Chapter 1 - The Rain and the Reawakening
The freezing rain felt like a baptism as I stood on the sidewalk outside the towering glass facade of the Elysium Resort. Just ten minutes ago, I had been the co-founder, the visionary, the wife. Now, I was a woman shivering on the curb, publicly humiliated by the man I had loved for nine years.
Julian thought he had won. He thought he had severed the dead weight.
But as I put my phone back into my pocket, a dangerous smile crept across my face. The black Maybach materialized through the downpour, pulling up smoothly to the curb. The rear door opened, and my father’s head of security, a towering man named Vance, stepped out with a massive umbrella.
"Miss Elena," Vance said, his voice a low rumble. "Your father is waiting on the secure line. The board has already been convened."
I stepped into the heated, leather-scented interior of the Maybach. On the built-in screen, my father’s face appeared. Richard Sterling, the unseen puppet master of global real estate.
"I told you nine years ago he was a parasite, Elena," my father said softly.
May you like
"You were right, Dad," I replied, staring out the tinted window at the glowing resort sign. "Burn it down. Burn his whole world down."
"With pleasure," my father smiled. "The shell companies are being dissolved as we speak. By 2:00 AM, Julian won't even have the authority to order room service."
