ROGUE HEIRESS: THE RISE OF EVELYN KANE

THE CHASE BEGINS

....

"I suppose you’re right," she said softly, lowering her gaze to the floor. "There’s no point in fighting."

Lucas’s expression softened, just a fraction, as if he believed he had already won. "Good girl. Now, let’s go before the police arrive."

But as he reached out to take her arm, Evelyn acted. She grabbed the heavy crystal vase from the side table and swung it with all her might, smashing it against his head. The impact sent Lucas stumbling back, his hand flying to his temple where blood was already beginning to trickle down.

“Evelyn, you b***h!" he roared, but she didn’t stick around to hear the rest. She turned and ran, her heart pounding in her ears as she sprinted toward the back of the house.

The secret passage her father had shown her when she was just a child—a hidden door behind the library’s bookcase—was her only chance. She reached the library and threw open the door, rushing inside. The bookcase slid open with a push, revealing a narrow staircase leading down into darkness. Without a second thought, she descended, pulling the bookcase closed behind her.

As she made her way down the stairs, the darkness closing in around her, Evelyn allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Her hands were still shaking, but she couldn’t afford to stop now. Lucas would recover quickly, and when he did, he would come after her with a vengeance.

But she wouldn’t be easy prey. Not anymore.

Her father’s lessons echoed in her mind: Never show weakness. Always have a plan. Trust no one.

She had been a fool to trust Lucas, to let him into her heart. But she wouldn’t make that mistake again. From now on, she would be the one in control. She would find the evidence to clear her name, to expose Lucas and Damian for the monsters they were. And when the time was right, she would take back what was hers.

Evelyn Kane might have fallen, but she wasn’t broken. And soon, the world would know just how dangerous a woman scorned could be.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the cool, underground tunnel, Evelyn squared her shoulders and set her jaw.

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The cool underground tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, its dimly lit path winding through the underbelly of the Kane estate like a forgotten vein. As Evelyn Kane moved through the narrow space, the weight of her situation pressed down on her. Each step echoed in the silence, a stark reminder that she was alone now, with no one to rely on but herself. The fear that had gripped her heart moments ago was now slowly being replaced by a simmering anger—a rage that fueled her determination to survive.

She had been so naive to think that love could protect her in a world ruled by men like Lucas and Damian. But now, the scales had fallen from her eyes, and all she could see was the path ahead—one that would lead her to vengeance and, ultimately, to reclaiming her rightful place.

As she navigated the twists and turns of the tunnel, Evelyn’s thoughts drifted back to the events leading up to that moment. The past few months had been a whirlwind of emotions, beginning with Lucas’s proposal—a grand, elaborate affair that had taken place at the top of the city’s tallest skyscraper. She had been swept off her feet by his charm, by the promise of a future together, one where she could finally escape the shadow of her father’s empire.

But now she realized it had all been a lie—a carefully constructed illusion designed to manipulate her into trusting him. Lucas had never loved her; he had only ever seen her as a means to an end. And Damian, the man she had once considered a second father, had been complicit in the betrayal, playing his part in the deadly game that had cost her everything.

Evelyn clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She wouldn’t let them get away with this. But to take them down, she needed to be smart. She needed to be patient. Most of all, she needed to stay alive long enough to see her plan through.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a small, hidden chamber—one that her father had used as a safe room in times of emergency. The walls were lined with steel, and a large metal door on the far side led to an exit that would take her out of the estate and into the forest beyond. Her father had always been prepared for the worst, and, for once, Evelyn was grateful for his paranoia.