Alodie Sinclair jerked awake, her heart pounding in her ears.
The scent of antiseptic and death was gone, replaced by the cloying smell of expensive leather.
She was not dead.
Her gaze snapped to the side.
She was sitting in the back of a car parked in front of the Rhodes Mansion.
Her eyes remained transfixed on the sight outside, disbelief warring with common sense.
She had just died. How then was she back here?
"Are you not going to get down?" the driver snapped impatiently.
Alodie didn't bother replying. She pushed the door open, stepped out, and slammed it with such force that the driver jumped.
The driver muttered something under his breath but didn't say anything else as he drove away.
Alodie's hand curled into a fist while she remained standing in the same spot, watching her reflection in the glossy surface of the departing car.
The girl in the reflection had rosy cheeks, and bright eyes not yet dimmed by the torment she had received from the year she had spent in prison.
She looked young, untouched by the disease that ravaged her body.
It was unbelievable.
She had really come back.
Her gaze slowly lifted to the towering white pillars of the Rhodes Mansion.
Her stomach twisted.
The last time she had stood here…
It had been the beginning of her path to death. She had been so naïve. So desperate to please, so desperate for the love of the family who had oh so graciously taken her in after the death of her parents.
She had taken their ill treatment with gratitude because she had not known better.
The Rhodes had taken advantage of her navivette and thrown her to the wolves.
They'd raised her alongside their own daughter, Kirsty.
They had made her believe that she had been a burden on them, but the truth was that she had been the reason they had lived so lavishly.
She was the sole heir of her parents fortune. But the Rhodes had been her legal guardians and they had lived lavishly as the city's elite on her inheritance while giving her nothing.
She had believed them.
And they had never let her forget it.
Alodie's jaw tightened.
She wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
This time, she would not just survive.
She would protect what was rightfully hers.
This time… they would pay.
As Alodie began to walk past the garden, she could overhear the staff around as they went about their activities.
"I have never seen her before, who is she?"
"The adopted daughter of the Rhodes."
"I heard her parents were penniless and in debt. The Rhodes are saints for taking her in."
Another scoffed, "What a burden."
Alodie didn't even turn her head.
Penniless?
That word took her back to that moment in prison when she had learned the truth.
"Sign this Alodie," Sheila Rhodes urged. "The lawyer needs this for your appeal."
"You believe me?" Alodie asked, tears brimming in her eyes.
She had protested her innocence from the beginning but no one believed her. The fact that the woman who had adopted her was here, ready to fight for her made her want to sob happy tears.
"Of course I believe you." Sheila reached a hand and patted Alodie's hand. "We know you are innocent. But hurry, sign this."
Alodie did not even read the document that was placed in front of her. She quickly signed it. As Sheila grabbed it and scrutinized it, a wide smile lit up her face.
"So, when will we appeal?" Alodie asked eagerly.
Shelia stared at Alodie in disgust, all pretense of care vanished from her face.
"You just signed away your parents entire fortune." Sheila grinned evilly. "I can't believe how dumb you are."
Alodie's face fell. "Fortune?" She whispered, "You said my parents were broke."
"And stupid old you believed." Sheila rose to her feet
"Now," She sneered, "Enjoy the rest of your stay in prison"
Then she left without ceremony, leaving Alodie stunned and heartbroken.
The Rhodes weren't saints; they were parasites living in a house paid for by Sinclair blood.
Inside, the mansion smelled of lemon polish and expensive flowers. Everything looked perfect.
"Alodie!" a saccharine voice called out.
Kirsty Rhodes was perched on a velvet sofa, looking like a flower in bloom. She didn't get up. She didn't need to. In this house, Kirsty was the sun, and Alodie was supposed to be the sand at her feet.
"You're back from the countryside," Kirsty chirped, her smile never reaching her eyes. "Did you have fun playing in the dirt? I'm sure it was a nice change from... well, everything we provide for you here."
"I had a wonderful time," Alodie said, her voice smooth as silk. She stood directly over Kirsty, forcing the other girl to look up. "The air is much cleaner when you aren't surrounded by people who smell like desperation."
Kirsty's smile faltered. "What did you say?"
"I'm tired, Kirsty," Alodie announced, turning toward the grand staircase.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kirsty stood up and blocked Alodie's path, her face reddening. "Your room is in the basement. You know the rules. You aren't allowed upstairs."
"The basement is damp," Alodie said, not stopping. "I think I'll take a room upstairs. After all, I am also a daughter of this family too, aren't I?"
"You're not allowed upstairs..."
SMACK.
The sound was loud and unexpected, like a thunderbolt.
Kirsty staggered backward, clutching her cheek in stunned silence while her jaw hung open in disbelief.