Emma's POV
Someone is shaking me awake.
"Emma. Emma, wake up."
I jolt upright, heart racing, ready to run. The room is unfamiliar. Bright sunlight streams through windows. Where am I?
Then it all crashes back. The break-in. The escape. The safe house.
Eleanor stands beside the bed holding a breakfast tray. She smiles gently. "Easy, dear. You're safe. It's just me."
My hands shake as I take the tray. Coffee. Toast. Fresh fruit. Normal breakfast in the most abnormal situation of my life.
"What time is it?"
"Almost noon. You needed the sleep." Eleanor sits on the edge of the bed. "Damien is in the living room working. He has things to show you when you're ready."
"I'm ready now."
"Eat first. You'll need your strength." Eleanor's voice is kind but firm. "Today changes everything, Emma. Today you stop being the girl who got betrayed. Today you become the woman who fights back."
I eat quickly. My stomach is in knots but I force the food down.
Eleanor hands me clothes from the closet. "These should fit. Simple, comfortable. Save the power suits for later."
"How did you know my size?"
"Damien has his ways." Eleanor doesn't elaborate.
After I'm dressed, I find Damien in the living room. Papers cover the coffee table. His laptop shows multiple screens of information. He looks like he hasn't slept at all.
"Good morning," he says without looking up. "Or afternoon, technically."
"Did you sleep?"
"Sleep is overrated." Damien finally glances at me. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrified. Angry. Confused. Take your pick."
"Good. Use those feelings." Damien gestures to the couch across from him. "Sit. We have a lot to cover."
I sit. Eleanor brings me more coffee then leaves us alone.
"First things first," Damien says. "Your new identity." He slides a folder across the table. "Meet Emma Sterling."
I open it. Inside is a driver's license with my photo. But the name says Emma Sterling. The address is fake. The birthday is close to mine but not exact.
"How did you—"
"I have connections." Damien pulls out more documents. "Birth certificate. Social security card. Bank account with fifty thousand dollars in it."
"Fifty thousand—"
"Starter money. You'll earn more." Damien's tone is business-like. "Emma Sterling is twenty-six years old. She's from Seattle. She moved here three months ago for business opportunities. She has no connection to Emma Chen, Alexander Kane, or the Velmora family."
My head spins. "This is illegal."
"Extremely. But necessary." Damien meets my eyes. "Emma Chen is being hunted. Emma Sterling is invisible. Which one do you want to be?"
I think about the break-in. The texts. Someone tracking my every move.
"Emma Sterling," I whisper.
"Good choice." Damien pulls up something on his laptop. "Now, second thing. Your mother's death."
My breath catches. "You said you had evidence."
"I do." Damien turns the laptop to face me. "These are accident investigation reports from twelve years ago. The official report says your mother lost control of the car. Simple accident. Case closed in 24 hours."
"But?"
"But I hired my own investigators five years ago to look into every business dealing Richard Chen ever made. Your mother's death kept coming up as suspicious." Damien clicks through files. "Patricia was driving. That much is true. But witness statements say the car accelerated before it crashed. Like someone hit the gas instead of the brake."
"That could be an accident—"
"Except Patricia took a defensive driving course three months before the crash. She knew how to handle emergencies." Damien shows me more documents. "And here's the interesting part. Your mother changed her will two weeks before she died. She was planning to divorce your father and cut Patricia out of everything."
The room tilts. "What?"
"Your mother knew Patricia married your father for money. She was going to expose it. Take back her company shares. Leave Richard with nothing." Damien's voice is gentle now. "Two weeks later, she's dead. Patricia walks away with minor injuries. And Richard inherits everything."
"You think they planned it together?"
"I think Patricia needed your mother gone and your father looked the other way." Damien closes the laptop. "I can't prove it in court yet. But Emma, the evidence is building. And with your help, we can expose them both."
Tears stream down my face. I've spent twelve years thinking my mother died in a random accident. That it was just bad luck. Fate.
