LAURA CARDIFF

Laura 

Seven months.

Seven months of sweating out my old life in Quinn’s private gym. Seven months of speech therapy to find the voice Hemsworth had spent years trying to silence. Seven months of learning the dark, jagged secrets of the entertainment industry from the man who sat at the very top of the food chain.

I looked at the woman in the mirror. I was still curvy, still the girl who had been mocked for her size, but now my body was a weapon. The tailored, midnight-blue silk dress clung to my skin like a second layer of confidence. The neckline was daring, showing off the faint, silvery scar on my side—the one that reminded me I had literally given my life to a man who didn't want me.

"Are you done admiring the work of my stylists, or are we going to be late to our own party?"

I turned. Quinn Cardiff was leaning against the doorframe of my dressing room. He was wearing an all-black tuxedo, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar to reveal the black ink of a tattoo crawling up his throat. He looked like an Alpha who had just claimed a new territory.

"I’m ready.” 

Quinn walked toward me, his boots clicking against the marble floor. He stopped just inches away. The scent of expensive cologne and rain hit me instantly.

"You look dangerous, Laura," he murmured. His eyes scanned me from my head to my heels, lingering on the way the dress hugged my hips.

"That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"The plan was to make you an actress. I didn't expect you to become a goddess." He reached out, his hand hovering near my waist before he caught himself and pulled back.

The rule. We had a strict 'no touching' policy outside of public appearances. Ever since that night he kissed me after the accident, he had been the perfect professional. He apologized the next morning, saying it was an adrenaline-fueled mistake. But the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't watching told a different story.

"We have a script to follow tonight," Quinn said, his voice dropping an octave. "You aren't just my new signee. You're the lead in The Last Ember. Every A-list shark in this city is going to want a piece of you. Don't let them scent your fear."

"I don't have any fear left, Quinn. Hemsworth took it all when he took my kidney and my dignity."

"Good." Quinn offered his arm. "Then let’s go show that lone wolf what happens when he loses his Luna."

The Titan Media Gala was held at a private estate in the hills, a place where the paparazzi were kept at bay by men with ear-pieces and cold stares. The air was thick with the smell of jasmine and desperation. It was the night the industry reset its hierarchy.

As we stepped out of the car, the flashes began. Even from the private entrance, the energy of the crowd was palpable.

"Stay close," Quinn muttered. "And remember, you don't know him. If he approaches you, you treat him like a fan who’s overstayed his welcome."

We entered the ballroom. It was a sea of silk, diamonds, and forced smiles. And there, right in the center of the room, was the man who had ruined me.

Hemsworth Deluca looked radiant. He was holding a glass of champagne, laughing at something a director was saying. Standing beside him, her hand possessively on his arm, was Ember. Her baby bump was visible now under a tight gold dress. She looked smug, like she had already won the war.

They hadn't noticed us yet. The crowd was too thick, the music too loud.

"They look happy," I whispered, the old pain flickering in my chest for a split second.

"They look like actors playing a role," Quinn countered, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back—a rare break of the rule. "Wait for the reveal, Laura. The moment the CEO of Titan Media introduces his new 'Queen,' the spotlight will only have room for one person."

We moved through the room like ghosts. Quinn stopped to talk to a few high-level executives, introducing me only as 'the new face of the project.' I played the part of the mysterious ingénue, giving short, intelligent answers that left them wanting more.

I watched Hemsworth out of the corner of my eye. He was playing the 'devoted husband-to-be,' occasionally leaning down to whisper something in Ember's ear. Every time he did, she would giggle and look around the room to make sure people were watching. It was a performance. A cheap, low-budget one.

Then, the lights dimmed.

The music faded, and a spotlight hit the small stage at the end of the ballroom. Quinn squeezed my hand once before letting go and stepping up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Quinn’s voice boomed, commanding the attention of every soul in the room. "Tonight, Titan Media isn't just announcing a movie. We're announcing a legacy. Many of you have been asking who won the lead role in The Last Ember. Many of you thought the role belonged to the established A-list."

He looked directly at Hemsworth. A cold, predatory smile touched his lips.

"But I don't look for stars. I create them. Tonight, I want to introduce you to the woman who will define the next decade of this industry. The new face of Titan Media. My lead. My partner."

Quinn looked toward the wings of the stage, where I was standing.

"Laura Cardiff."

The silence was deafening. I stepped into the light.

I didn't look at the cameras. I didn't look at the directors. I looked straight at Hemsworth.

The transformation was absolute. My hair was a dark, shimmering wave. my makeup was sharp, highlighting the cheekbones that had been hidden under layers of sadness for years. I walked with the grace of someone who owned the room, my heels clicking like a countdown.

I saw the moment it happened.

Hemsworth was mid-sip of his scotch. His eyes locked onto mine. His pupils blown wide. He didn't just recognize me; he was seeing a ghost that had come back to haunt him in the body of a queen.

Beside him, Ember’s face went from smug to ghostly pale. Her hand tightened on Hemsworth’s arm so hard her knuckles went white.

"Laura?" Hemsworth’s voice wasn't audible over the sudden roar of the crowd, but I saw his lips form the word.

He was shaking. The glass in his hand tilted.

He didn't even notice as the expensive amber liquid began to pour out, splashing directly onto the front of Ember’s gold dress.

"Hemsworth!" Ember shrieked, jumping back, but he didn't look at her. He didn't help her. He couldn't take his eyes off me.

The crowd began to murmur. The paparazzi inside the room were losing their minds. Who was this woman? Where did Quinn Cardiff find her?

Quinn stepped toward me as I reached the center of the stage. He didn't care about the cameras. He didn't care about the scandal. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my skin.

"See?" he whispered, loud enough only for me to hear. “He  just lost his touch."

I smiled, a slow, dangerous curve of my lips. I looked back at Hemsworth, who was standing there with a soaked tuxedo and a shattered expression.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Deluca?" Quinn asked into the microphone, his voice dripping with mock concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Hemsworth took a step toward the stage, his face a mask of rage and confusion. "What is this? Quinn, what the hell is this?"

"This is business, Hemsworth," Quinn replied coldly. "And you’re standing in the way of my lead actress."

Ember was frantically wiping at her dress, her eyes darting between me and the cameras. "This is a joke. She's... she's a nobody! She's a fake!"

"Careful, Ember," I said, my voice carrying through the quieted room. I didn't need a microphone. "You're ruining your gown. And we wouldn't want the baby to feel all that stress, would we?"

The room gasped. The implication hit like a freight train.

Hemsworth lunged forward, but Quinn’s security was already there, forming a wall of black suits.

"Get out," Quinn said, his voice no longer loud, but deadly. "Before I decide to tell the press exactly where my lead actress got her start."

As Hemsworth and a sobbing Ember were ushered toward the exit, Quinn turned back to me. The chemistry between us was so thick it felt like a physical weight.

He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear.

"The hunt has officially begun, Laura. Are you ready to finish them?"

I looked at the closed doors where my past had just been kicked out.

"I'm just getting started."

But as I looked back at Quinn, I saw him looking at his phone. A message was open.

Unknown: She looks beautiful in blue. It’s a shame she’s going to die in it tonight.

My heart stopped. Quinn’s grip on my arm tightened until it hurt. He didn't show the message to me. He just looked at the crowd, his eyes scanning for a killer.

"We need to leave. Now," he hissed.