Chapter. 1 The December wind in New York city cut through My thin coat like a knife,but it was nothing compared to the Cold fear in my chest. Mom's fever had not My father called it a bride price. I called it a death sentence market, straight into him. I didn't see the tall man in the black jacket. I only felt his chest. Hard. Warm. Like a wall. The bag of medicine flew from my hand. Pills scattered across the dirty sidewalk like fallen stars.My medicine I dropped to my knees. Those pills cost my entire food money for the week. God, please....I'm so sorry. His voice was deep, rough with regret. And something else. Something that made my skin tingle despite the freezing cold.I looked up. He was already on his knees beside me gathering the white and red capsules with long, scarred fingers. A working man's hands. Strong hands.His name was, Daniel Carter. I'd seen him before at the fabric stalls on bama street selling imported lace. I'd never been this close. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion,but they were the kindest eyes I'd ever seen. dark brown. Like the coffee Mom used to make for Dad. Here he placed the last pill in my shaking palm. Our fingers touched.It was only for a second. But my whole body jolted. Like someone had connected me to a live wire. I snatched my hand back, heat rushing to my cheeks despite the 30⁰F weather.Your bag is torn, he said, standing up. He towered over me. Six -foot-two at least. wait here.Before I could protect, he disappeared into Mr David's pharmacy. He came back with a new plastic bag. Inside was not just my fever medicine. There was also headache cough syrup, and a hot coffee.I can't pay for All this I whispered.my pride was burning. I'm just a poor girl, Daniel. My father died in the Bronx fire Three years ago. We have nothing.He crouched down again so we were eye to eye. Poverty is not a disease, Grace Williams his voice was barely above a whisper, but it drowned out the entire market. The only disease is a heart that doesn't care. And your's he tapped my chest lightly with one finger.my heart nearly stopped. yours is the richest heart in new York.No one had ever spoken to me like that. Not like I was a person. Not like I mattered. Tears I didn't know I was holding spilled down my cheeks.From that day, Daniel found reason to pass our apartment in Brooklyn. He brought oranges for my brother's, sam and David Jr. He fixed our broken heater. He made mom , Mrs Esther Williams, laugh for the first time since Dad died. And I fell. Hard. Fast. Completely. Until the day my uncle, chief Richard Thompson, called a family meeting. The wedding is in two weeks he announced, his gold chain shaking with joy. My business partners son from Los Angeles, Michael Johnson, has sent a $ 5,000 dowry we are rich, Grace you will marry him and save us All The floor disappeared from under me. Los Angeles? Michael? A stranger would own my life. Own my body. No, I whispered.What did you say? Chef Richards face turned purple. I said no . My voice was shaking, but my heart was screaming Daniel's name I will not marry him I... I love someone else.The slap came so fast I didn't see it I only felt my head snap to the side and tasted blood.You love that poor street vendor? My uncle was roaring now. That nobody who sells rags in queen? Over my dead body That night I met Daniel behind St. Patrick's cathedral. My cheek was still swollen. He was it and his entire body went still. Like a lion before it attack. He hit you. It wasn't a question. I don't care, I sobbed into his chest. His jacket smelled of sweat and cologne and safety. I told him I love you, Daniel. I told him I choose you. Even if we have to run away. Even if we have nothing but each other.He pulled back and cupped My face. His thumb was gentle on my bruise. His eyes were blazing. Then we run, Grace Tonight. I will never let another man touch you. I swear on my life.He kissed me. It was my first kiss. Desperate. Scared. Full of promises we might not live to keep. We didn't see Jessica Davis watching us from Mr David's window. his daughter she had love Daniel since high school. And she would rather see him deported than in my arms. She picked up her phone. Chief Richard your niece is about to bring shame to your family. She's with that vendor right now. Behind the cathedral... In the distance, NYPD sirens started to wail

