Chapter 3

The world went black, then slowly swam back into focus.

Not the cold floor of the estate, but soft sheets.

A room bathed in muted light, sleek and modern.

I sat up. My head was clear. The "sedatives" were indeed harmless.

Where was I?

A large window showed a glittering cityscape. D.C., but from a much higher vantage point.

The door opened, and Ethan Thorne walked in.

He was taller than I remembered, his presence even more commanding.

The rising tech mogul, the man who had secretly visited Dr. Albright – and me – at the desert facility.

"Ava," he said, his voice a warm baritone. "Welcome back."

"Ethan. It worked."

He smiled. "Your father is a better actor than I gave him credit for. Eleanor and Chloe bought the whole performance."

"Where am I?"

"My penthouse. You're safe here."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Eleanor and Chloe are currently arranging your 'discreet disposal.' David is ensuring you're on a private jet manifest, destination unknown, body cremated upon arrival. Very tragic."

I shuddered. "They wanted me gone that badly."

"They got their wish," Ethan said. "And we got ours."

He took my hand. His touch was familiar, reassuring.

Flashback. The desert facility. Years of isolation.

Dr. Albright was my mentor, but he was also Ethan's.

Ethan would visit, incognito, to see the old man.

He found more than just his mentor.

He found me.

We talked for hours in the sterile lab, surrounded by schematics and data. About science, about the world, about our dreams.

He saw my intellect, my spirit, trapped in that gilded cage.

We fell in love, a secret, impossible love.

He was my lifeline to the outside world, my hope for a future.

Now, that future was here.

"What's the plan, Ethan?" I asked.

"First, you rest. Recover," he said. "Then, we give you a new life. A powerful one."

He explained. He intended to marry me.

"Marry me?" I was stunned.

"Yes," he said, his eyes serious. "But not as Ava, the disgraced daughter. You'll be Ariadne Dubois."

"Dubois?"

"Mr. Dubois, the international business magnate, is an old friend of my family. He has agreed to publicly claim you as his long-lost goddaughter. An unimpeachable identity, a new history, instant social standing."

It was audacious. Brilliant.

"Why would he do that?"

"He owes my father a significant favor. And he admires bold moves," Ethan said with a slight smile. "Plus, it allows me to do something I've wanted to do for a very long time."

He leaned closer. "And it will royally piss off my stepmother, Victoria."

Victoria Thorne. His formidable, controlling stepmother. A powerful board member in his company.

"She knew about me?" I asked. "From the facility?"

"She knew Albright had a brilliant protégée. She visited once, unannounced. She didn't like you. Saw you as a threat, I suppose. Too smart, too independent for her taste in women."

So, this marriage wasn't just about us. It was a power play.

"This new identity," I said. "It gives me a shield."

"And a sword," Ethan added. "You'll have the Thorne name, the Dubois connection. No one will dare question you. You'll have the power to reclaim what's yours. And to protect yourself."

He looked at me intently. "Are you ready, Ava? Ariadne?"

I thought of Eleanor's cruelty, Chloe's theft, my father's desperate gamble.

My research, my reputation, my life.

"Yes," I said. "I'm ready."

A new identity. A new world. And Ethan by my side.

The game was just beginning.