1: THE FALL OF AN HEIRESS

NICOLE'S POV

The headline stared back at me from my phone screen, mocking me with its bold black letters.

"THE SHADOW BROKER STRIKES AGAIN: MARCHETTI INDUSTRIES FALLS."

My hands were shaking. My vision blurred as the words swam together and separated and swam again, but the meaning stayed the same.

The Shadow Broker.

The anonymous business mogul who had been haunting the corporate world for ten years. No face. No name. No identity. Just a legend whispered in boardrooms and feared in every executive suite across the city.

He took companies when they hit rock bottom. He bought their stock for pennies. He rebranded them, made them successful, and made a lot of profit off them.

And now he had taken mine.

Marchetti Industries.

My grandfather built this industry from scratch and made it one of the most successful in the city. My father took over the empire and took it to a different level.

As the only daughter and heir, it was my job to continue that legacy.

I worked so hard to prove myself worthy of this inheritance against all odds and disapproval, but in just three years of taking over after my father's death; I lost everything.

I stood in the empty courtroom hallway, my back pressed against the cold marble wall, and the court letter crumpled in my other hand. The words on the paper were burned into my memory.

Money laundering. Criminal conspiracy. Fraudulent transfers.

My signature on documents I never signed. Secret accounts in my name I never opened. Money that moved through my company like blood through veins I didn't know existed.

All my properties seized. My accounts are frozen. A summons for trial that was sent to me a week ago and the date was due tomorrow.

One more day to prove my innocence before I could be imprisoned for crimes I didn't commit.

I called Elliot.

The phone rang multiple times, then straight to voicemail.

I called again.

I called a tenth time.

"You've reached the office of Elliot Vane. I'm unavailable at the moment. Please leave a message."

"Elliot, please." My voice cracked. "Where are you? The trial is tomorrow. They're saying I could face prison. I don't understand what's happening. You said you would fix this. Please call me back."

I hung up.

*****************

TWO WEEKS EARLIER

Elliot held my hand across his desk at his law firm.

I had given him a lot of money from my savings five years ago to build this law firm as my support for his career.

I gave him connections and clients, and now he's a successful lawyer. I was so proud of him and never made him feel like he owed me anything because I loved him.

"Someone is trying to frame you, Nicole," he said, his voice calm and steady, the voice that had talked me through every crisis since my father died. "I think the Shadow Broker did this to get your company. But I'll fix it. I'm your attorney. I will not let them touch you."

I believed him and trusted him.

He had been my boyfriend for six years. He had been my legal advisor for three. He had been my rock through every storm.

We kept our relationship a secret because he didn't want people to think he used me to climb the social ladder. I understood. I wanted him to be respected for his talent, not because he was my boyfriend.

"Thank you so much, Elliot. I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he cupped my face and kissed me.

I kissed him back with the same passion.

He pulled back and rubbed my cheeks. “I'm here. You have nothing to worry about.”

***********

PRESENT

I was scrolling through social media, trying to distract myself from the impending trial while I waited for Elliot's call.

A post caught my attention.

“Congratulations to Elliot Vane and Vivienne Ashford on their engagement party tonight.”

I stared at the screen for a long minute and then shook my head.

It couldn't be him. It couldn't be my Elliot. There had to be a mistake.

“There's probably someone else named Elliot Vane.” I tried to convince myself.

But the doubt came again. Elliot hadn't answered my calls in three days.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I went to the Ashford building.

Security didn't stop me at first. I still looked like someone who belonged. That's the cruel trick of old money. You can lose everything and still carry yourself like a queen because of how you were raised.

I walked in, my black hair flowing down my back, my posture perfect, my expression calm and my chin held up high like the way I would walk into a conference room and stand in front of men who were old enough to be my father.

People recognized me and murmured, but I didn't care.

All my confidence crumbled when I saw Elliot in a tuxedo holding hands with Vivienne Ashford.

Greeting guests like he was the happiest man alive.

Vivienne Ashford was the heiress of Ashford Holdings. The niece of the current CEO who was my father's biggest company, rival, and now mine.

What was Elliot doing with her? My brain couldn't process what was before my eyes as I stepped closer to them.

"Elliot?" My voice trembled slightly.

He turned but didn't look surprised to see me. His expression remained calm and collected.

"Miss Marchetti," he said coolly. "Why are you here?”

Miss?

My boyfriend of six years, who made promises to me, kissed me, made love to me, and worshipped me like I was the woman who ruled his world.

He was standing next to another woman and acting like I was a stranger.

