The Colonel's Daughter's Revenge

My stepmother, Eleanor, was about to ruin my life again, just like before. A cream-colored envelope, sealed with the Vanderbilt crest, landed on our mahogany table like a death sentence. This was it: the nightmare I' d already lived once, revisited. Eleanor' s eyes gleamed as she declared the Vanderbilts wanted an 'alliance' – a marriage for one of us Miller girls. I knew exactly what that meant: I was to be sold off to a powerful dynasty, just like in my previous life. My father, Colonel Miller, was a hero overseas, out of reach, leaving no one to stop Eleanor. They paraded my stepsister, Brie, first. But when she inevitably feigned illness, Eleanor' s gaze landed on me. My stepfamily, always eager to exploit my father's name, expected me to be their dutiful pawn, just as I' d been broken and discarded before. They thought I was the same naive girl, easily manipulated and ready to sacrifice. They were clueless about the searing memories, the clear roadmap of their treachery, I carried. But this time, things would be different. This wasn' t surrender; it was the first move in my own calculated game. I wouldn' t just endure their schemes. I would fight. My foreknowledge was my ultimate weapon, and the game had just begun.