Chapter 3

The Maybach glided to a smooth halt in the underground garage.

Allie stepped out of the car. Her heart was beating a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Usually, she would flee straight to the guest room to avoid him. But tonight, he had spoken to her without malice. She had to seize this microscopic crack in his armor.

She followed the quiet hum of his wheelchair all the way to the massive double doors of his study.

Curtis parked behind his sprawling oak desk. He didn't yell at her to get out. Instead, he pulled a cigar from a humidor, clipped the end, and lit it. He watched her stand awkwardly in the doorway through a cloud of thick blue smoke.

Allie took a deep breath, forcing her lungs to expand. She stepped into the room, enduring the crushing weight of his stare.

"I need money," Allie said, her voice shaking but clear. "I need you to pay the monthly fee for my mother's private care facility."

Curtis let out a harsh, barking laugh.

"There it is," he sneered, his eyes turning to ice. "The fox finally shows its tail. The good behavior, the little stunt at dinner... it was all a transaction."

Allie didn't defend herself. She let the insult hit her, absorbing the pain.

"And," she continued, digging her nails into her palms, "I want my enrollment status reinstated at Parsons School of Design."

Curtis's eyes narrowed dangerously. He studied her face, trying to calculate the angle. Why would a useless, gold-digging illegitimate daughter want to go to a grueling design school?

"I don't want to be a complete waste of space in this house," Allie explained, a tiny spark of defiance bleeding into her tone. "I need to finish my degree."

Curtis crushed the lit cigar into the heavy crystal ashtray. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk.

"You have zero leverage in this room," he stated brutally. "You are an accessory. You don't make demands."

Allie lowered her head. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.

"I know," she whispered. "I know I am nothing. But if you agree to this... I will obey every single rule you have. I will do whatever you command."

Her absolute, dignity-stripping submission irritated him. He wanted her to fight back. He hated seeing her act like a lifeless puppet.

"Fine," Curtis snapped coldly. "The money goes directly to the facility. You don't see a dime. You can go to school, but you will have a strict curfew. And if you do anything-anything-to tarnish the Deleon name, I will lock you away."

A flash of pure, unadulterated joy lit up Allie's eyes. She had secured her mother's life.

"Yes. Thank you. I promise," she breathed out.

That look of relief stung Curtis's paranoid nerves. He pressed the intercom button.

"Vance," Curtis ordered. "Handle the billing for the Danae facility. And get her reinstated at Parsons." He released the button and waved his hand at Allie dismissively. "Get out."

Allie practically ran back to her freezing guest room. She locked the door, slid down the wall, and buried her face in her hands, crying silently into the dark. The crushing weight on her chest had finally lifted just a fraction.

The next morning, Allie woke up before dawn.

She dug through her battered suitcase and pulled out her old, scratched drawing board and a stack of faded design sketches. For the first time in months, there was light in her eyes.

When she walked out of the penthouse building, a massive black Cadillac SUV was idling by the curb. Vance stood by the rear door, his face an emotionless mask.

"Mr. Deleon arranged this vehicle for your commute," Vance stated flatly.

Allie climbed into the spacious backseat. As the SUV navigated the bustling Manhattan streets, she looked out the window. She felt like a caged bird granted a temporary yard pass.

The car pulled up to the iconic gates of Parsons School of Design. The familiar scent of coffee and oil paint in the air made Allie grip the straps of her canvas tote bag tightly.

"You must be back at this exact spot by 4:00 PM," the driver warned her through the rearview mirror. "Or I report directly to Mr. Deleon."

"I will be here," Allie promised.

She pushed the door open and stepped out into the crisp autumn wind. She practically floated toward the administration building.

The clerk at the registrar's office was shocked by her sudden, fully-funded return, but the Deleon Group's backing cleared all red tape in minutes.

Allie walked out of the building clutching her new student ID card. She pressed the plastic square against her chest. It was the only proof she had that she was a human being with a future, not just a breeding machine.

She headed toward the library to pull reference books for the new semester. As she reached the steps, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She frantically dug through her canvas bag. Her hands came up empty.

Her old tablet. The one holding all her original sketches for the upcoming Emerging Designer Competition. It was gone.

Panic seized her throat. She remembered fumbling with her bag when she got out of the car. She had left it on the backseat of the Cadillac.

Allie spun around and sprinted back toward the main gate, praying the driver hadn't left yet.

Meanwhile, at the towering Deleon Group headquarters in Midtown, Curtis sat at the head of the boardroom table. He was listening to a quarterly earnings report, looking supremely bored and irritated.

The boardroom doors opened quietly. Vance slipped in and walked briskly to Curtis's side.

He leaned down and whispered, "Sir, the driver found a tablet in the backseat of the car that took your wife to school."

Curtis frowned. "Bring it here."

Vance handed him the battered device. Curtis pressed the power button. The screen lit up.

There was no passcode. The screen unlocked directly to a high-resolution, incredibly complex vintage fashion design sketch. The lines were aggressive, the detailing masterful.

Curtis's breath hitched. His eyes locked onto the screen, completely captivated by the explosive talent staring back at him.