Vivienne stepped forward with an innocent face. She was young and beautiful and looked at Elliot with so much love in her eyes.

How long has this been going on behind my back?

Then she turned to me with a smirk on her face. “Miss Marchetti, it's so nice of you to grace us with your presence, I didn't expect you to come spend your last day of freedom with us.”

"Elliot, what is this?" My voice shook. "What's going on?"

Vivienne turned to him. “Baby, do you still have business with her? Didn’t you quit being her legal advisor because you didn't want to be involved in her crimes?”

He didn't hesitate.

"I did quit, but she's been trying to use our past professional relationship to manipulate me into representing her." Elliot responded calmly.

My mouth opened in disbelief.

"She's been at my neck for days," Elliot continued, his voice smooth and practised. "She tried to seduce me into helping her and also blackmailed me with it.”

"That's not true!" I found my voice. "Elliot, what are you talking about? We've been in a relationship for six years. How could you do this to me?”

The crowd gasped, and all eyes were on us.

"What?" Vivienne's voice was sharp, and her face went pale. "What the fuck are you talking about? Elliot and I have been together for a year now.” She turned to Elliot. “What is she talking about?”

"Trust me, baby, she's just making up nonsense to cause trouble and drag me down with her. She's been blackmailing me," he said. "She tried to seduce me, and when I rejected her, she threatened to expose our 'relationship' to ruin my engagement. That's what she's doing right now. There was no relationship between us.”

He pulled out his phone and showed Vivienne a photo of us kissing in his office.

"She came to my office and forced herself on me two weeks ago," Elliot said. "She took the picture and blackmailed me with it. I couldn't tell you because I thought you wouldn't believe me.

"That's a lie!" I screamed. "How could you do this to me Elliot? We've been together for six years, we loved each other and you promised to help me. Why are you doing this?” Tears streamed down my face.

The crowd began to murmur.

“How could she be so shameless?”

"Trying to seduce a man to save her from going to prison.”

"She was always too proud for her own good. Now she’s been put in her place."

“She always acted like she was above everyone because she became a CEO at a young age. But she was actually a criminal. She's going to rot in jail.”

“She has the guts to show up here and try to ruin the engagement. Pathetic.”

The words felt like thorns to my flesh but my eyes were fixed on Elliot. “Elliot…” my voice failed me.

"Get her out of here," Vivienne ordered. "Now."

Security grabbed my arms. But I couldn't fight them, my body was numb and I kept staring at Elliot, hoping this was some kind of prank.

Elliot turned away from me and pulled Vivienne into a hug.

I let myself get dragged out of the party and threw me onto the pavement.

I landed in front of a luxurious man's shoe and I could see the reflection of my face in it.

His strong and attractive cologne filled my nostrils and forced me to look up.

It was none other than Adrian Ashford.

CEO of Ashford Holdings. My family's rival for two generations.

Adrian Ashford took over as the CEO at a young age after his elder brother, who was the heir, suddenly died of a terminal illness.

He was a ruthless and emotionless business man who cares about business more than any family or blood relations. That's why he had never been married or seen in an official relationship.

He looked down at me with a cold expression.

Handsome in a way that made my chest ache. Breathtaking and alluring like a work of art. He was thirty five years old but looked younger than I expected.

I had never had a close encounter with him. I had always avoided him because our companies were enemies. But we've ended up in several events together when I used to represent my father and after I became the CEO.

“What is this?” He asked in a deep commanding voice that made my body shivered.

"Mr. Ashford…" I started.

He didn't let me finish.

"Get her out of here," he said to his guards. “Stop letting criminals in.”

He walked away into the hall without sparing me another glance.

I didn't let the security touch me, I stood up and walked outside the building on my own

My legs were barely carrying me, and I broke down as soon as I stepped outside the gate.

I couldn't breathe, my tears came pouring fast. My chest heaved as I tried to control it but I couldn't.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I sobbed loudly without restraint.

Elliot was supposed to defend me, he was my only hope to survive this.

But he betrayed me and humiliated me publicly.

My phone buzzed in my hand and I clicked on the notification that popped up on my screen.

My pictures with Elliot were everywhere.

The photos of us kissing in his office.

His face was blurred, but mine was bold and clear for the whole world to see.

"THE HEIRESS SEDUCTRESS: How Nicole Marchetti Tried to Blackmail Elliot Vane."

"MARCHETTI'S LAST DESPERATE ACT: A criminal and a seductress.”

"FROM HEIRESS TO WHORE: Nicole Marchetti's Shameful Fall."