Chapter 9%
THE PARIS SKYLINE shimmered in gold as the sun dipped behind the buildings. From Salvatore’s penthouse window, I watched the city bleed into twilight–every corner bustling with ambition and greed. Somewhere down there. Dulcie was getting ready for her next big fashion reveal, smiling like she built her empire from the ground up.
But I built it
Funded it. With ofcourse, the help of Salvatore’s connection and money.
And I’ll burn it. And Dulcie? Sweet, deluded Dulcie? She had no idea I was bankrolling her entire fashion comeback.
She called me daily, clueless !
*Elysia! I can’t thank you enough. You’ve believed in me when no one else did
Her voice had that fake Parisian charm. Sickly sweet
“I see potential,” I said smoothly. “Let’s just make sure your Paris launch is… unforgettable.”
She giggled like she didn’t ruin my life. “I want to dedicate my next collection to the theme of rebirth. Like…rising from the ashes.”
I almost choked on my tea.
“Oh, I love that,” I said with a smile she couldn’t see. “Perfect symbolism.”
I started sending her reminders. Quiet, subtle, sharp as razors
First, a photo of Reagan and me, tucked into a bouquet of white orchids.3
Next, a vintage locket containing a photo of my father–delivered anonymously to her showroom.
Then, a burned note that just said: “You remember what you did.“”
She started cracking.
“Elysia,” she called one day, her voice shaking, “someone’s messing with me. I’ve been getting these… things. Really personal things.”
I didn’t miss a beat.
“Do you think it’s someone from your past? Maybe someone you hurt?“;
She went dead silent. Good. She was losing her grip. The perfect little fashionista, unraveling at the seams, stitch by poisoned stitch. I sipped my espresso, legs crossed on the velvet chaise, one hand gently rocking Caelum in his bassinet. Lucian and Elara were asleep on the nearby daybed, their soft breathing anchoring me to the world. My babies. My reason. My rebirth.!!
“Motherhood suits you,” Salvatore’s voice came from behind me, rich and deep like aged wine. He stepped out of the shadows, always moving like he was one “But don’t let the softness fool you, gattina. You’re still a killer.”
I smirked. “Im just getting started.”
He walked over, handed me a thick folder. “The investor contracts have been signed. You now officially own 65% of Dulcie’s company. Through Elysia Voss, of course.“}
I flipped through the documents, the details perfect. My name wasn’t on a single page, but every decision she made now had my fingerprints on it.2
“She thinks I’m some eccentric, reclusive billionaire who believes in her vision. I laughed softly. “We feed her poison and she drinks it like champagne.”
Salvatore chuckled. “She always was thirsty for attention. Never thought to ask where the money came from, huh?“&
“Not when it flatters her ego.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I send her little suggestions–bold‘ color palettes, confusing marketing tactics, garbage runway concepts–and she thinks they’re genius. ‘Parisian Madness. That was mine.”
He whistled low. And she used it?“}}
“Of course she did. It bombed“}
We shared a knowing silence. Salvatore leaned on the table beside me, arms folded, eyes dark with pride.
“You’re doing what I always knew you would,” he said. “You’re not just surviving, Danica. You’re turning their game inside out.“}
I looked at him. “They killed my father.”
“He’d be proud now“)
“Would he?” My voice caught, bitter with memory. “He handed me over to Reagan like I was an asset to trade.”
“He trusted the wrong man. We all did.
I fell silent. The memory of Reagan’s hand around my throat, the twisted grin when he thought he’d won, the smug bastard whispering threats as bled ;
But even monsters underestimate the ones they wound.
Then My phone buzzed. An encrypted message from my tech team. A file marked CONFIDENTIAL – TITANIS MEDICAL ARCHIVE &
My stomach tightened.
“You okay?” Salvatore asked, already moving closer.
I nodded “This is it”
We pulled up the files together–medical records from two decades ago, hidden deep in encrypted vaults only Salvatore could breach. My mother’s cause of death “multi–organ failure due to sudden acute reaction.”
But there
e were anomalies. Traces of a neurotoxin used in off–grid warfare. Untraceable by most autopsies. The dosage… deliberate.
And then my twin sister, Ivy.
I thought she died of a rare disease. But this file said otherwise. Poison, Low–dose, prolonged exposure. Same toxin.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
Salvatore set a hand on my back. “Danica.
“Someone murdered them.
“Who had access?” ?
“Only close family. Friends. Staff,” My heart slammed in my chest. “Dulcie was there. She was always there.”
He looked at me, silent
“Salvatore… what if it was her? What if she’s been playing this long game, attached herself to me and my family for something bigger?” “You’ve always been the heir,” he said. “If someone wanted control of Titanis… it would start with getting rid of everyone in your way.”
I stared at the screen. My hands curled into fists.
“She got close to Reagan. She wanted him. But she was always in the house before that, Around Ivy. Around my mom.””
Salvatore knelt before me, his voice low, dangerous. “We kill her now, Danica, and it ends.”
I shook my
head
“No. She doesn’t get a clean death. Not yet. I want her to feel everything she made me feel. The fear. The betrayal. The loss.”
He smirked, proud. There she is. The real you.”
I stood, heart pounding.
“No. Not the old me. The new me. Elysia Voss is going to burn the fashion world down with Dulcie trapped inside it
I looked at him. Fire burned in my chest. Then I take back Titanis, And I finish Reagan with my own hands.
Salvatore lifted his glass. To vengeance.”
I raised mine.}
“To justice.”
And as I looked at the screen one last time, at the faces of those I lost, I made a vow!!
They would never be forgotten
And their killers would never forget me. This wasn’t just revenge anymore. This was reclamation. They tried to erase me.l
They killed the woman I used to be. Now? I was someone new. Elysia Voss. Mother of three.
Back from the dead. And I was coming for every last one of them.
