Chapter 1

Eleonora's eyes snapped open.

She gasped for air, her chest heaving as she bolted upright on the hospital bed. The phantom sensation of cold wind rushing past her ears and the terrifying weightlessness of falling from a skyscraper still gripped her body.

Her hands trembled violently. She raised her pale fingers and pressed them hard against her cheeks. The skin was smooth and intact. There was no shattered bone, no blood pooling on concrete.

The muffled sounds of Manhattan traffic filtered through the thick glass window, pulling her out of the lingering horror of her suicide nightmare.

The chilling accuracy of the nightmare sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn't just a dream; it felt like a memory burned into her soul. Fear was a luxury she could no longer afford. Her brain worked rapidly, aligning the tragic plot of the dream-a story where a girl named Addisyn was the beloved protagonist and Eleonora was the disposable villain-with her current reality.

Eleonora turned her head. The clock on the pristine white wall read exactly one o'clock in the afternoon.

She reached for the smartphone resting on the bedside table. The screen was blank. There were no missed calls.

According to their agreement, her father, Clyde, was supposed to pick her up at ten o'clock this morning to take her home.

She unlocked the screen and opened her messages. A short text from Clyde, sent ten minutes ago, sat at the top of the list.

"Emergency board meeting. Take a cab back to the estate."

Eleonora let out a low, cold laugh. The sound was harsh in the quiet room. She remembered the date clearly. Today was Addisyn's eighteenth birthday.

The nightmare was already proving true. Her father's absence cleanly severed the last pathetic thread of hope she held for his affection.

She threw off the thin white hospital blanket. Her bare feet hit the freezing linoleum floor with a solid thud.

Walking to the narrow wardrobe, she stripped off the sterile hospital gown. She pulled on a sharply tailored khaki trench coat, tying the belt tightly around her thin waist.

She faced the mirror and hooked a black medical mask over her ears. It covered the stress-induced rash blooming across her lower face, leaving only her dark, unyielding eyes visible.

Eleonora picked up her phone. She ignored Clyde's contact entirely and dialed the number marked as an emergency contact.

The line rang twice before a deep, anxious voice answered. "Eleonora? Are you alright?"

"Clyde didn't show up," Eleonora stated, her voice flat and devoid of any self-pity.

A loud crash echoed through the speaker, sounding like a heavy object slamming into a wooden desk. "That hypocritical bastard!" her uncle, Emory Bryant, roared.

"Stay exactly where you are," Emory commanded, his voice tight with rage. "I am sending my personal motorcade to get you right now."

"No," Eleonora said softly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Just send one black SUV. Keep it low-profile. I don't want the media tracking this."

She hung up the phone. She shoved a few heavy medical textbooks and a laptop into a black canvas duffel bag, zipping it shut with a sharp pull.

She pulled open the door to her ward. A nurse named Leona was pushing a medication cart down the hall and stopped, her eyes widening in surprise.

Eleonora gave Leona a brief, respectful nod, a silent thanks for months of care.

She gripped the handles of her duffel bag and walked down the long corridor toward the VIP elevator, her steps measured and firm.

She pressed the down button. The metal doors slid open smoothly, and she stepped inside.

As the doors closed, she caught her reflection in the polished steel. The cold, hard glint in her eyes belonged to a survivor, not a victim.

The elevator chimed as it reached the underground parking garage. A bulletproof black Cadillac SUV was already idling near the doors.

A driver in a crisp black suit stepped out immediately. He bowed his head and took her heavy duffel bag, placing it carefully into the trunk.

Eleonora slid into the back seat. The heavy door shut, instantly cutting off the harsh smell of exhaust and hospital bleach.

She leaned back against the cool leather seat and closed her eyes.

"Take me to the Carlisle estate in Long Island," she ordered quietly.