Prologue
THE BOOK COVER WAS ILLUSTRATED BY MY DAUGHTER KAILANY. TO WHOEVER LOVES THE ARTWORK, PLEASE COMMENT.
WARNING
The following story contains explicit language, which may be offensive, as well as adult themes, violence, abuse, and suicidal thought, which may not be suitable for some readers and inappropriate for youths. Therefore, the content in this story is intended for mature readers only.
I’m not an ordinary woman, not like the ones you are used to knowing. I come with a past and a load of baggage. At 18, I was declared officially dead after running from the police. I had to die to live, but with my so-called death, a new reincarnation of me was formed. I was no longer the unworthy, weak girl I once was; I was no longer abused or tortured. I was stronger and fearless, but deep down inside; I still held shattered pieces of who I used to be; I was still her. As much as I ran away from who I once was, I could never run from The Broken Duckling. The broken girl I was before was now considered worthy and the most feared by the world.
Since my fake death, I have claimed two identities: Eve Evergreen, sole owner and CEO of Nightingale Technology. The Nightingale Thief had been such a large part of my life that after my father’s death, I planned a small heist alongside my godparents to recuperate what Sharon considered my inheritance. I used some funds to buy my father’s business, renaming it after the man who made me who I am today.
It was a mystery to the world when Nightingale mysteriously disappeared; there was speculation that he had somehow gotten caught and arrested, while others thought he had died in a tragic accident. However, no one was the wiser to connect my company to the notorious thief. Nightingale’s Technology became known worldwide; everyone wanted a part of my gadgets, designs, and many organizations. They wanted to hire my team to develop products like no other. I became the faceless businesswoman who many admired and wanted to work with.
Eve Evergreen was considered the most mysterious businesswoman who never liked being interviewed or having her picture taken, yet everyone knew who she was. I was favorable even to the underground world, working with many allies as a professional hacker for the organization and developing illegal weapon technology. The authorities had many hints that I was developing high illicit tech weapons, but even with their warrants and illegal raids; they could never find evidence to place me behind bars. My team was too smart to be caught.
As I mentioned, I also hold a secret persona that has become a nightmare to many. The broken girl I once used to become the scariest and most feared assassin. To those who needed someone killed anonymously, they called on me, Kali, ‘The Goddess of Destruction’; just hearing my name brought chills to many. Not a soul who had the pleasure of meeting Kali face to face had the comfort of surviving, although many claimed to have caught a glimpse of my bloody figure escaping a deadly scene.
Not going to lie; it hasn’t been easy; this business made me a cold-hearted bitch. The blood of those who did wrong made me seem like a monster. My life was never normal, but my love for sharp objects and computer coding made me into who I became. No one could link Eve Evergreen and Kali as one of the same, let alone that I was once known as Delilah Duckling.