Chapter 1

Senator Harrison thought he knew what I wanted.

A seat at his powerful table, his ear, maybe even his bed if I played my cards like the other ambitious girls.

He was wrong.

Becoming his top confidante, his "political wife," that was never my ultimate ambition.

My goals were much, much bigger.

It started, as these things often do, with a public humiliation.

Tiffany, daughter of some new-money donor trying to buy influence, decided I was an easy target.

She cornered me at a fundraiser, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Chloe Cheney, isn' t it? From that quaint little town no one' s heard of? Still fetching coffee, are we?"

Her laughter was sharp, her friends joined in.

I smiled politely, murmured something about learning the ropes.

Inside, I cataloged her weaknesses.

Later that night, I wrote a short, encrypted email to my estranged father, Marcus.

"Tiffany. Donor: Henderson. Handle it."

He wouldn' t reply directly. He never did. But the problem would be dealt with.

Marcus was the Chief of Staff to "The Patron," a reclusive billionaire who pulled strings from the shadows.

My father was powerful, ruthless.

His actions, years ago, had driven my mother away, leaving me with a trust fund and a gaping hole where a family should have been.

He provided for me financially, always from a distance. This connection, this unseen power, was my hidden ace.

Before Marcus could make Henderson' s life difficult, things escalated.

My small, out-of-the-way apartment, chosen for its anonymity, was not anonymous enough.

I woke to the smell of gasoline, the crackle of flames.

A dark figure stood in my doorway, a heavy object raised.

I didn' t scream. I reacted.

Years of his money paying for self-defense classes kicked in.

I dodged, grabbed a heavy lamp, and swung.

The figure grunted, stumbled back.

The fire was spreading fast.

I knew I couldn' t stay. They would come back.

I smashed the window, climbed onto the fire escape.

I watched the flames consume my temporary life.

The next day, the papers would report a tragic accident, an unidentified young woman dead in an arson case.

Chloe Cheney was gone. Ava was on her way to Washington D.C.