The Secret Heir’

I never believed in fate until the night three men tried to kill me. My name is Aveline Blackthorn, though for most of my life I thought my last name was Carter. I am twenty four years old, I work at a small bookstore on Fifth Avenue, and up until two days ago, I thought I was nobody special. Just another girl trying to make rent, buy groceries, and maybe save enough money to go back to college someday. I was wrong about everything. It started on a Tuesday. I remember because Tuesdays are always slow at the bookstore, and I spend most of my shift reading behind the counter. Mrs. Chen, my boss, does not mind as long as I help customers when they come in. That day, I was reading a romance novel, something about a girl who falls in love with a dangerous man. I rolled my eyes at the dramatic parts, thinking no one actually lives like that. I should have known better. Around six in the evening, a man walked into the store. He was tall, maybe in his fifties, with grey hair and a scar running down his left cheek. He wore an expensive suit, the kind that costs more than I make in three months. He did not look at the books. He looked straight at me. I felt my stomach tighten. Something about him made me nervous. He walked up to the counter and smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "Aveline Carter," he said. It was not a question. "Can I help you?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. He leaned against the counter. "You are not who you think you are." I frowned. "Excuse me?" "Your real name is Aveline Blackthorn. Your father was Vincent Blackthorn. Does that name mean anything to you?" I shook my head. "I think you have the wrong person." He reached into his jacket, and I tensed, but he only pulled out a photograph. He placed it on the counter. It was an old picture of a man and a woman. The man was tall with dark hair and sharp features. The woman was beautiful with green eyes just like mine. "That is your father," he said, pointing to the man. "And that is your mother. They are both dead, but you are alive. That makes you the heir." "Heir to what?" I asked, my voice shaking now. "To everything," he said. "An empire worth billions. Power that stretches across this city and beyond. But also danger. If I found you, others will too. You need to disappear, or you need protection." I pushed the photograph back toward him. "I do not know what you are talking about. Please leave." He looked at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Suit yourself. But when they come for you, remember I tried to warn you." He left the store, and I stood there shaking. I told myself he was crazy. I told myself it was some kind of scam. But deep down, something about that photograph felt familiar. The woman in the picture had my eyes, my nose, and my smile. I locked the store early and walked home. It was dark outside, and the streets were quiet. I kept looking over my shoulder, feeling like someone was watching me. When I turned into the alley behind my apartment building, I heard footsteps behind me. I walked faster. The footsteps matched my pace. I started to run. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind. A hand clamped over my mouth, and I was dragged backward. I tried to scream, but the sound was muffled. I kicked and fought, but there were too many of them. Three men, all dressed in black. "Stop fighting," one of them hissed. "You are coming with us." They started dragging me toward a black van parked at the end of the alley. I bit down on the hand covering my mouth, and the man yelped and let go. I screamed as loud as I could. Then I heard gunshots. The man holding me fell to the ground. Blood spread across the pavement. The other two men reached for their guns, but more shots rang out, and they dropped too. I stumbled backward, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. A black car pulled up, and a man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in an expensive suit, with dark hair and cold grey eyes. He looked at the bodies on the ground like they were nothing, then he looked at me. "Get in the car, Aveline," he said calmly. "Unless you want to die tonight."