Chapter 5
Inside the moving town car, the rhythmic swipe of the windshield wipers offered a steady, hypnotic pulse against the chaos of the storm. Victoria unclipped her diamond earrings, letting them drop carelessly into the side compartment of the door.
She wasn't naive; she knew Julian would retaliate with every ruthless corporate weapon at his disposal. But the years of psychological suffocation inside that mansion had forged an iron will that no amount of wealth could break.
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Her phone vibrated sharply against the leather seat, illuminating her face with the glow of an incoming text message from an unknown number. The screen displayed a single chilling sentence: You won't survive forty-eight hours outside our walls, Victoria.
A slow, confident smile touched the corners of Victoria's lips as she powered the device completely off. She tossed the silent phone into her handbag, staring out into the neon-lit blur of the highway.