But it was murder. Patricia killed my mother and my father helped cover it up.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" My voice shakes.
"Would you have believed me? Three days ago, you thought your family loved you. You thought Alexander was faithful. You thought Victoria was dying." Damien's tone is honest. "You needed to see their true faces yourself before you'd believe the worst about them."
He's right. If he'd told me this a week ago, I would have called him crazy.
"What do we do now?"
"Now we gather more evidence. Build a case so strong they can't deny it." Damien pulls out another folder. This one is thick. "But first, we need to understand your enemies completely. Starting with the Kanes."
He opens the folder. Inside are photographs, financial records, newspaper clippings going back decades.
"James Kane built his fortune on stolen patents and destroyed competitors," Damien begins. "My father wasn't his first victim. He was number twenty-three."
"Twenty-three people?"
"Twenty-three families he destroyed through theft, fraud, and legal manipulation." Damien spreads out documents. "Most took settlements and signed NDAs. A few fought back and lost everything. One committed suicide—my father."
The pain in Damien's voice is raw despite the years.
"James Kane is a predator," Damien continues. "He identifies promising startups, befriends the founders, learns their secrets, then steals their ideas and crushes them with lawyers. It's his pattern. It's how he built his empire."
"And Alexander?"
"Alexander learned from daddy." Damien pulls up financial records on his laptop. "See these investments? All made with money you gave him. Your inheritance. Your savings. He used your money to copy your business ideas."
"What business ideas? I never—"
"The fashion designs you showed him three years ago. The ones you said you wanted to turn into a company someday." Damien shows me trademark filings. "He filed for those designs under his name six months later. If you ever try to use them, he can sue you."
My mouth falls open. "He stole my designs?"
"And profited from them. These trademark licenses have earned him over two million dollars." Damien's jaw tightens. "Money that should have been yours."
I feel sick. Everything Alexander touched, he poisoned. My love. My money. My dreams.
"There's more." Damien pulls out another file. "Victoria isn't who you think she is either."
"I already know she lied about dying—"
"She's done worse." Damien shows me medical records. Real ones. "Victoria has Munchausen syndrome. It's a disorder where people fake illnesses for attention. She's been doing it since she was fourteen. Hospitals, doctors, fake emergencies. Patricia enables it because it keeps Victoria dependent."
"That's horrible."
"It gets worse. Three years ago, Victoria accused a college professor of sexual harassment. Ruined his career. He lost his job, his family, everything." Damien shows me court documents. "The case was eventually dismissed when evidence proved she made it up. But by then, the damage was done."
My skin crawls. I lived with Victoria for over a decade and never knew.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because you need to understand what you're fighting against." Damien leans forward. "These aren't good people who made one mistake. They're predators. Manipulators. They destroy lives systematically and feel no remorse."
"How do you know all this?"
"I've been investigating the Kanes for ten years. I have files on everyone connected to them." Damien's eyes are intense. "Including you, Emma."
My blood runs cold. "What?"
"I've been watching your family for years, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. When Alexander started dating you five years ago, I added you to my surveillance."
"You've been watching me for five years?"
"Not constantly. Just monitoring. Social media. Public records. General information." Damien doesn't look apologetic. "I needed to understand everyone in the Kane orbit. You were dating Alexander. That made you relevant."
I stand up, backing away. "That's insane. That's stalking."
"That's strategic planning." Damien stands too. "Emma, I told you from the beginning—I'm not a good person. I'm someone who wants revenge and will use any method to get it. Including watching Alexander's girlfriend for years."
"Did you know he'd betray me?"
"I predicted it. Alexander has a pattern. He uses people until something better comes along. I knew eventually he'd dump you or cheat on you. I just didn't know when or how." Damien steps closer. "When Victoria's fake dying wish happened, I knew it was my chance. You'd be vulnerable. Angry. Perfect for recruitment."
"Recruitment?" My voice rises. "You make me sound like a weapon."
"You are a weapon." Damien's voice is cold now. "You're my weapon against the Kanes. That's what this is. That's what it's always been."