The Man who sold oranges for two dollars. The man who offered to marry a stranger to save her. The man who was now in jail because of me.I was going to get him out.And then I was going to burn Richard Hale's world to the ground. Let's go, I told the cops.As we walked out of St. Patrick's, Jessica grabbed my arm. Her nails dug into my skin.You think you' ve won? She hissed. you think a name makes you somebody? You're still nothing. You're still the girl from the village. You're still trash.I looked down at her hand on my arm.Then I looked up at her face.No, I said quietly. I'm the girl who survived you. I'm the girl who survived your father. And I'm the girl who's about to take everything you love.I leaned in. My lips almost touched her ear.Including Daniel.Jessica slapped me hard.The sound cracked through the rain.I didn't flinch. I just smiled. With blood in my mouth.Assault of a Carter heiress, I said to the cops. I want it on record.The older cop singled and pulled out his handcuffs. But this time, they weren't for me.They were for Jessica Hale. As they dragged her to the squad car, she was screaming. Not the perfect, controlled screams from before. These were raw. Desperate.She's lying she's not Anastasia! Chief Richard burned her! I saw the ashes!I walked past her. Into the rain. Into the police car. Into my new life.Father Michael was right.I owned the jail. I owned the courthouse. I owned the whole damn city.And Daniel Carter was about to find out what happens when you mess with a girl whose name is billion.

Ten million dollars.The cop's words echoed through the cathedral like a death sentence. Jessica's smile was a blade. That's the reward for returning Anastasia Carter alive. Dead or alive, actually. My father isn't picky. My father. Richard Hale. The man who ordered the fire that killed my parents. The man who stole my name and sold me for five thousand dollars.Father Michael's hand tightened around mine. She's not going anywhere with you.Watch me. Jessica snapped her fingers. The two cops stepped forward, handcuffs glinting in the candlelight. She's a thief. A fraud. she conned Daniel Carter. She's dangerous.Dangerous? I laughed. The sound was broken. Foreign. it didn't sound like Grace it sounded like Anastasia. You want dangerous? I'll show you dangerous.I stepped out from behind father Michael. My torn dress, my bare feet, my rain soaked hair. I looked like nothing. Like trash. Like a girl worth five thousand dollars. But I wasn't.My name was billion.Check the database again, I told the cops. My voice didn't shake. Search for Chief Richard. Not the uncle. The criminal. The arsonist. The murderer. The younger cop hesitated. His eyes flicked to Jessica, then to me to the crescent moon birthmark on my neck.Father Michael nodded at him. Do it, son. Before you arrest an innocent heiress and become accessory to kidnapping. The cops fingers flew across his phone. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The cathedral was silent except for the rain and the thunder and Jessica's breathing. Fast. Shallow. Scared. Then the cop looked up. His face was white.Sir, he said to his partner. There are three open warrants for a Chief Richard Eze. Wanted in connection with the Hale-carter fire. Twenty years ago New York. Three counts of murder. One count of attempted murder of a minor. The minor was me.Jessica's mask cracked. That's a lie! My father saved her! He raised her.He raised me to sell me, I said. Each word was ice. He beat me. He starved me. He told me I was worthless. Then he sold me to a sixty year old man for the price of a used car. I took a step toward Jessica. She flinched.But you made one mistake, Jessica. You put a price on my head. Ten million dollars.I smiled. It wasn't Grace's smile. Grace never smiled like that.I'm worth 2.3 billion. You're ten million short. The older cop lowered his gun. Miss Hale, we need you to come with us for questioning. Now.Jessica's perfect face twisted. You can't be serious! She's the criminal! She'sShe's the victim, father Michael cut in. His voice was steel. And unless you want the Catholic church, the NYPD, and the entire Carter legal team on your back, I suggest you cooperate.The Carter legal team.The words hit me. I had a legal team. I had lawyers. I had power.For twenty years I had nothing. Now I had everything.Except Daniel.Where is he? I asked father Michael. Where is Daniel Carter? 26th precinct, the younger cop said. Booked two hours ago. Grand larceny. Fraud. Mental health evaluation pending. Mental health evaluation. They were going to declare him Insane. Lock him away. Steal his life like they stole mine.Not while I breathed.Take me to him, I said to the cops. Now. Miss Carter, you shouldNow I didn't scream. I didn't need to. My voice was cold enough to freeze hell. Or should I call my lawyers first? The ones who own this precinct?The cops exchanged a look. Then they nodded.Father Michael squeezed my hand once. Be smart, Anastasia. Don't let anger make you stupid. Daniel wouldn't want that.

