagged blade. Panic clawed at her throat, and an urgent, desperate need to escape surged through her. She had to get out. Now.

Luckily, her hands were tied in front of her. She bent forward, sinking her teeth into the duct tape until it finally gave way, then tore the blindfold from her eyes. With a swift tug, she slipped off an earring and used it to Saw through the tape binding her legs. A surge of adrenaline shot through her as she broke free, every nerve screaming with relief and urgency.

She pressed the unlock button and slipped out of the car in silence, their voices clashing in a heated argument up front, completely unaware of her presence.

"This is my only chance to escape," she muttered to herself.

She dropped onto all fours on the slick, rain-soaked asphalt. Pain shot through her knees and hands, but she forced herself forward, every movement fresh agony.

In that heated moment, he rushed to the car, only to find Cleopatra was no longer there. Anthony's furious shouts tore through the rain. "How did she escape with her hands and feet tied?! Damn it! Get in the car, now!" he bellowed at Guinevere.

Cleopatra's heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the chaos around her as Anthony's furious shouts cut through the storm. She dove behind a pile of abandoned debris, barely daring to draw a breath. Anthony's car screeched to a halt just meters away, the roar of the engine vibrating through her bones. Red taillights glared like angry eyes, he was coming back.

In an instant, her eyes scanned the wreckage before settling on a narrow weep hole just beyond the debris. It was small, barely enough but it was her only chance.

Meanwhile, Anthony and Guinevere stepped out of the car, the world around them seeming to hold its breath with every movement.

"CLEOPATRA! I know you're still here! You'd better come out, while I'm still being merciful!" Anthony's roar thundered through the air.

"I told you to kill her!" Guinevere screamed, yanking at her hair and tapping her feet. "If she escapes, it's over!"

"Just shut up and find her! She can't be far," Anthony snapped.

Cleopatra trembled at the sound of their voices calling her name. If they caught her, horrors beyond her imagination awaited especially knowing that Anthony was capable of anything. Steeling herself, she crawled into the narrow passage leading to the weep hole.

"If I crawl through that hole, I can lose them," she whispered.

Anthony and Guinevere's voices rang out behind her, sharp and insistent, calling her name. She crept forward in silence, every inch a battle, edging toward the opening until a jagged shard of glass tore into her hand, sharp pain shooting up her arm.

"Ah-ah!!" Cleopatra screamed, then clamped her hands over her mouth as hot tears fell. Her voice cut through the rain, making Anthony and Guinevere freeze, eyes wide in shock.

"Did you hear that?" Guinevere whispered.

"Yeah, a scream. She's close." Anthony's eyes darted around. "You go that way, I'll take this side."

"With all this noise, it'll be difficult to trace where it came from," Guinevere's voice called out, barely audible over the downpour.

"Still, go back in the direction I pointed!" Anthony snapped, his glare drilling into her as he gestured sharply toward the path.

As it unfolded, Cleopatra welcomed the rain like a blessing, the cold drops cascading over her battered body. She tightened her grip on the broken bottle, wrenched it free, and pressed on. Dragging herself forward with only her left arm, she fought through each agonizing movement, every inch a brutal contest against exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Anthony searched frantically, his gaze snapping to a narrow opening in the wreckage.

"Guinevere, come this way! There's a weep hole here!"