I should run. Should get away from this man who's been watching me for years.
But where would I go? I have nothing. No one. Emma Chen is dead. Emma Sterling exists only because Damien created her.
"I want to leave," I whisper.
"No, you don't." Damien's voice softens slightly. "You want revenge just as much as I do. You want to make them pay for what they did to you and your mother. Don't let my methods scare you away from your goal."
He's right. I hate that he's right.
"When did you start watching me exactly?" I ask quietly.
Damien is silent for a long moment.
"The day Alexander first brought you to meet his parents," he finally says. "Six years ago. I was there."
"You were where?"
"At the Kane estate. James had invited several business associates to a dinner party. I attended to maintain appearances while gathering information." Damien's eyes are distant, remembering. "Alexander introduced you to his parents. You wore a blue dress. You were nervous. You spilled wine on the tablecloth and apologized five times."
My knees go weak. I remember that night. My first time meeting Alexander's family. I was terrified of making a bad impression.
"James Kane looked at you like you were beneath him," Damien continues. "His wife was polite but cold. And I watched Alexander introduce you as his girlfriend while his father made it clear you weren't good enough for their family."
"You saw all that?"
"I saw everything. I saw how they treated you. How Alexander didn't defend you. How you tried so hard to fit into a family that would never accept you." Damien's voice drops. "And I knew. Right then. That they would destroy you eventually. So I waited. I watched. I prepared."
"For six years you just watched me suffer?"
"For six years I built a case against the Kanes. Gathered evidence. Made connections. Got powerful." Damien's eyes meet mine. "So when they finally destroyed you, I'd be ready to help you destroy them back."
I don't know whether to be grateful or horrified.
"You're a monster," I whisper.
"Yes." Damien doesn't deny it. "But I'm the monster who's going to help you get justice for your mother. The monster who's going to make sure Alexander and Victoria and your father all pay for what they did."
"Why? Why do you care so much about my revenge?"
"Because your revenge IS my revenge. Destroying your family destroys the Kanes' allies. Exposing Victoria's lies damages their reputation. Taking back your stolen designs hurts Alexander financially." Damien steps closer. "Emma, our goals align perfectly. Use me. Let me use you. Together we can burn their whole world down."
Before I can respond, Eleanor rushes in.
"Turn on the news. Now."
Damien grabs the remote. The TV flickers to life.
A news anchor's serious face fills the screen: "Breaking news this afternoon. Emma Chen, the woman whose wedding scandal went viral this week, has been reported missing. Her family filed a missing persons report this morning claiming they fear for her safety."
My face appears on screen. A photo from social media.
"Patricia Chen gave an emotional press conference earlier today." The screen switches to Patricia, tears streaming, looking devastated.
"My stepdaughter Emma is mentally unstable," Patricia sobs. "She's been struggling since the wedding incident. We're worried she might hurt herself. If anyone has seen her, please contact the police immediately. Emma, if you're watching this—we love you. Please come home."
The news anchor continues: "Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. Emma Chen is considered vulnerable and possibly in danger."
I stare at the screen in shock.
"They're making me look crazy," I breathe. "They're telling the world I'm unstable and missing."
"It's brilliant actually," Damien says grimly. "If you surface now and make accusations, everyone will think you're having a breakdown. They've preemptively destroyed your credibility."
"What do I do?"
"Nothing. Emma Chen stays missing. Presumed dead eventually." Damien turns off the TV. "Let them think they won. Meanwhile, Emma Sterling quietly builds power. And when we're ready—"
His phone rings. He answers. Listens. His face goes pale.
"When?" Pause. "How many witnesses?" Another pause. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."
He hangs up.
"What happened?" Eleanor asks.
Damien looks at me with something like shock.
"Victoria Chen was just rushed to the hospital. She collapsed at home, unconscious. Initial reports say possible poisoning." He swallows hard. "Emma, the police are calling it attempted murder. And they found your fingerprints at the scene."