SECOND LIFE: CEO's shadow

The walk back to my apartment felt like a trip through a graveyard. Every street corner reminded me of a memory that turned out to be a lie. I passed the bakery where Marcus used to buy me cupcakes, and the park where he first told me he loved me. Back then, those memories were gold. Now, they were just trash.

I reached the front door of my building. It was a beautiful place with a marble lobby and a doorman who always tipped his hat to me. My dad had worked his whole life to make sure I lived in a place like this. He wanted me to be safe. I felt a sharp pang of guilt in my chest thinking about how I let two snakes crawl right into the heart of his legacy.

I took a deep breath and pushed the key into the lock.

The apartment was bright and airy. The scent of vanilla candles filled the air, and for a second, I almost let myself relax. Then I heard the sound of humming coming from the kitchen.

Sienna walked out, wearing a pair of my expensive yoga leggings and a cropped top. She was holding a glass of chilled white wine in each hand. She looked so pretty, so small, and so perfectly fake.

"There she is!" Sienna chirped, walking toward me with a huge smile. "I heard the door. Well? Tell me everything! Is Marcus the happiest man in the world? Are we officially the board members of a tech empire?"

She tried to hand me a glass of wine. I looked at her hand-the same hand that had pushed me off the roof-and I felt a surge of heat in my face. It took everything I had not to throw the wine right back at her.

"No," I said, walking past her and dropping my bag on the counter. "I didn't sign."

Sienna froze. The glass in her hand wobbled. "Wait, what? Why not? Did Marcus get cold feet? I thought he was so ready for this."

"It wasn't Marcus," I said, turning to face her. I watched her closely, looking for that tiny crack in her mask. "The bank flagged my inheritance. There's a random audit on the estate. Everything is locked down for at least thirty days."

The disappointment that flashed across her face was so quick most people would have missed it. But I wasn't most people anymore. I saw her eyes go cold for a split second before she forced them to look worried.

"Thirty days?" Sienna whispered. She set the wine glasses down on the counter with a loud clink. "But Clara, you know Marcus. He was counting on that money for the deposit. He's going to be so stressed. Can't you just call the bank and tell them who you are?"

"I already told him I wouldn't do that," I said. I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. "The law is the law, Sienna. Besides, if his business idea is so great, it can survive a few weeks of waiting, right?"

Sienna's mouth thinned into a straight line. She wasn't used to me talking back. In the old life, I was the girl who apologized for everything. I was the girl who let Sienna borrow my jewelry and never asked for it back.

"I just think you're being a little hard on him," Sienna said, her voice turning sweet and manipulative. "He loves you so much, Clara. He's doing all of this for your future. Don't you think you owe him a little more trust?"

"I think I owe myself a little more caution," I replied.

The silence in the room grew heavy. Sienna stared at me like she was seeing a stranger. She wasn't wrong. The girl she knew died on a sidewalk three years from now.

"You're being really weird today," Sienna said, picking up her wine and taking a long sip. "Is it because of that dream you had? You've been acting like you're in a bad mood since you woke up."

"I'm not in a bad mood. I'm just tired," I said, though my heart was racing. I had to get her out of my space. Being near her felt like being near a ticking bomb. "In fact, I think I need some space. I told Marcus I had a headache, and I think I need to just be alone for a few days to figure out this bank stuff."

Sienna blinked. "A few days? But we were supposed to go to that gallery opening tomorrow night! And I was going to stay over so we could finish that mood board for the office."

"I'm canceling the gallery," I said. "And I think it's better if you stay at your own place for a while. I need to focus."

Sienna's face twisted. She wasn't just disappointed now; she was angry. She had been living off my generosity for a year, treating my guest room like her own private suite.

"Fine," she spat, her voice losing all of its sweetness. "If you want to be alone and miserable, go ahead. But don't come crying to me when Marcus gets upset that you're treating him like a stranger."

She grabbed her purse from the sofa and marched toward the door. She didn't even say goodbye. She slammed the door so hard the pictures on the wall rattled.

I sank onto a kitchen stool, my hands shaking. I had done it. I had said no to Marcus and I had kicked Sienna out. The two people who had destroyed me were finally on the outside looking in.

But I knew this was just the beginning. Marcus wouldn't give up on five hundred thousand dollars that easily. He would try to guilt me. He would try to make me feel small. And Sienna would be right there, whispering in his ear, helping him find a way to break me.

I looked at the wine glasses on the counter. Two glasses for a celebration that would never happen.

I picked them both up and poured the wine down the sink. I watched the pale liquid swirl down the drain, and I felt a strange sense of peace. I wasn't a victim anymore. I was a player in a game they didn't even know we were playing.

I went to my bedroom and pulled out an old notebook. I sat on the edge of the bed and started writing. I wrote down everything I remembered. The dates of the mergers, the names of the investors Marcus had cheated, the secret deals Sienna had made behind my back.

I had thirty days.

By the time the bank "audit" was over, I wouldn't just be protecting my money. I would be building a trap so big they would never see it coming.

And I knew exactly who the first person I needed to call was.

I looked at my phone and typed in the name I had searched for earlier. Alistair Thorne. I knew he was going to be at a high-end jewelry auction on Friday. It was an event for the richest people in the country. Marcus had tried to get us an invitation in the first life, but he wasn't important enough.

But I was a Vane. And my name still meant something.

I was going to that auction. And I was going to meet the only man who could help me turn my rage into a weapon.