Chapter 5

The Escalade tore up the long, winding driveway of the Dudley estate. It slammed on the brakes directly in front of the massive, tiered marble fountain. The heavy tires dug deep grooves into the pristine white gravel.

The estate was ablaze with light. Crystal chandeliers glowed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the main house. The circular driveway was already packed with a fleet of Maybachs, Rolls-Royces, and Bentleys. Men in tuxedos and women in glittering couture gowns stood on the manicured lawns, holding champagne flutes and laughing.

Brecken shoved his door open before the car even fully settled. He didn't cast a single glance into the backseat. He stepped out, aggressively adjusted his cuffs, and instantly plastered a flawless, charismatic smile onto his face as he walked toward a group of Wall Street executives.

Abbey was left alone in the dark cabin.

She pushed the heavy rear door open. The cold night air immediately sliced through her thin gray hoodie. She gripped the door frame, gritted her teeth, and hauled her dead right leg out of the vehicle. Her worn sneaker hit the gravel with a pathetic crunch.

A valet in a crisp uniform jogged up to the car. He stopped short when he saw Abbey. His eyes swept over her baggy, faded clothes and her messy hair. A look of blatant disdain flashed across his face. He rudely stepped around her, snatching the keys from the ignition without a word.

Abbey adjusted the strap of her canvas bag over her shoulder. She looked like a ghost haunting a billionaire's playground.

She turned away from the grand front entrance. She dragged her right foot, limping heavily as she walked around the side of the massive stone building. She navigated the dark bushes and pushed open the heavy oak door that led to the servants' corridor near the kitchens.

The hallway was chaos. Maids in black-and-white uniforms rushed past her, carrying silver trays piled high with caviar blinis and crystal flutes. No one spared her a second glance.

At the end of the corridor stood Martha Donovan, the estate's head housekeeper. Martha was a severe woman with a tight bun, currently barking orders into a walkie-talkie.

Abbey limped up to her.

"Where is my room?" Abbey asked. Her voice was raspy from disuse.

Martha's expression froze, her fingers tightening around her walkie-talkie until her knuckles turned white. She shot Abbey a rapid, sweeping glance, her eyes filled with restrained disgust and a flicker of genuine panic. She did not drop her device, nor did she scream, but her posture stiffened defensively.

"Miss Abbey," Martha said stiffly, her previous arrogance vanishing into a poorly concealed look of revulsion. "Madam instructed that you are to go straight to your room and change into your gown the moment you arrive."

"Is my room still the same one?" Abbey asked, ignoring the woman's horror.

Martha swallowed hard, looking away. "No. Your old room was converted into Miss Emmie's secondary walk-in closet three years ago. Your new room is in the attic. At the very end of the hall."

Abbey gave a single, slow nod. She didn't argue. She didn't yell. She turned and began the agonizing climb up the narrow, unlit servants' staircase.

Her right leg burned with every step. By the time she reached the fourth-floor attic, her hoodie was soaked in cold sweat.

She pushed open a flimsy wooden door. A cloud of dust and the sharp smell of mildew hit her face.

The room was smaller than her prison cell. It held a rusted iron cot, a single bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a rotting wooden wardrobe. There was no heating.

The wardrobe door hung open on a broken hinge. Inside, a single piece of clothing hung on a wire hanger.

It was not a designer gown. It was her old Seacrest Preparatory Academy school uniform from five years ago. The pleated skirt was frayed at the hem. The white button-down shirt was yellowed with age around the collar.

Abbey walked over. She reached out and ran her fingertips over the coarse fabric of the blazer. Her eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits.

A sudden roar of applause and heavy bass music vibrated through the floorboards.

Abbey turned and walked to the tiny, slanted skylight. She pushed the glass open a crack and looked down.

The entire back gardens had been transformed into a sprawling, pink-themed wonderland. A massive, three-story-high holographic projection floated above the swimming pool.

The glowing letters read: Happy 23rd Birthday to our Princess, Emmie!

Abbey stared at the hologram. The final puzzle piece clicked into place.

This wasn't a welcome-home dinner. It was never about her. The family had timed her release perfectly. They brought her home today just to parade her around as a broken, convicted criminal. They wanted to use her absolute misery to highlight Emmie's pure, flawless perfection.

They wanted her to hide in the corner, wearing trash, feeling ashamed of her existence.

Abbey stepped back from the window. She reached down and grabbed the hem of her gray prison hoodie. She pulled it over her head and threw it onto the dusty floor.

She reached into the wardrobe and grabbed the yellowed white shirt.

If they wanted a freak show, she would give them one. She was going to walk right into the center of their glittering world and burn it to the ground.