Chapter 2 - The Innocent Orphan
To understand why a beautiful, young woman like Lily was cowering on a marble floor covered in her own blood, one had to look back at a decade of systemic, heartbreaking abuse and unyielding tragedy.
Ten years ago, when Lily was just a little girl, her beloved father had mysteriously vanished into the dark, violent underbelly of the city. He never came home, leaving behind no money, no explanations, and no family to take her in. The only single item he had left her was a tiny, intricately carved brass key, attached to a cheap, worn piece of string. He had hung it around her neck the night before he disappeared, making her swear to never take it off, promising that one day, it would unlock her absolute safety.
But safety never came. Lily was thrown into a deeply corrupt, violently abusive foster care system that chewed her up and spit her out.
When she aged out of the system, she was left with absolutely nothing but crippling debt from a fraudulent foster parent. Desperate to survive and keep a roof over her head, she applied for a domestic service position at the sprawling, heavily fortified Mercer estate. She knew the terrifying rumors about the Mercer family. She knew it was the operational headquarters for a massive, lethal criminal syndicate. But the pay was enough to keep her from starving on the harsh city streets.
For the past year, Lily had kept her head down, remaining entirely invisible. She scrubbed the massive marble floors until her hands bled, washed the crystal chandeliers, and never, ever made eye contact with the dangerous, heavily armed men who roamed the vast, luxurious hallways.
Her survival strategy of complete invisibility had worked flawlessly, right up until the exact moment Cole Mercer, the untouchable syndicate king, formally announced his engagement to a prominent, high-society heiress.
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Sloane was not a member of the criminal underworld, but she possessed a toxic, narcissistic cruelty that rivaled the most violent mobsters. The moment Sloane moved into the estate, she brought absolute hell down upon the domestic staff.
👉 Read Part 3 to witness the sickening events that led to the bloody confrontation.