The man who raised me.who beat me who sold me. He didn't save me from the fire.He started it.The truth hit me so hard I couldn't breathe. My parents didn't die in an accident. They were murdered. For money. By the man who called himself my uncle.And now his daughter was here to finish the job. Grace, Father Michael said gently. using the name I knew. Anastasia. You have a choice now. You can run. Or you can fight.I looked at the cops. At Jessica. At the cross above the altar.I thought of Daniel in handcuffs. Protecting me. Believing in me when I was nothing. I was done running. I stood up. My legs were shaking, But I stood. I choose fight, I said. My voice was quite. But it didn't shake. Where is Daniel Carter. Father Michael smiled. Sad and proud. Jail, he said. Said. But not for long. Because you my child... You own the jail. You own the courthouse. You own the whole damn city. He took my hand. His was warm. Safe like Daniel's. Come, he said. It's time to take back your name. Your money. And your man. Outside, thunder cracked. Inside, I was born again.Not Grace. Not the girl sold for five thousand dollars. Anastasia Isabella Carter.Billionaire. heiress.And Jessica Hale's worst nightmare.

The church doors slammed shut behind me. Silence hit me like a punch.Outside, Jessica was screaming my price like I was cattle. Five thousand dollars. Inside, the air was thick with incense and secrets. My chest was heaving. Rain dripped from my hair onto the marble floor. Each drop sounded like a gunshot.Child.The voice came from the shadows. Old. Tired. But kind in a way that made my throat close up.I spun around. My fists were up. Ready to fight. Ready to die before I let chief Richard touch me again.A priest stood by the altar. White hair. Black robes. Eyes that had seen too many confessions. Too many sins. Father Michael? My voice cracked Daniel said he was the only one I could trust.The priest stepped into the candlelight and froze. His eyes locked on my neck. Not my face. Not my torn dress. My neck.Specifically, the birthmark just below my left ear. A small crescent moon. My mother said I was born with it. Said it meant I was touched by God.Father Michael's face went white. like he'd seen a ghost.He crossed himself. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Then I heard it. One word. A whisper. A prayer.Anastasia. My blood turned to ice.Nobody called me that. Not since I was five years old. Not since the night my parents died in the fire. Chief Richard said my real name was Grace. Said Anastasia died with my parents. How do you know that name? I backed away. My back hit the wooden door. Trapped. Father Michael sank to his knees. Right there on the cold church floor. His hands were shaking.Because I baptized you, he said. His voice broke. Twenty years ago. In this church. You were born here, child. On the altar steps. During a thunderstorm just like tonight.The world tilted againBorn here? In New York? Not in Nigeria? My parents... I choked. Chief Richard said they died in Lagos. In a fire.Lies. father Michael's eyes were wet. All lies. Your father was Alexander Hale. Your mother was Isabella Carter.Carter.The same name as Daniel.My knees gave out. I slid down the door to the floor. Daniel Carter, I whispered. Is he...Your cousin, father Michael finished. His father and your mother were siblings. You are the last living heir to the Carter fortune, Anastasia. Worth 2.3 billion dollars.Billion.The world hit me harder than Chief Richard's hand ever did. Then why... My voice was gone. Just air. Why did chief Richard sell for five thousand dollars if I'm worth billions?Father Michael crawled toward me on his knees. like he was approaching something holy. Or something cursed.Because your birth certificate burned in the fire that killed your parents, he said. The only proof you existed was this. He reached out. His old finger's trembled as they touched my birthmark.This crescent moon. The mark of the Carter woman. Daniel's mother had it. His grandmother had it. You have it. Suddenly, the church doors exploded open. Jessica stood there. Rain made her red dress cling to her body