Everyone in the city of Crestfall knew that Asher Howard lived and breathed for me. At a high-profile auction, he'd dropped a fortune on a pair of matching, priceless rings, just for us. For my eighteenth birthday, he rented out an entire private island. This was the man who adored me. And yet, when my sister was bullied to death, he did nothing. Worse, he protected the one who did it. I knelt before him, tears streaming down my face, begging him to get justice for my sister. He gently wiped my tears away, his voice a soft caress. "Elara," he murmured, "I would give you the world. But this… this one thing I cannot do." "Aria is my sister. I can't be the one to send her to her ruin." 1 Asher’s voice was a velvet whisper, but his words were a dagger to my heart. He held out a legal settlement. "Be a good girl and sign this. I'll make sure your family is well compensated." "Elara, you know I spoil you. Just this once, please? For me?" I took the document, my eyes scanning the cold, printed words. My voice trembled as I read them aloud. "Following an investigation, the death of Sienna Moore has been ruled as natural causes. Aria Howard is considered an innocent party. The plaintiff agrees to this settlement, absolving her of all wrongdoing. The defendant agrees to pay the plaintiff twenty million dollars in compensation. Both parties consider the matter resolved." "Well?" Asher asked, his tone expectant. My hand shook, and a tear splashed onto the page, blurring the ink. I looked up at him, my voice raw. "Asher, are you even human? My sister was bullied to death by Aria. How can you call that 'natural causes'?" He reached out, his thumb brushing away a tear on my cheek. "Elara, Aria is only sixteen. She's just a child." "She didn't know what she was doing. Can't you find it in your heart to give her a second chance?" Sixteen. What a pathetic excuse. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "And wasn't my sister sixteen? Who's going to give her a second chance? You think saying 'she didn't know what she was doing' erases what she did?" "Elara!" His eyes flashed with a warning. I knew that look. It was the one that always made me back down. But not this time. Not with Sienna. I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. "So, you're not going to help me. Is that it?" "I would do anything else for you, Elara. You know that. But not this." His voice hardened. "And twenty million is more than enough to cover your sister's entire life. Even if she had lived, graduated, gone to college, gotten a job… even if she made a hundred thousand a year, she would never have earned this much. It's the same thing, Elara." "What did you say?" My heart stopped. I stared at the man in front of me, a complete stranger. Was this the same man who cherished me, who would move mountains to see me smile? I stood there, frozen, letting the tears fall unchecked. A chill crept over me, deep and unsettling. Asher’s expression softened again, his voice dropping to a coaxing purr. "Come on, Elara, don't be difficult. Once this is all over, I'll make it up to you. I'll get you something special. Okay?" A sob caught in my throat. "And what about my sister? She adored you. She used to follow you around, calling you 'big brother.' Is this how you repay her?" The pain in my chest was so intense I could barely breathe. "I'm devastated about Sienna's passing too," he said, his voice laced with false sympathy. "But we can't bring her back. There's no need to ruin another life. Aria is young. She can't have this stain on her record. Elara, please try to understand." Ruin another life? A bleak emptiness spread through me. "If you won't help me, I'll find a lawyer myself." I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm, his grip like iron. His face was cold. "Elara, are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes." My voice was unwavering. "I can guarantee," he said, his tone dropping to a deadly whisper, "that if you walk out that door, not a single law firm in this city will touch your case. You know I don't make idle threats." My breath hitched. I ignored him and walked out. 2 He was right. For days, I went from one law firm to another, covering every corner of Crestfall. No one would take my case. The moment they saw me, their faces would close up, their doors would shut. "Miss Moore, please, don't put me in this position. Mr. Howard gave specific orders." "You should try somewhere else, Miss Moore." "Miss Moore…" I sat on a park bench, the file of evidence for my sister's case heavy in my lap. I pulled out my phone, and a new social media post popped up. It was from Aria. The caption read: [My brother's sending me abroad! Yay! ~] Below it was a selfie of her posing with a new Chanel bag. A moment later, a "like" appeared on the post. From Asher. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. Blood rushed to my head, and the image of my sister's broken body flashed in my mind. Aria had pushed her from the fifth-floor window of their school. The coroner's report detailed multiple injuries sustained before the fall. Just hours before she died, Sienna had texted me, promising to bring me a cupcake after school. By the time I got there, her body was gone. Under pressure from Asher, the school claimed the security cameras were broken. Aria had looked at me with smug triumph. "So what if my brother spoils you? When it comes to my future versus your sister's life, there's no comparison." Rage coursing through my veins, I decided to go to the most prestigious law firm in the city. They were powerful. Surely, they wouldn't bow to Asher's influence. I went to the bank and withdrew every penny I had—a million dollars in cash. I walked into the law firm, ignored the receptionist's protests, and dumped the entire bag of money on her desk. "I need to file a lawsuit. Is a million dollars enough?" The receptionist recognized me and fell silent. A moment later, a partner came out. "Miss Moore, I'm afraid we can't…" "If a million isn't enough, then take this." I ripped off my emerald earrings—the ones Asher had bought for ten million at that auction—and threw them on top of the cash. That had to be enough. The partner just shook his head. "Please, Miss Moore, you're making this very difficult." "Still not enough?" I tore the diamond necklace from my neck and the bracelet from my wrist, thrusting them at him. "How about now?" "I… I can't accept these," he stammered. Suddenly, his eyes flickered to something over my shoulder. "Mr. Howard. Miss Howard." My heart plummeted. I turned around. It was Asher and Aria. Aria smirked at me, a look of pure victory on her face. The memory of my sister's death choked me. Asher strode forward, his brow furrowed, and grabbed my arm. "Elara, are you trying to give away my gifts?" he demanded. I wrenched my arm free. "Yes. Do you want them back?" "You…" He looked furious, but then seemed to collect himself. He pulled me into his arms. "Elara, stop this tantrum. I told you, no one will help you without my permission. Why can't you just be reasonable? Sign the settlement, and all of this will be over." "I even brought Aria here to apologize to you." He pushed Aria in front of me. She bowed her head, her expression a mask of perfect contrition. "Elara, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for it to happen. Sienna and I were just playing around, I didn't think…" She went on and on, then leaned in close, grabbing my hand. