Natalie's POV
I leaned back in the high-backed leather chair, the cool glass of red wine cradled lazily in my hand. The taste was bitter but satisfying, and I swirled it slowly, watching the deep red swirl against the crystal.
On the screen before me, she struggled. Aurora, my stepdaughter, bound and bruised, her green eyes blazing with that impossible, fiery spirit she always thought made her special.
But she had no idea what was coming. No idea that every move she had made in her life had been anticipated, predicted, and exploited.
I smiled. Soft. Almost serene.
“You’re clever,” I whispered to the screen, tilting my head as though speaking to a portrait. “Too clever for your own good. But cleverness won’t save you now. You never understood the rules of this game.”
My fingers trac