like blood. Two cops behind her. Guns drawn. There she is, Jessica smiled. But it wasn't smile. It was a knife. Arrest the thief. ThiefAnastasia Carter Hale is wanted for stealing ten million dollars from my father, Jessica said to the cops. And for fraud. She pretend to be poor. She tricked Daniel Carter into marriage to steal his money.Lies All lies. But the cops didn't care. They stepped toward me. Handcuffs ready.Father Michael stood up. His old body suddenly looked ten feet tall. You will not touch her, he roared. His voice filled the whole cathedral. Not in god's house. Not while I breathe. He stepped between me and the guns just like Daniel did.just like I did for Daniel.Officer, father Michael said calmly. Before you arrest the girl, check your database. Look for a missing person report filed twenty years ago. Name Anastasia Isabella Carter. Age: five. Last seen: St. Patrick's cathedral.One cop pulled out his phone. Frowned Typed.His face went pale. Holy... he whispered to his partner. Captain, it real. The report is still open. Unsolved. Reward: Ten million dollars.Jessica's impossible she hissed. Chief Richard said she died! He said he burned the body! Chief Richard.

Is it true I whispered. My whole body was shaking so hard I thought my bones would snap Daniel are you rich silence. The longest silence of my life. Only the rain. Only the sirens. Only my heart beating like a war drum. He didn't answer. He didn't nod. He didn't shake his head.He just looked at me. And in his silence, I heard everything I needed to know.Chief Richard sold me for $5,000. He said I was worth nothing. they my only value was between my legs. This man.. this billionaire.. offered to marry me for free. Offered to give me his name when he everything to lose. Offered to protect me when no one else would. Which one was the real monster? The man who sold me? Or the man who lied to save me? Grace, Daniel said finally. His voice was war. Scraped. Like he had been screaming for hours. I can explain everything. I swear on my life. On my mother's grave. But right now... Right now, you have to run.Run the word came out as a broken choke. From what? Handcuffs clicked. Metal on skin. A cop yanked Daniel's arms behind shi back. Hard. Too hard Daniel grunted but he didn't teke his eyes off me. Yas run he shouted as they dragged him backwards. Away from me find father Michael inside the church he's the only one. He will help you. Don't trust anyone else especially her! He jerked his chin toward Jessica. Jessica was already walking towards me. slow . Confident. Like a cat approaching a wounded bird. Her red smile was a knife. Sharp. Beautiful. Deadly.Come here, darling, she said softly. Too softly. The kind of soft that comes before the slap. Let me help you. You've been through so much trauma. Let me take you home to your uncle. Chief Richard is very, very worried about you he's been crying.Home. To chief Richard. To the man who sold me. To the 60 years old man who was probably waiting in a hotel room right now. With his money. And his hands. My stomach turned. I thought I would vomit right there on the cathedral step.My legs started to move. But not towards her. Not towards home. Not towards hell.I ran I turned and ran straight into St. Patrick's cathedral. The massive wooden doors were heavy. Ancient. I pushed them with all my strength. With all my fear. With all my hope.I ran into the dark. Into the smell of incense and old wood. Into the arms of a god I wasn't sure still listened to me. Into the arms of a priest I didn't know.Because the poor fruit vendor was a billionaire. Because the billionaire was now In handcuffs.Because I just realized... Despite the lie despite everything... I believe him The last thing I heard before the church door slammed shut behind me was Jessica screaming. Not the perfect, controlled voice from before. This was raw animal. furious.She's mine that girl is worth five thousand dollars to me bring her back

