Chapter 8

Herminia walked blindly along the dark asphalt. The sharp gravel bit into her bare heels, scraping off the skin until she felt the warm trickle of blood.

The wind cut across her face like a physical blade. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

A low howl echoed from the dense trees in the distance. Her stomach tightened in primal fear.

She pulled her phone from her pocket, praying for a signal to call a cab. The top left corner of the screen read: No Service.

Just as a wave of true despair threatened to pull her under, two blinding beams of light cut through the darkness behind her.

A silver Aston Martin slammed on its brakes right next to her. The tires shrieked against the road, leaving thick black marks.

The driver's door flew open. Ignacio jumped out, his coat half-on. "I threatened to call the police on his guards the second they let up," he panted, his chest heaving. "I tracked your phone's last location before it lost signal. I couldn't believe he would actually just leave you out here!"

He ran to her, his eyes wide with panic and fury. He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Herminia's freezing, rigid body hit his warm chest. For a second, her walls almost cracked.

Ignacio ripped off his heavy cashmere coat-still warm from his body heat-and wrapped it tightly around her shivering shoulders.

He guided her into the passenger seat and immediately blasted the heater to the maximum.

Ignacio got into the driver's seat. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles popped. "That animal. I'm going to kill him."

Herminia leaned her head against the leather headrest. She watched the dark trees blur past the window. Her voice was incredibly weak, but entirely steady.

"Don't say his name," she whispered. "It's completely over."

Ignacio looked at her. There were no tears in her eyes. There was only a terrifying, empty wasteland.

He reached over and gently patted the back of her cold hand. "Whenever you need me, I am here."

Herminia slowly pulled her hand away, avoiding his intense gaze. "Just take me back to the city."

The Aston Martin glided through the night. An hour later, they pulled up to the glowing entrance of a five-star hotel in downtown New York.

Ignacio booked the Presidential Suite for her.

When they reached the door, Herminia politely but firmly refused his offer to stay with her. She closed the heavy door, locking him out.

She walked straight into the marble bathroom. She turned the shower to the hottest setting and stood under the scalding water, scrubbing her skin until it was red, washing away the freezing mountain air and the lingering scent of Bradley Elliott.

After the shower, she put on a thick white bathrobe and sat at the desk. She opened the hotel's computer.

She logged into the MY Corporation internal network. She stared at the disastrous financial reports, her eyes turning as sharp as broken glass.

She picked up her phone and dialed Anne. It was 3:00 AM, but Anne answered on the first ring.

"Notify all senior executives," Herminia commanded, her voice hard as iron. "Emergency board meeting at 8:00 AM sharp."

Anne paused for a second, then let out a loud squeal of excitement. "Are you finally coming out of the shadows?"

Herminia looked at her reflection in the dark window pane. "Anna is back."

The next morning, the sun pierced through the grey clouds. Herminia stepped out of the hotel wearing a razor-sharp, tailored black power suit.

Her lips were painted a fierce, blood-red. She stepped into her four-inch stilettos.

A black Rolls-Royce Phantom glided to a stop in front of her. Anne opened the back door. Together, they drove straight toward the MY Empire.