Chapter 1 - The False King
The glowing gold letters on the security terminal cast a harsh light across Daniel’s pale face.
He took a slow, terrified step backward.
His eyes darted wildly toward the glass exit doors as if he were looking for a ghost.
Vanessa stared at the screen in absolute disbelief, her arrogance instantly evaporating.
She looked at my torn clothes, the dried blood on my forehead, and the heavy gold badge in my hand.
"That is impossible," Vanessa whispered, her voice trembling for the first time.
"I am the majority trustee of this company, Daniel," I said, my voice echoing through the silent lobby.
"I want you to explain why a black SUV with our corporate plates just tried to push me off a cliff."
Daniel swallowed hard, trying to regain his composure in front of the frightened hotel guests.
He adjusted his expensive silk tie and forced a sickeningly fake smile.
"Elena, you have clearly been in a terrible accident and you are hallucinating," he lied smoothly.
He turned his head and snapped his fingers at the burly security guards standing nearby.
"Take my poor cousin down to the secure medical ward in the basement immediately."
I knew exactly what the basement meant in his twisted vocabulary.
It was a windowless concrete room where the security cameras had been disabled months ago.
The guards stepped forward, their hands reaching aggressively for my bruised shoulders.
I realized with terrifying clarity that these men did not work for the resort.
They were private mercenaries hired by Daniel to replace my grandfather’s loyal staff.
"Do not touch me," I warned them, tightening my grip on the founder's badge.
The lead mercenary pulled a heavy stun baton from his belt and activated the crackling electricity.
"It is for your own good, Ms. Somor," the guard sneered, stepping aggressively into my personal space.
I did not hesitate or wait for him to swing the weapon.
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I slammed the gold badge against the terminal reader a second time and typed in a four-digit emergency override code.
The entire luxury resort instantly plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
