Chapter 1

The ballroom glittered, a sea of diamonds and champagne for Ava Thompson's eighteenth birthday.

Her father' s media empire spared no expense.

Ava, in a white gown, felt like a princess, her childhood sweetheart Liam Carter by her side, her older brother Ethan beaming.

Then Chloe Miller, an intern, launched her "revolutionary" pyrotechnic drone show.

A surprise, she' d called it.

Sparks rained down, beautiful for a second.

Then a drone veered, a fiery comet.

It slammed into the elaborate floral arch near Ava.

Screams.

Ava felt a searing heat, then blackness.

She woke to agony, her face and leg consumed by fire.

Ethan was a storm of fury beside her hospital bed, Liam' s face pale with rage.

"That intern, Chloe! She' ll pay for this! We' ll sue her into oblivion!" Ethan vowed, his voice tight.

Liam squeezed her hand, his touch meant to soothe. "We' ll get the best doctors, Ava, you' ll be okay."

They showered her with promises, with care that felt suffocating.

Then, the words started.

Flickering in her vision, like phantom subtitles on the pristine white ceiling.

LOL, this heiress is so dramatic. She totally walked into the display. The new girl Chloe is way more interesting.

Ava blinked. The words remained.

OMG, Ethan and Liam are so gonna fall for Chloe. Watch them use this 'punishment' as an excuse to see her. #EnemiesToLovers arc incoming for Chloe!

A cold dread seeped into Ava, deeper than the burns.

If Ava knew Ethan and Liam would eventually throw her into a hellish 'rehab' to please Chloe, she'd probably have a meltdown now. LMAO.

She tried to speak, to ask what this was, but pain choked her.

These couldn't be real.

A frantic assistant, Ms. Davies, burst into the private room, her face ashen.

"Mr. Carter! Chloe Miller, the intern, she' s critical! Something happened at the detention center! Mr. Thompson is already with the specialist they called for her!"

Liam, who had been whispering comforting words to Ava, froze.

His gentle facade shattered, raw panic exposed.

He dropped Ava's hand.

"Chloe? Critical?" he stammered, already moving.

Ava, weak, reached out, her fingers brushing his expensive suit. "Liam, don' t go, please. She did this to me."

Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

He turned, his eyes, moments ago filled with concern for Ava, now held a desperate, almost wild look.

"Ava, be reasonable," he snapped, his tone harsh, unfamiliar. "Chloe is... special. We can't let her die. She has so much potential."

Ava stared, her heart cracking. The live feed in her vision pulsed.

Liam's 'concern' for Chloe is so obvious. He's already hooked! Ava's good days are OVER.

He was already at the door.

"Liam!" she cried, trying to push herself up, pain shooting through her leg.

He didn't look back.

He ran, abandoning her.

The horror, the feed, it was all real.

Ava chasing him on her cane is pathetic. #WashedUpHeiress

The feed showed her future self, a detail she couldn't yet comprehend, but the mockery was clear.

Tears streamed down her bandaged face, mixing with the antiseptic smell of the room.