The Broken Heiress: Reborn For Sweet Revenge

Water rushed out of Aurora's lungs in a violent, burning surge.

She jolted upward, her hands slapping against the hard, wet tiles. She coughed so hard her ribs felt like they were cracking. The sharp scent of chlorine stung her nostrils, mixing with the phantom smell of rust and rotting bread that still lingered in her brain.

The heavy, metallic echo of a prison door slamming shut rang in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers curling into tight fists against the ground.

"Miss Aurora! Oh my god, are you alright?"

A voice pierced through the ringing. Maria, one of the estate maids, hovered over her. Maria held out a dry, thick Hermès bath towel, attempting to drape it over Aurora's shivering shoulders.

Aurora's body reacted before her mind did. A pure, defensive reflex born from years in a maximum-security cell. She violently slapped Maria's hand away.

The heavy orange towel hit the expensive slip-resistant tiles with a wet thud.

Maria gasped, stepping back. Her eyes were wide with shock.

Aurora blinked, the sunlight blinding her. She stared at the towel. She stared at the pristine blue water of the Carlisle estate pool. She wasn't in The Quarry. There were no concrete walls. There were no guards.

She looked down at her hands. They were pale. They were soft. The thick, ugly scars that used to cover her knuckles were gone.

A cold breeze swept across her soaked uniform, sending a violent shiver down her spine. The chill grounded her. This was real. She had reverted. She was fifteen again.

A heavy weight suddenly pressed down on her chest. She remembered the future. She remembered being thrown out of this house, branded a fake heiress, and sent to rot in a black-site prison to take the fall for someone else. Her stomach cramped. The sheer exhaustion of trying to please this family, of trying to be perfect, washed over her like a physical sickness.

She wasn't doing it again. If her fate was a prison cell, she was going to spend her remaining freedom doing exactly whatever she wanted.

Aurora pushed her palms against the cold marble and forced herself to stand. Her soaked skirt dripped heavily onto the ground.

"Miss, please, let me help you," Maria pleaded, her voice shaking.

Aurora ignored her. She turned her back on the maid and stepped onto the manicured lawn barefoot. The freezing grass beneath her toes sharpened her focus. Her stomach twisted with a sudden, aggressive hunger. She needed food.

She walked straight toward the main house. She pushed open the heavy French glass doors. The intense air conditioning of the mansion hit her wet skin like a wall of ice.

She stepped onto the priceless Persian rug in the hallway. Her bare, wet feet left dark, muddy stains on the intricate silk patterns.

Abernathy, the head butler, appeared from the corridor. His eyes dropped to the ruined rug, his mouth opening to issue a polite but firm reminder of estate etiquette.

Aurora stopped. She locked eyes with him. Her stare was dead, cold, and heavy with a violence she had learned in the dark.

Abernathy's mouth clicked shut. He swallowed hard and stepped aside.

Aurora walked into the bright, silent dining room. The rich smell of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air.

At the far end of the long mahogany table sat Julian Carlisle.

Her eldest brother wore a flawless, custom-tailored suit. He was reading the Wall Street Journal. At the sound of her wet footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes. His gaze landed on her dripping hair, and his dark eyebrows instantly pulled together in a hard line.

"Why are you dripping water all over the floor?" Julian's voice was a low, oppressive rumble.

Normally, the old Aurora would have apologized immediately, shrinking into herself.

Instead, Aurora walked forward and pulled out the chair right next to him. The wooden legs scraped loudly against the floorboards, a harsh, grating sound that made Julian flinch.

She sat down.

Julian slowly lowered his newspaper. A rare flash of genuine confusion crossed his sharp features. He looked at her as if a stranger had just broken into his house.

Aurora looked down at the plate in front of her. A kale salad and a glass of thick, green detox juice. The family nutritionist's pride and joy.

The memory of eating moldy, insect-infested bread in The Quarry hit the back of her throat. Her stomach violently rejected the sight of the green liquid.

She reached out and shoved the porcelain plate away. It clattered loudly against the polished wood.

Julian's jaw tightened. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. "Watch your table manners, Aurora. That is a line you do not cross in this house."

Aurora tilted her head and looked directly into his cold, calculating eyes. Her throat was raw from the pool water, making her voice sound raspy.

"I want a cheeseburger," she said. "Double patty. Extra sauce."

Julian stared at her. He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Did water get into your head? what are you acting crazy for?"

Aurora's stomach let out a loud, demanding growl. The sound echoed clearly in the silent dining room. She didn't blush. She didn't look away. She simply leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

Julian waved a hand at Abernathy, who was hovering near the door. "Push her plate back. You will eat what is prepared for you. There is no negotiation."

Aurora looked at the green juice. She picked up the heavy crystal glass.

Without breaking eye contact with Julian, she turned her wrist and poured the thick, green liquid directly into the expensive, decorative orchid pot sitting in the center of the table.

The green sludge dripped down the pristine white petals.

Julian slammed his hands on the table and stood up. His towering frame cast a dark shadow over her. His chest heaved with sudden, explosive anger.

Aurora stood up too. She was much shorter, but she tilted her chin up. Her pulse was steady. She had faced murderers with shivs; an angry CEO brother meant nothing to her now.

"If I don't get garbage food today," Aurora said, her voice completely flat, "I am not going to school. Do whatever you want to me."

Julian took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. He pointed a long finger toward the door. "Go to your room and change your clothes right now. Or I will cut off every cent of your allowance."

Aurora let out a genuine laugh. The sound was dry and hollow. Money meant absolutely nothing to a dead woman walking.

She turned and started walking toward the dining room doors. Halfway there, she stopped. She looked back at Julian, who was still glaring at her.

A heavy set of footsteps echoed from the grand staircase outside the room. Preston Carlisle IV, their father, was coming down.

Aurora's eyes darted to the doorway. A plan formed instantly.

She brought her hands up to her face. She sucked in a sharp, ragged breath, forcing her shoulders to shake violently. She squeezed her eyes tight until a single, hot tear rolled down her cheek.

She let out a loud, pathetic sob just as the heavy doors pushed open.