Chapter 1
In the state library, Jenna buried her head in her textbooks,studying for her college entrance exams, when her phone buzzed.
“Hello, Mom.” She whispered, eyes still glued to her textbook.“I’m still at the library, I’ll call you when…”
“Jenna, you need to come home, right now.” Hermother’s voice was a jagged wreck.
Jenna’s breath hitched. “What’s wrong Mom?” She asked,already shoving her books into her bag.
“I can’t say, just come home.” Her mother replied witha sob. A loud crash echoed in the background followed by a man’s barked orders.Then, the line went dead.
Jenna didn’t wait, she bolted.
The cab ride was a blur. Her phonewas blowing up… texts from friends, alerts from news apps. She couldn't bringherself to look. She powered the phone off and stared blankly outthe window until she reached the house.
Whenshe got home, the front door was hanging open.
“Mom!” She yelled. The living room was a wreckage ofoverturned furniture and shattered glass.
It was a mess. The rubble of her old life waseverywhere but the house was eerily quiet.
“Mom!” She called out again, heading upstairs.
She found her mother in the master bedroom, huddled bythe window like a ghost. Her hair usually pinned in a perfect chignon, was awild thicket around her face. Her eyes were red and swollen.
“Mom, what is this? Where’s dad?”
“Jenna,”her mother’s soft voice hitched as she spoke. “Your father… they took him.Embezzlement. Fraud. They’re saying he stole millions.”
Jenna’s legs went weak. “That can’t be true. Dad wouldnever.”
“Theyhave evidence. Creditors, the bank, the press—they’ve already been here.” Hermother’s tears finally spilled.
Jenna rushed to her, hugging her. “Why didn’t you callme earlier, Mom?” She hated that she wasn’t here for her mother when she hadneeded her the most. She bit her tears down.
“I… I didn’t want you to face all that.” Her mothersmiled through her tears, showing how much she loved her.
“What did they say?” She asked, dreading the answersher mother was to give to her.
“They’reseizing it all, Jenna. The money, the house. Everything is gone.”
Jennaheld her tightly, the weight of the world crushing them both. “We’ll figure itout, Mom. I promise.”
Threeyears later.
Jenna stood across what was once her father’s empire.Now it was just an affiliate of the Stanton Towers, a tech company, thememories flooding through her head.
Three years ago, her whole life had changed in asecond. Her father had been arrested, and all her friends became enemies. Herbetrothed Scott Castilian. had even betrayed her with her best friend LilyStark.
Only her secret savings accounthad kept them afloat… a smart move, but a small one.
She remembered her last visitto her father in prison. He had been a shell of a man, refusing to explainhimself. His final words haunted her: “Stay away from the Castilians.” Shenever understood why.
Her father and Mark Castilianhad been best friends. The marriage alliance with Scott was supposed to cementtwo empires—one self-made, one generationally wealthy. Instead, when the hammerfell, the Castilians didn't lift a finger.
A few days after she visited her father, the call came.Her father had committed suicide. Jenna didn’t believe it, but she didn’t haveenough time to grieve before her mother collapsed with broken heart syndromeand had remained bedridden ever since.
Now, Jenna was back in GreenwoodCity. She had one goal: finish her advanced data science program at Caston Techand get her mother the heart surgery she desperately needed.
“Just one year,” she whispered to herself. “Just oneyear and we can leave forever.” She turned around walking back to the campus.
She decided to stop at the supermarket to get somesupplies for her apartment.
She had just gotten to the front of the supermarketwhen she sighted a familiar silhouette in the parking lot, making her blood runcold. She didn’t bother to stop and walked ahead.
“Jenna?” The voice called out in a skeptical tone.
Jenna rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice. Shedidn’t stop, just kept on walking.
“Jenna? Hey?” Lily Stark hurried towards her, herfriends following behind. She grabbed Jenna’s arm, forcing her to turn. “It’sreally you. I didn’t know you were back.” Lily had a cunning smile on her face.‘This bitch could dare to show her face in Greenwood after everything.’
“Lily, who is that” Samantha Grey, one of Lily’sfriends asked, meeting up with them.
“Oh, it’s just an old friend,” Lily said, hercondescension thick enough to choke on. Lily looked Jenna up and down.
Jenna was dressed in black pants and a simple pinkshirt. She had flats on and her hair was done up in a ponytail. Although shelooked ordinary and different from the wealthy girl from two years ago, she wasstill as beautiful as ever, even with a bare face. Lily couldn’t hide thejealousy in her eyes when she saw that pretty face that looked way better thanhers, but she took delight in the fact that Jenna was beneath her now.
Jenna could understand the look on Lily’s face but shedidn’t have the patience to deal with any drama. She tried to turn around andwalk away but Lily held her back.
“Why are you leaving so soon Jenna? It’s been so longsince we both saw each other,” her voice was soft and seemed caring but onlyJenna knew what it meant.
“Let go of me Lily,” she spoke up, feeling impatient.
“Wait! Jenna. The Jenna you always spoke of, Lily?”Debbie Jones, another of Lily’s friends asked, somewhat surprised.
“Wait, the criminal’s daughter Jenna? That Jenna?”Samantha Grey added.
Jenna’s eyes darkened as she looked at Lily. How dareLily speak of her father with such terms?
Lily loosened her grip on Jenna. “Hey girls don’t say that, Jennais an old friend, remember?” Her voice was dripping with fake honey. “It’s not her fault her father was a thief. Weshouldn’t punish a daughter for the sins ofher father.”
“How dare you, Lily!” The rage hit Jenna like a physical wave. She didn'tthink; she simply wrenched her arm back with such force that Lily stumbled, herheels skidding as she nearly hit the pavement.
“Jenna!” A deep familiar voice barked from behindthem.
