The first time Elena Reyes stepped into the Hawthorne estate, she felt as though she had entered another world.

Maya pushed Clara into the passenger seat and vaulted into the truck bed just as a golf cart carrying two armed security guards rounded the corner.

"Go, Liam, go!" Maya screamed, pounding on the back window.

Liam slammed on the gas. The truck tore across the pristine manicured lawns, tearing up mud and grass, heading toward the main gates. But as they approached, the massive iron gates began to swing shut.

"Brace yourselves!" Liam yelled, flooring the accelerator.

The truck smashed through the closing gates with an earsplitting crunch of metal, bursting out onto the winding coastal highway. But the victory was short-lived. Two sleek black SUVs pulled out of the estate behind them, engines roaring.

"They’re gaining on us!" Clara cried, looking through the cracked rearview mirror.

Liam whipped the truck around the treacherous, rain-slicked curves of the Pacific Coast Highway. To their right was a sheer drop into the raging ocean. To their left, the rocky cliff face.

One of the SUVs rammed the back of the truck. Maya was thrown against the side of the truck bed, the USB drive digging into her pocket. The truck swerved violently, tires screeching.

"We can't outrun them in this!" Liam yelled. He slammed the brakes, skidding the truck sideways to block the narrow highway, effectively trapping the SUVs.

"Out! Run for the tree line!" Liam ordered.

The three of them scrambled out of the ruined truck and bolted toward the dense coastal forest. But as they reached the edge of the cliff, powerful spotlights from the SUVs pinned them like insects.

Arthur Vanguard stepped out of the lead vehicle, holding a sleek black handgun. Rain plastered his hair to his face. The charismatic billionaire was gone; in his place was a cornered, desperate monster.

"Maya," Arthur called out, his voice carrying over the storm. "You have no idea what you're doing. Give me the drive."

Maya stood at the edge of the cliff, shielding Clara behind her. "It's over, Arthur. I have everything. The cover-up, the financials, Seraphina."

"I will give you ten million dollars," Arthur yelled, taking a step forward. "Right now. Untraceable. Your father never has to worry. Your sister can have the best doctors on earth. You can buy a new life. Just drop the drive off the cliff, and leave the girl."

Maya looked at Clara, who was trembling, clutching Maya’s jacket. Then Maya looked at Arthur. She thought about her empty apartment, the eviction notices, the crushing weight of poverty. Ten million dollars was paradise.