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "You should have seen the look on her face when I made her drink toilet water. That little bitch. She kept crying for her big sister while I was hitting her. You really are a good sister, aren't you, Elara?" 3 Her eyes were dancing with amusement, locked on mine. A demon whispering in my ear. The horrific images of Sienna’s last moments played on a loop in my head, tearing me apart. "Enough! Stop talking!" I shoved her away and slapped her hard across the face, twice. "Elara, what are you doing?!" Asher lunged forward and yanked me back. I lost my balance and fell, my head cracking against a large ceramic planter by the door. A starburst of pain exploded behind my eyes. The world spun. I staggered to my feet, leaning against the wall for support. Aria was already nestled in Asher’s arms, her face a mask of terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Brother, I'm so scared. I don't know what happened, Elara just attacked me." Seeing her performance, a fresh wave of hatred burned through me. I lunged for her, but Asher threw me aside again. I landed in a heap on the floor. "Elara," he said, his voice dangerously low, "sign the settlement and apologize to Aria. I won't ask again." A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Asher, are you insane? She provoked me! Is a human life really worth less than Aria's reputation?" "I told you, you will be compensated," he said, his voice like ice. The man who had once promised to love me forever was a stranger. Aria peeked out from behind Asher’s shoulder, a triumphant smirk on her face, as if to say, See? Compared to me, you're nothing. Rage and grief intertwined in my heart. I clenched my fists. "You want me to sign that settlement? In your dreams." I pushed myself to my feet and looked past him, directly at Aria. "Murder is murder," I said, my voice ringing with conviction. "You can't hide it. Even if no one in this city will take my case, I won't give up." If I couldn't find a lawyer in Crestfall, I'd go somewhere else. There had to be someone in this world who wasn't afraid of Asher Howard. "Elara, are you sure you want to do this?" His eyes were cold with warning. I met his gaze without flinching. "I will never stop fighting for my sister." "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." He took Aria's hand and left. A few minutes later, the law firm threw me out. I knew Asher's threats were never empty. I just didn't expect him to move so quickly. The story of my sister's death was suddenly all over the internet. But it was a twisted version. She was painted as a home-wrecker, a teenage seductress who had been chased down at school and pushed to her death by a scorned wife. They posted her photo, alongside doctored images of her with strange men, checking into hotels. The internet exploded. The comments were a torrent of hate. "So the victim wasn't so innocent after all. Figures." "Wow, only sixteen and already stealing husbands. What kind of family raises a girl like that?" "A bitch like that deserved to die. You mess with someone's family, you pay the price." "I hate homewreckers more than anything. Good riddance!" 4 In the court of public opinion, my sister had gone from victim to villain. Her photo was turned into cruel memes, spreading like wildfire. Then, I got a text from Aria. [See how powerful my brother is? Get over here and beg for my forgiveness, and maybe I'll call off the dogs.] [Or else.] A moment later, a video came through. It was a picture of my sister's funeral portrait, with the word WHORE scrawled across it in red, being scattered like confetti on a busy street. An icy rage consumed me. I ran. When I got to the location from the video, a swarm of reporters surrounded me. "Are you the sister of the girl who was killed for having an affair? What's your take on your sister's death?" "Is it true that no lawyer in the city will represent you?" "They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Do you agree?" They pushed and shoved, their cameras flashing in my face. Over their heads, I saw Aria on a second-floor balcony, watching with a smug smile. This was a trap. I tried to push my way through the crowd to get to her, but someone blocked my path. A large, furious woman marched up to me and slapped me across the face. Before I could react, she grabbed a handful of my hair. "You bitch! So you're the one who's been sleeping with my husband!" I was stunned. "What husband? I don't—" "Don't you dare lie to me, you whore!" Another slap. My head was spinning. The crowd grew larger, phones held high, recording everything. "No wonder the sister was a homewrecker. It runs in the family." "A whole family of sluts. Are they that desperate for men?" "I can't stand women who break up homes. Her sister got what she deserved, and now it's her turn!" The woman yanked my hair, the pain searing. I tried to speak, to defend myself, but the crowd surged forward. "Let's get her! It's our civic duty to punish a homewrecker!" I was pushed to the ground. Fists and feet rained down on me. I instinctively curled into a ball, covering my stomach. "Stop," I gasped. "Please, I'm pregnant. Don't kick my stomach." That only seemed to fuel their rage. "What? You got pregnant with another woman's husband?" "We can't let that little bastard be born!" "Get her!" A heavy boot slammed into my abdomen. A wave of agonizing pain washed over me. I felt a warm gush of liquid, and a pool of blood began to spread beneath me. I clutched my stomach, the pain unbearable. But they didn't stop. They kept kicking, over and over. Through the forest of legs, I saw him. Asher, walking away, flanked by bodyguards, with Aria by his side. I tried to push through the mob, to crawl toward them.
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