Chapter 1

I woke up with a gasp, the morning sun already bright.

Today.

The day of my debutante ball.

My heart hammered.

The memories flooded back, sharp and cruel.

That same ball, years ago, or a lifetime ago.

Babs, Brittany Jenkins, the girl my family took in, wearing my gown.

My priceless, heirloom gown, a symbol of everything Ashley.

I remembered my rage, my public words.

Then Father... Governor Thomas Ashley Sr., his sudden, suspicious death.

My brother, Tom Jr., weak and infatuated with Babs, took power.

And Beau Sinclair III, my fiancé, so easily swayed.

They sent me away.

To that place in the swamps, the "behavioral correction institute."

Years of hell.

Just before I died there, I learned the truth.

Babs orchestrated it all for her revenge.

Tom Jr. and Babs were announcing their engagement as I faded.

No.

Not again.

I sat up, my breath catching.

The room was familiar, my childhood bedroom in the Governor's Mansion.

My debutante gown.

It should be laid out, pristine.

I looked.

The stand where it should have been was empty.

Panic, cold and sharp, tried to grip me.

But this time, something else rose stronger.

Resolve.

I wouldn't scream. I wouldn't despair.

I remembered another gown.

Mother' s. Magnolia Ashley' s own debutante gown.

A legend in itself, even more breathtaking than mine.

It was stored, perfectly preserved.

If Babs wanted to play with symbols, I' d show her what true heritage looked like.

This time, I would be the one in control.

This time, Babs would not win.

This time, they would all pay.