POV: Elise Carter
If I'd learned anything in my first life, it was that power didn't come from being the smartest in the room.
It came from being the most underestimated.
And today, I had Adrian Blackwell right where I wanted him.
I stepped out of Blackwell Industries into the warm afternoon air, the city humming around me. My heart raced—not with fear, but with adrenaline. I had cracked open the door to a fortress people spent years trying to enter.
Now I just had to burn it down from the inside.
My phone buzzed.
Tiffany: Are you free for dinner? Daddy wants to talk about the wedding plans with you and Liam.
A chill ran down my spine.
Wedding plans. That phrase used to make me giddy.
Now it made me sick.
Elise: Of course. I'd never miss it.
I would play the part—for now.
After all, every revenge story needed a perfect mask.
POV: Adrian Blackwell
"She's not who she used to be," I murmured, still staring out the window.
"Yes, sir," came the voice of my assistant, Naomi. "Should I run a background check?"
"Do it quietly. I want to know everything about her. Especially how she got her hands on the Greenwave Initiative."
Naomi hesitated. "And if it's true?"
"Then Elise Carter just became our next acquisition."
The Carter estate sat at the edge of the Upper Hills, wrapped in wealth and the scent of rotting secrets. Its marble columns and sweeping terraces looked pristine, but I knew what hid beneath the surface—greed, betrayal, and blood.
POV: Elise Carter
I arrived fashionably late, of course. Dressed in a crimson silk gown—Tiffany's least favorite color on me. It brought out the fire in my skin and the burn in her eyes.
"Elise, darling," Tiffany cooed as she greeted me at the door. Her perfect curls were pinned back in a way that screamed effort disguised as ease. "You're glowing."
I leaned in, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "I could say the same, sister."
Liam stood behind her, his hand resting on the small of her back.
He had the nerve to smile at me.
"Elise," he said, holding my gaze too long. "You look… stunning."
Tiffany's jaw twitched.
Oh, how delightful.
Dinner was a carefully orchestrated charade. My stepfather, Gregory Carter, held court at the head of the table, sipping vintage scotch and spewing plans for a "strategic merger" with Blackwell Industries.
"You should meet him, Elise," Gregory said, tapping his glass. "Adrian Blackwell. Ruthless, brilliant. A true visionary. He could teach you something."
I smiled over the rim of my wineglass. "Actually, I met him this morning."
Forks paused mid-air.
Gregory blinked. "You what?"
"I visited his office. We had a productive conversation about Greenwave."
Liam frowned. "Elise, why would you—"
"Because it's mine," I said sweetly. "Legally, the patent sits under my name. Just a little gift from Mother, before she passed."
A lie, yes. But a well-disguised one.
Tiffany's face drained of color.
"You should have consulted with us," Gregory said, voice low.
"I would have," I replied. "If I still trusted any of you."
POV: Tiffany Carter
She was supposed to be the pawn.
The fragile, needy little mouse we kept in the dark while we played kingmakers.
But this version of Elise? She was unpredictable. And dangerous.
After dinner, I cornered her in the hallway.
"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Going behind Dad's back? Talking to Adrian Blackwell like you know what you're doing?"
She turned to me slowly, lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh, Tiffany," she whispered. "You have no idea what I'm doing."
And with that, she walked away.
And for the first time, I realized—
She wasn't playing our game anymore.
She was building her own board.
POV: Elise Carter
Back in my apartment, I kicked off my heels and collapsed onto the velvet chaise in the corner. The city lights blinked in the distance like stars from another life.
And my phone lit up again.
Unknown Number: You've made quite an impression.
I didn't need a name to know who it was.
Elise: I usually do.
Unknown Number: My acquisition team expects you at 10 a.m. Bring your proof. And wear red again. It suits you.
I smirked.
Game on, Mr. Blackwell.
You built your empire on buried truths.
And I've come to dig them up—one lie at a time.