Chapter 3

Alya slipped into a plain, high-collared blouse that was closer to a servant's uniform than the attire of a resident. She made her way down the grand, curving staircase to the breakfast room. The air was thick with the scent of coffee and entitlement.

Her stepmother, Inez Monroe, sat at the head of the long mahogany table. She glanced up as Alya entered, her lips tightening in a familiar expression of distaste. She adjusted a massive diamond ring on her finger, the gesture a casual dismissal.

Alya ignored the silent judgment. She moved to her usual spot at the far end of the table, a silent declaration of her place in this family. She took a single piece of dry toast from the silver rack.

The click of heels on marble announced the arrival of her half-sister. Chloe Harrell swept into the room, a vision in a silk pajama set that probably cost more than Alya's entire wardrobe. She radiated the effortless confidence of someone who had never been denied anything.

Chloe tossed a seating chart onto the table. "Alya, you're sitting with Warren Thorne at the dinner tomorrow night."

Alya's fingers went slack. The piece of toast fell from her hand, landing on the polished floor with a soft, pathetic crunch. She looked to her father, Gilberto Harrell, for some kind of intervention.

He didn't look up from The Wall Street Journal. His silence was her answer.

Warren Thorne. The name sent a wave of nausea through her. He was a ruthless hedge fund manager in his late fifties, with a reputation for collecting young, beautiful things-and discarding them just as quickly.

"I... I don't think-" she began, her voice a weak tremor.

Inez cut her off with a cold laugh. "You don't think? That's correct. You don't. You will remember that the roof over your head and the food on your plate are gifts, not rights."

Chloe slid a large, glossy gift box from a nearby chair and pushed it across the table toward Alya. A peace offering from a victor. "Don't worry, I even picked out your dress. You need to look the part."

Alya's hands felt numb as she lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in layers of tissue paper, was a dress the color of blood. It was silk, but there was shockingly little of it. The neckline plunged, and the back was almost entirely bare.

It wasn't a dress for a society dinner. It was bait.

A cold dread settled in her stomach. She could feel her fingernails digging into the edge of the expensive box.

Chloe leaned in close, her voice a venomous whisper in Alya's ear. "That's what you're for, little sister. You're the bargaining chip. Don't screw it up."

Alya squeezed her eyes shut. The image of a dark car on a rainy street flashed behind her eyelids. A boy with calm eyes. A world away.

She forced her eyes open and made herself breathe. She looked at Chloe, then at Inez, then at her father's newspaper. She was a pawn on their board. For now.

"Thank you," she whispered, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.

Chloe's smile was triumphant. She turned away to pour herself a cup of coffee, her victory absolute.

Alya stared at the red dress. It was a price tag, and she was the product being sold.

She closed the lid, the sound a soft click of finality. Her nail had scraped a thin white line across the glossy black surface of the box.

"Brenda," Inez called to the housekeeper hovering by the door. "Make sure Alya is properly... presented for Mr. Thorne tomorrow."

Brenda nodded, her eyes flicking to Alya with the same contempt as her employers.

Alya picked up her plate, the uneaten toast a symbol of her choked-down protest. She walked out of the breakfast room, her back straight.

In the hallway, she leaned against the cool wall, the facade crumbling. She gasped for air, her lungs feeling tight and small. Her hand dove into the pocket of her simple skirt, her fingers finding the familiar, worn fabric of the handkerchief.

She pressed it to her chest, rubbing the embroidered 'L' with her thumb. It was the only thing that felt real in this house of mirrors. The only thing that was truly hers.

She thought of her mother, Flo. She thought of the boy in the storm. She thought of how utterly powerless she was.

Her gaze drifted up to the small, dark eye of a security camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. She stared into it, her expression blank, but behind her eyes, something hard and cold was beginning to form.