Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 5

Valerie's POVThey all said it was a robbery gone wrong. They said an armed intruder broke into Roody's study and killed him for money but I didn’t believe a word of it.The sound of dirt hitting his casket was the worst sound I had ever heard. It didn’t sound like earth or mud. To me, it sounded like a heavy door slamming shut—closing my old life forever.I stood at the edge of the grave, unmoving. Rain soaked through my black veil and clung to my face like ice. I looked at the people gathered around the grave—men in expensive suits, women in black silk, all shedding carefully measured tears.In this city, Roody Sergio had been a king. And kings weren’t killed by thieves. They were killed by those who wanted their throne. I cried until my throat hurt. I didn't care if the mourners gossiped about how loudly I was sobbing–I didn't even care if they were looking at me.I knew what they were really thinking—how long it would take before Roody’s empire collapsed, and who would be first to

Valerie’s POV“You can’t do this!” I wanted to scream the words, to chase after them, but my voice stayed trapped in my throat as I watched the red taillights of the SUVs disappear into the thick gray fog. They drove away calmly, as if they hadn’t just destroyed my life, leaving me standing there alone—soaked, shaking, and frozen in disbelief.For a moment, I couldn’t move. Then panic slammed into me as I turned and ran toward the massive front gates of my father’s penthouse, my heart pounding so violently it hurt. I reached for the handle, expecting it to open the way it always had, the way it had since I was a child.Instead, my hand struck something cold. I looked down and gasped. Heavy iron chains were wrapped tightly around the bars. Two massive red locks hung at the center, gleaming beneath the security lights like angry, watching eyes. I grabbed the bars and pulled with all my strength, desperation surging through me—but they didn’t move an inch.“No!” I screamed, my voice crac

Valerie's POVThe rain followed me as I drove, thick and heavy, blurring the city lights into long, broken lines. I didn’t even know where I was going. I only knew I couldn’t stay still. Every street felt unsafe. Every red light felt like a mistake.My hands hurt from gripping the steering wheel too tightly, my chest still burned from crying, and my mind replayed the same images again and again—Mike’s cold eyes, Sarah’s smile, the fifty-dollar bill on the floor. I swallowed hard and kept driving.After a while, I pulled into a filling station at the edge of the city. It was nearly empty, just one old car parked near the pumps. The overhead light flickered, buzzing softly like it might die at any moment. I parked beneath it and turned off the engine.The silence felt too loud. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against the steering wheel. My body shook as I tried to breathe. In. Out. Slow. The way my father had taught me when fear tried to take control.Fear is useful, he used to