The Girl the World Thought It Knew
Chapter One
"Smile, Aurora!"
"Cameras this way!"
"Who's the mystery man you've been dating?"
"Miss Vale! Over here!"
The flashes came faster than lightning.
Aurora Vale smiled anyway.
She had perfected the expression years ago—a dazzling smile that convinced millions she loved every second of being the daughter of the world's biggest movie star.
She hated it.
The cameras couldn't capture the exhaustion hidden beneath her emerald eyes or the ache in her cheeks from pretending to be someone she wasn't.
Another flash exploded.
"Aurora! One more!"
She turned gracefully, allowing photographers another perfect shot before walking toward the entrance of the Vale Entertainment charity gala.
The event had shut down three city blocks. Fans screamed behind barricades, reporters shouted questions, and celebrities posed beneath chandeliers worth more than most people's homes.
Aurora had attended events like this since she was six years old.
Tonight felt different.
Wrong.
A cold shiver crawled up her spine.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Nothing.
Just hundreds of cameras.
Thousands of fans.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that someone wasn't watching her because she was famous.
They were hunting her.
"You're late."
Aurora looked up to find her mother waiting at the top of the marble staircase.
Victoria Vale.
Academy Award winner.
Fashion icon.
America's sweetheart.
To the world, Victoria was elegance wrapped in perfection.
To Aurora...
She was distant.
Controlled.
Always hiding something.
"You nearly caused a media riot," Victoria said, kissing Aurora's cheek.
"You mean they nearly caused one."
Victoria ignored the comment.
"You'll stay beside me all evening."
Aurora sighed.
"I'm twenty-three, not twelve."
"Humor me."
There it was again.
That strange urgency in her mother's voice.
Before Aurora could question it, the ballroom doors opened.
Gold light spilled across polished marble floors.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead.
An orchestra played softly while politicians, billionaires, actors, and royalty mingled beneath towering ceilings.
Everything glittered.
Everything looked perfect.
Aurora had never felt more trapped.
An hour later, she'd smiled through dozens of interviews, greeted producers she couldn't remember meeting, and listened politely as strangers praised her mother's latest film.
She slipped onto the balcony for fresh air.
The city stretched below in a sea of lights.
For the first time all evening...
Silence.
She closed her eyes.
"You shouldn't be alone."
Aurora spun around.
Standing in the shadows was a man dressed entirely in black.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark hair slightly tousled by the wind.
His amber eyes reflected the moonlight with an unsettling intensity.
He wasn't supposed to be there.
"I'm sorry," Aurora said cautiously. "This area is private."
"So am I."
His deep voice sent an inexplicable chill through her.
He studied her like he already knew every secret she'd ever kept.
Aurora folded her arms.
"If you're another journalist, your disguise needs work."
One corner of his mouth lifted.
"I'm not a journalist."
"Then who are you?"
Instead of answering, his eyes swept across the rooftop opposite the hotel.
His expression changed instantly.
Every trace of amusement vanished.
"Get inside."
Aurora frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"Now."
She laughed.
"I don't take orders from strangers."
His jaw tightened.
"You have ten seconds."
Aurora stepped backward.
"And if I don't?"
The man's gaze darkened.
"Then we're both going to regret it."
A sharp crack echoed through the night.
Glass exploded.
Someone screamed.
Aurora barely had time to register what was happening before the stranger lunged forward.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
The world spun.
Another deafening crack.
A bullet shattered the balcony railing where she'd been standing seconds earlier.
"What the—"
"Run!"
Chaos erupted inside the ballroom.
Guests scattered in every direction.
Security rushed toward the exits.
More gunshots rang out.
The stranger pulled Aurora behind a marble pillar just as another bullet embedded itself in the wall.
Her heart hammered violently.
"Who are they?" she whispered.
His eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the hotel.
"They're not here for your mother."
Another shot.
Closer this time.
"They're here for you."
Aurora stared at him, unable to breathe.
Before she could ask another question...
A blood-curdling howl echoed through the city.
It wasn't human.
And somewhere in the darkness...
Something answered.
