Prologue

Somewhere in the Depths of a Forest...

The little girl's heart was pounding so hard in her chest that each beat was a loud and frantic cry for her to get away. Crawling in the underbrush, she attempted to make herself as small and invisible as possible. Her tiny hands, which were now cut and bleeding, clutched to the hard bark of a tree as she did so. Every rustle of leaves sent a bolt of anxiety through her body, and the air was thick with the smell of soil and fear for her to breathe in.

Far from the reach of her bereaved parents, she was alone and terrified caught in a dream from which there appeared no release. The guys who had grabbed her were cruel and heartless; their eyes were icy, and their words were harsh. They saw her as nothing more than a bargaining piece, a pawn in a brutal game she had no idea about. The darkness that surrounded her was a reflection of the emptiness that existed within their hearts; it was devoid of compassion and indifference.

There was, however, a glimmer of optimism that lingered even in the midst of this living nightmare. There were other children who were caught up in this labyrinth of terror besides her. They had discovered each other in the shadows, and their shared terror brought them together in a fragile tandem of courage. Others, who were also terrified, had likewise found each other. They shared hushed plans of escape with one another, which served as an essential ray of hope in an atmosphere where there was little hope.

As soon as they finally took action, however, the entire situation began to turn against them. The deep woodland turned into a terrifying maze, with every shadow concealing threats that were impossible to see. Her companions perished one by one, their cries of despair resonating through the darkness before being overwhelmed by the foreboding silence.

At that point, she was by herself.

Disoriented, terrified, and all by herself, the young girl made her way through the dense woodland, her legs shaking with tiredness as she made her way through the thick forest. The branches of the trees reached out to her like skeletal hands, preparing to drag her back into the abyss. The trees towered above her like black sentinels. She tried to remember her mother’s face, her father’s voice, but the memories slipped away like sand through her fingers, leaving her adrift in a sea of darkness.

Finally, when her body could go no further, she collapsed in a field, the tall grass rising around her like a fortress.There was no solace or explanations to be found in the immense expanse of indifference that was the sky above. The stars were far away and icy, promising neither. The weight of her loneliness was bearing down on her like a heavy blanket, and tears were blurring her eyesight as she curled more and farther into herself.

The world around her dissipated into blackness as her eyes slowly closed and moved away from her. Her small form lay hidden in the grass, a fragile, lost soul in a world that had forgotten her. The night engulfed her completely, and at that very time, she disappeared entirely, leaving her fate an unsettling mystery that was never explained.

****

In the Grand Mansion of the Westwoods...

The grand Westwood mansion, once a beacon of elegance and laughter, now stood shrouded in the heavy silence of despair. The setting sun cast long shadows across the opulent facade, turning the vibrant garden into a landscape of sorrow. Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating, the walls themselves seeming to weep for the loss they contained.

Celestine Westwood was gone.

Five-year-old Celestine, with her bright eyes and infectious laughter, had been the light of her family. Her disappearance was like a knife to the heart, leaving a wound that refused to heal. The once-bustling household, filled with the sounds of joy and life, had become a tomb of grief and unanswered questions.

The Westwoods searched desperately, their initial hope slowly giving way to despair as days turned into weeks with no sign of their beloved daughter. Each passing moment deepened the gaping void in their lives, a relentless reminder of their failure to protect her. In their anguish, they sought someone to blame, someone to hold accountable for the unbearable pain they were enduring.

Suspicion turned to accusation, and the weight of their grief found a target in the Kingsleys, their long-time business rivals. Rumors and whispers of the Kingsleys’ involvement spread like wildfire, fueling the fire of animosity between the two powerful families. The Kingsleys vehemently denied any involvement, but the Westwoods were beyond reason, their pain too great to allow for doubt.

As weeks turned into months, the hope of finding Celestine alive dimmed, leaving behind a hollow, aching sadness that seeped into the very bones of the mansion. The halls that once echoed with the laughter of a little girl now carried only the weight of sorrow and the silence of loss.

****

In the Bustling Heart of New York City...

Years later, amidst the towering skyscrapers and relentless energy of New York City, life moved on as it always does. But for Charlotte Evans, a young woman just stepping into the world of architecture, life was just beginning. The city’s pulse thrummed beneath her feet as she stood on the bustling sidewalk, staring up at the towering glass and steel of Kingsley Enterprises.

Her heart raced with a mix of excitement and nerves, the culmination of years of study and dreams finally within her grasp. Today was her first day as an intern at one of the most prestigious architecture firms in the city—a dream she had nurtured since she first fell in love with the art of building. She adjusted her glasses, took a deep breath, and stepped through the revolving doors into the sleek, modern lobby.

But even as she tried to steady her nerves, a sense of anticipation buzzed in the back of her mind. The day felt different, charged with an energy she couldn’t quite place. Little did she know, her first day would be far from ordinary, and the path she was about to walk would lead her into a world she couldn’t yet imagine.

****

In a Penthouse Office Overlooking Manhattan...

High above the noise and chaos of the city, Asher Kingsley stood in his penthouse office, the expansive view of Manhattan spread out before him like a kingdom he commanded. His expression was as cold and unyielding as the steel and glass that made up the skyscrapers around him. As the heir to Kingsley Enterprises, Asher had been groomed to take on the weight of the family empire, and he bore it with the calm detachment of someone who had long accepted his fate.

The city below, vibrant and chaotic, was a stark contrast to the meticulously ordered life Asher led. Every detail, every decision, was calculated, executed with precision. He had no room for error, no tolerance for weakness. And yet, as he stared out at the horizon, there was a strange unease in his chest, a whisper of something he couldn’t quite name.

It was a feeling he quickly dismissed as he turned back to the tasks at hand. Work was his refuge, the one constant in a life filled with expectations he could never escape. But today, something was different. An unfamiliar sense of anticipation hung in the air, unsettling in its intensity.

As he prepared to meet a new intern joining his team—a routine task he usually gave little thought to—he found himself strangely curious. There was a nagging sense that this day, this person, would bring with them more than just another name on the roster.

He pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the file in front of him. Asher Kingsley didn’t believe in fate, only in what he could control. But as he prepared to greet the young woman who would unknowingly begin to unravel the carefully constructed world he had built, the uneasy feeling in his chest persisted, refusing to be ignored.