The morning sun beat down ruthlessly on the high stone pillars of the Davidson estate, leaving the vast courtyard frozen in a suffocating tension. Arthur Davidson had already departed earlier for the Grand Hyatt to oversee the final pre-gala preparations, leaving the grounds feeling unsettlingly empty. Lucy stood at the top of the marble steps wrapped in her tailored cream blazer, an untouchable ice queen watching the driveway with quiet disdain. She had spent months planning her escape from this gilded cage, and today was the beginning of the end.
A roar of imported exhaust shattered the silence. Julian pulled his custom red sports car to a sharp, aggressive halt right at the main entrance, tires spitting a fraction of gravel against the pristine pavement. He rolled down his tinted windo
