Chapter One
The Present
Athena
I never imagined I’d be saying this, but my adoptive mother was the devil's own wife, molded in his image and sent to earth to torment unsuspecting orphaned children like me.
The social worker at child services considered me incredibly fortunate—lucky to have caught the attention of Beatrix Sanderson, the wife of the country’s tenth wealthiest man. But I knew all too well why she had taken me in.
Her husband had been running for President, and they believed that adopting the most popular teenager in the country at the time—me—would boost their public image, and it did.
My father, once a highly decorated officer known as the solver of all crimes, had been convicted of murdering both his wife and daughter, and he had even attempted to kill his second daughter.
Another reason for my adoption was my appearance. Out of all the teenagers, I stood out. My amber eyes, waist-length curly chestnut brown hair, and olive skin caught Beatrix's attention.
With some polishing, I could have looked like I’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine, and that’s exactly what she did. The transformation delighted her.
When my father's crimes were exposed, my family became the center of gossip on the news for weeks. My aunt refused to take me in, and I was shuffled between foster homes until Beatrix Sanderson found me and decided to adopt me. But her plans didn’t go as expected—her husband lost the election to Ciaran Belmonte.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I became Athena Sanderson, and when her husband’s political aspirations crumbled, Beatrix unleashed her fury on me.
Too proud to abandon me, she found other ways to make my life unbearable. It reached a point where I couldn’t tell if I was her adopted daughter or just an unpaid servant in the house.
My only refuge was school. Emerald Crest Academy catered to the ultra-wealthy families of Eldoria. It was home to the sons and daughters of politicians, business moguls, and celebrities, with the student body divided into an upper and lower echelon.
The upper echelon was reserved for people like Eros Belmonte, the grandson of President Ciaran Belmonte, who was serving his second term, and the son of Leonardo Belmonte, CEO of the Belmonte Group; Scarlett Granville, the vice president’s daughter, along with a select few, and, of course, my adoptive sister, Serena, who was Scarlett’s right hand.
The lower echelon was for the sons and daughters of doctors, attorneys, and corporate executives. But I didn’t even belong there—I was an outcast. Everyone knew my story, and no one wanted to be associated with the daughter of a murderer.
I sat alone in class, ate alone at the table for pariahs—though I was the only one—and was practically invisible to my teachers. I became the target of Serena's cruel jokes, and it infuriated me because there was nothing I could do.
If I retaliated, I'd be thrown out, and my education would be over. So, I endured every insult, every bit of torture, and tried to let it all roll off my back.
In other words, I did my best to develop a thick skin, knowing freedom was within reach. Beatrix and her husband were unlikely to send me to college, so I was counting on earning a scholarship with my perfect grades and extracurriculars to get into my dream university.
Of course, I wasn’t allowed to participate in school sports, thanks to Scarlett and Serena, so my extracurricular activities involved volunteering at a homeless shelter and donating most of my clothes and shoes to underprivileged children.
Despite being the star player at school and the captain of both the basketball and soccer teams, and despite being the most handsome boy in the school—and arguably the world—Eros Belmonte was as cold as the ice sheets of Antarctica.
I had never seen him smile or flirt with girls like his teammates did. In fact, it seemed he had little interest in the female population; Scarlett Granville had tried everything to get him to date her, but he turned her down every time.
However, he also never interacted with his teammates, making him feel like an uninhabited island—isolated and possibly devoid of life.
His gray eyes were devoid of emotion, and if you found yourself on his bad side, a single glance from those icy eyes could send a chill down your spine.
Fortunately, I had never faced his cold demeanor, and I hoped it would stay that way for the remainder of my time at Emerald Crest Academy.
Summer vacation had finally come to an end, and we were set to return to school at the start of September. I felt a surge of excitement because I had spent the entire summer working hard while Serena and her parents vacationed in Italy.
Daniel Sanderson, Serena's father, owned a ranch, and that’s where I had spent my summer, learning to care for horses, cattle, and sheep.
