CHAPTER 1

ZARIA POV

The heavy, metallic scent of expensive perfume always made my head spin, but today, it felt suffocating.

I stood outside the grand double doors of the Ellison Corporation penthouse boardroom, clutching a leather-bound folder against my chest. Today was the day. My twenty-fifth birthday. The exact day my late father’s will dictated that the entire Ellison empire—the real estate holdings, the shipping lines, the billions in offshore accounts—would officially be handed over to me.

I should have been ecstatic. I was finally fulfilling my dad's legacy. But my chest felt tight, an inexplicable weight pressing down on my lungs.

Just nerves, I told myself, taking a deep, stabilizing breath. You’re just overwhelmed.

I smoothed down the fabric of my tailored white dress, the one Tristan had picked out for me. Tristan. My fiancé of three years, the man who had held my hand through the darkest days after my parents died. In just an hour, he would be sitting by my side as I signed the papers.

I reached for the sleek silver doorknob, but stopped when I heard voices muffled through the thick mahogany wood.

"The notary is already on his way up, Julian. Is everything set on your end?"

It was Aunt Elena’s voice. Cold, sharp, and business-like. My mother’s sister. The woman who had taken me in, but always looked at me as if I were a smudge on her pristine glass table.

"Everything is perfectly tracked, Elena. Don't worry," a smooth, familiar voice replied.

My heart skipped a beat. Tristan. But his tone wasn't the warm, gentle cadence he used whenever he spoke to me. It was dripping with a chilling arrogance that made my skin crawl.

"Once Zaria signs the transfer of administration over to me as her sole proxy, the board won't be able to question a single transaction," Tristan continued, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "The girl is completely clueless. She thinks we’re looking at wedding venues this weekend."

I froze. My fingers felt like ice against the silver doorknob. My mind scrambled, trying to process his words, desperately hoping I was just misinterpreting a joke. Clueless? Proxy? What is he talking about?

"Make sure she signs the specific indemnity waiver, too," Aunt Elena added, her tone utterly detached. "Once the funds are rerouted to our Swiss account, we can't have any loose ends. The girl has her father's stubborn streak. If she finds out we’ve been bleeding the secondary accounts dry, she’ll ruin everything."

"She won't find out," Tristan said, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "Because she won't be around to file a lawsuit."

The hallway seemed to tilt. The bright LED lights overhead suddenly felt blinding, making my vision blur. My breathing turned shallow, jagged rags of air tearing through my throat. They weren't just stealing my inheritance. They were talking about getting rid of me.

"The brake line on her car is already taken care of," Tristan murmured, his voice casually dropping a bomb that shattered my entire world into a million jagged pieces. "A tragic accident on the winding coastal road on her way to the birthday dinner. The grief-stricken fiancé inherits the estate as the designated beneficiary in her draft will. It’s foolproof."

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a sob. The man I loved. The aunt who raised me. They were planning my murder like it was a mere line item on a corporate budget. The betrayal hit me like a physical blow to the stomach, leaving me hollowed out and reeling.

Panic, pure and primal, took over. I needed to get out of there. I needed to run.

But as I stumbled backward, my heel caught on the edge of the plush hallway rug. The leather folder slipped from my grip, hitting the marble floor with a loud, echoey thud. Papers scattered everywhere.

Silence fell inside the boardroom.

"Did you hear that?" Aunt Elena’s voice sharpeneed.

Footsteps hurried toward the door.

I didn't bother picking up the papers. I turned and bolted toward the emergency exit stairwell, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I shoved the heavy door open, throwing myself down the concrete steps, the sound of my own frantic breathing echoing in the enclosed space.

"Zaria! Wait!"

Tristan's voice boomed from the top of the stairs, no longer smooth, but dark and menacing.

I didn't look back. I ran out into the underground parking lot, tears blinding my eyes. I couldn't take my car—he said the brakes were compromised. I ran toward the rear exit of the building, bursting out into the blinding afternoon sun, heading blindly toward the jagged cliffs of the private overlook path behind the corporate estate. It was a tourist spot, usually empty during weekdays. I just needed to reach a public space, to find someone, anyone, to help me.

The wind whipped my hair across my face as I reached the edge of the cliff path, the roaring ocean crashing violently against the sharp rocks hundreds of feet below.

"Zaria, stop running! You're making this so much harder than it needs to be!"

I spun around, panting, my back pressed against the rusted metal safety railing. Tristan stood a few feet away, his pristine suit completely out of place against the wild, rugged cliffside. The warmth in his eyes was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, calculating void.

"Why?" I screamed, the wind tearing the sound from my throat. "I loved you! We were supposed to build a life together!"

Tristan sighed, taking a slow, predatory step forward. "You were a means to an end, Zaria. Your father built an empire, but he left it to a naive little girl who doesn't know the first thing about power. Elena and I? We know how to run this world."

"You won't get away with this," I choked out, tears burning my cheeks. "The board... the police..."

"The police will find a tragic accident," he cut me off, snapping his fingers softly. He closed the distance between us in a flash, his grip locking onto my wrists like handcuffs. "You should have just stayed inside and signed the papers, sweetheart. It would have been much less painful."

I fought back, kicking and screaming, using every ounce of strength I had left to break his grip. I managed to sink my teeth into his hand.

Tristan cursed, flinching back, and in his rage, he shoved me hard against the old railing.

The rusted metal gave way with a deafening screech.

The world flipped upside down. The sky and the ocean blurred into a chaotic spin as gravity violently violently ripped me downward into the dark, roaring abyss.

I hit a jagged rock outcropping halfway down, a searing, blinding white pain exploding across my face and body before everything went completely black.