Police sirens ripped through the rain like knives through silk.The cold air of New York in October burned my lungs. NYPD surrounded us at the steps of st. Patrick's cathedral. Red and blue lights painted Daniel's face. Painted the wooden cart of oranges behind him. Painted my torn dress.But Daniel didn't let go of my hand. his palm was calloused. Rough. Real. The only real thing in this nightmare.Daniel Carter A woman's voice cut through the chaos. High heels clicked against wet pavement like gunshots. step away from the girl.This was her. The fiancee. Jessica.She stepped into the light and my breath stopped. She was beautiful in the wey expensive things are beautiful. cold perfect. Untouchable. Blonde hair that had never been rained on. A red dress that probably cost more than my uncle made in a year. Diamond earrings that could feed my village for a month.Her eyes found mine. And in them, I saw it disgust. The same look chief Richard gave me when he said I was worthless. The same look the 60 years old man gave me when he counted out five thousand dollars. To her, I was trash. Something dirty that touched her property.Officer, arrest him she screamed. Her voice was Sharp enough to shatter glass. he's a runaway he's mentally unstable he stole ten million dollars from my father, Richard hale he's dangerous! Ten. Million. Dollars. The number crashed into my skull. I stumbled back. Rain soaked my hair, my face, my soul.I looked at Daniel. Really looked at him. At the cheap shirt clinging to his chest. At the scars on his hands scars from lifting crates, not signing checks. At the wooden cart. At the oranges.None of his made sense.She's lying Daniel whispered. He stepped closer to me, shielding me from the cops with his body. His voice was so quiet only I could hear. So desperate it broke my heart Grace please. You have to trust me.GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" An officer pointed a gun directly at Daniel's chest. His finger was on the trigger.My heart didn't just explode. It shattered. Into a million pieces.This man... This poor fruit vendor who owned nothing but a cart and kindness...he just offered to marry me. To save me from chief Richard. To save me from a 60 years old man with yellow teeth who paid $5,000 to own my body. To own my future. To own my womb.Daniel was willing to destroy his life to save mine.And now he was going to die for it. Here. In the rain. In front of St. Patrick's cathedral. because of me.Something inside me snapped. The fear broke. The pain broke. The girl who always obeyed, always said yes, always lowered her eyes...she died.I did the only thing I could.I stepped in front of Daniel. Between his chest and the gun. My arms spread wide like a cross.No! I screamed at the cop. My voice was raw . Torn. Not my voice anymore. He didn't steal he saved me my uncle sold me for five thousand dollars! To a man old enough to be My grandfather Daniel tried to stop it!" The cop hesitate. The gun lowered one inch.Jessica laughed. A sharp, broken sound that didn't belong in the rain. saved you? Oh sweetie. She took a step closer.her perfume was expensive. Choking. Do you even know who you re protecting? He is Daniel Carter the third his family owns half of Manhattan! The Carter Building? That his. The Carter hotels his he's worth 2.3 Billions dollars.Billionaire.The word didn't make sense. Like trying to read in the dark. He faked being poor because he's INSANE Jessica continued. Spit flew from her perfect red lips he ran away from his wedding six months ago from me he had a mental breakdown and disappeared my father and I have been looking for him he needs help! he needs to be locked up!"The world tilted. The cathedral spun. The sirens became a scream inside my head. Billionaire? Daniel the man who sold oranges for two dollars the man who had dirt under his fingernails the man who slept... Where did he sleep? Did he even have a home I turned slowly. Very slowly. Like I was underwater. Like if I moved too fast, I would break. I looked at him. Rain dropped from his dark hair. Down his jaw. Into the cheap collar of his shirt. He wasn't looking at Jessica. He wasn't looking at the cops.He was looking at me. Only meAnd his eyes... God, his eyes weren't scared of the gun's. We'rent scared of what I would think.