Although it had been a demanding experience, I had enjoyed it and made friends with the ranch hand, Sergei, and his wife, Katia. I returned home a day before Serena and her family were due back and helped the maids with the household chores.
Scarlett and her clique threw a beach party, inviting everyone at school, but I wasn’t allowed to go. Not that I would have gone even if I had been permitted, but it stung a little to realize I had no friends my age to call upon.
A week later, as school resumed, I felt like an outcast; no one acknowledged me or asked how I had spent my summer. I stood at my locker, staring at my new class schedule, when a loud bang on my locker startled me. I looked up to find myself surrounded by Serena and her minions, the Sutherland triplets: Josie, Jenny, and Jasmine.
I groaned inwardly. It was a new term and a new grade, and I had hoped Serena would have matured, but it was clear she hadn’t. I knew she was there to pressure me into helping her and her friends with their homework, just like always.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to maintain a brave facade.
“You know exactly what I want from you—what I always want,” Serena replied, a smug smile on her face. “Your obedience.”
“Serena, please, let’s not do this again,” I pleaded. “Running your errands nearly caused me to fail last semester. I focused more on your work than my own.”
“Do I really have to remind you of this every time?” Serena huffed impatiently. “You don’t have a mind of your own; you’re my slave, Athena. You were brought in to serve me.”
“I’m a Sanderson too, don’t forget that,” I reminded her, my voice shaking.
“Oh, please!” she scoffed, her derision evident. “You’ll never be part of my family. Your blood is tainted, and I’d rather not be seen talking to you. But what can I do? The cheerleading competition is coming up, and Scarlett wants us free from distractions, which is where you come in.”
“I have a life too,” I protested weakly.
Serena let out a humorless chuckle. “Do you really have a life, Athena? Don’t kid yourself.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head before slapping a piece of paper against my chest. “That’s my class schedule. You know what to do with it.” With that, she brushed past me, her minions trailing behind her.
I was furious, feeling the urge to hit something and curse at someone, but I held back. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but my mother’s. If only she had left my father when the abuse first began, she might still be alive today.
I punched in my combination and opened my locker to drop off my class schedule since I shared nearly all my classes with Serena. The only exceptions were Spanish, Latin, and French. My mother was half Mexican and half Greek, which explained my name, Athena, while my sister was named Aurelia after our maternal grandmother.
Just as I was about to close my locker door, a girl screamed, and soon Eros’ name echoed through the hallway. I rolled my eyes, realizing the Ice Prince of Emerald Crest had returned from his vacation. I didn’t stick around to see if he had gotten even more tan or finally found his soul. Although I knew that the latter was unlikely.
Just as Beatrix Sanderson was like the devil’s wife and Serena their daughter, Eros could easily be his son. I avoided the excited crowd and headed toward the auditorium, where it was tradition for the principal to welcome both new and returning students.
Sooner than I’d have liked, the auditorium filled up, and, as usual, everyone kept their distance from me. I didn’t mind—it meant I had six empty seats all to myself. Principal Edgar Crawford’s speech was mercifully brief; he urged us to be good students and rattled off the school’s dos and don’ts, but I tuned him out after that. It wasn’t long before the bell rang, signaling the start of classes, and we were dismissed.
I joined the flow of students rushing upstairs to their classrooms, doing my best to dodge the shoves and bumps. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side—someone pushed me hard, and I stumbled backward, failing to grab the railing.
A scream escaped my lips as I closed my eyes, bracing for the painful fall down the stairs that, oddly, never came.
I wondered if I had lost consciousness because all I could hear was silence, even though I felt eyes on me and hands gripping my waist to steady me. I opened one eye, then the other, and was surprised to see everyone staring at me in horror.
Their expressions sent a wave of fear through me as the hands on my back helped me regain my balance and get back on my feet.
I turned slowly to thank my savior, but the words caught in my throat when I saw who had saved me, and my panic began to rise. My amber eyes met his steely gray ones, and I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. I was toast.