My 21st Birthday: Day Of Reckoning

My 21st birthday gala.

The grand ballroom buzzed, filled with the heavy scent of lilies.

But my eyes snapped open to my private suite; I was back.

Not in the cold, damp alley where they left me to die.

It was that day again.

Last time, my seemingly sweet cousin Chloe stole my bespoke gown, publicly humiliating me.

My charming fiancé, Ethan, watched, then sealed my fate.

My own brother, Marcus, ravenous for power, colluded with them.

They engineered my ruin, aligning with Viktor Rostova's Apex Global, swallowing our family empire whole.