Prologue

Prologue – Fated Shadows

The night was supposed to be ordinary.

Laughter filled the air as seven-year-old Ethan Reyes ran ahead, his small sneakers slapping against the pavement. His mother’s voice called after him, but he was too full of energy to slow down. His older sister, Evelyne, twelve at the time, jogged after him, rolling her eyes.

“Ethan, slow down! Mom said to stay close.”

“But I wanna race!” he giggled, turning back to flash his toothy grin. His brown eyes shone under the glow of the streetlights, innocence and joy wrapped into one.

Evelyne sighed, but she couldn’t help smiling. Ethan was her whole world—the one person who made their family’s struggles feel lighter. Ever since their father’s name was dragged through the mud, life hadn’t been easy. Their mother barely spoke anymore, their home had shrunk from a grand estate to a modest apartment, and whispers followed them everywhere.

But Ethan… Ethan was too young to understand. He still believed in good things.

And maybe that was why he didn’t see the car coming.

The screech of tires shattered the night. Evelyne barely had time to react. One second, Ethan was in front of her. The next—

A black car hurtled down the street, too fast. Too reckless.

“ETHAN!” Evelyne screamed, her legs frozen.

Her little brother turned just as the car swerved. For a moment, it seemed like the driver might stop, but instead—it accelerated.

The impact was sickening.

Ethan’s body hit the windshield before crumpling onto the asphalt. The car barely hesitated before speeding away, its taillights vanishing into the darkness.

Silence. Then—

A scream erupted from Evelyne’s throat as she ran forward, dropping to her knees. Blood seeped into the pavement beneath Ethan’s small, fragile frame. His chest barely moved, his breaths shallow and uneven.

“Ethan, no, no, no—stay with me! Someone help!” Evelyne sobbed, pressing her hands against his trembling body. His tiny fingers curled around hers weakly.

“M-Mom…” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Their mother’s frantic cries rang behind her as she collapsed beside them, hands shaking as she touched her son’s pale face.

The world blurred. Sirens. Flashing lights. Hands pulling Evelyne away as they tried to revive her little brother.

But she knew.

She knew the moment his fingers slipped from hers.

Ethan Reyes was gone.

And somewhere, out there, the man who killed him was still driving away—without a single ounce of regret.

---

Fifteen Years Later

The world had moved on. Evelyne had not.

She sat in the dimly lit café, fingers curled around a cup of untouched coffee. Rain drummed against the window, casting streaks of silver against the glass. Outside, people rushed through the city, umbrellas shielding them from the storm.

She barely noticed.

Fifteen years. That was how long she had carried the weight of her brother’s death. And yet, justice had never come.

The police had ruled it an “unidentified hit-and-run.” No suspects. No witnesses. Just a dead little boy and a shattered family left to pick up the pieces.

Her father had tried to fight. To find the truth. But after everything Victor Carter had done to him—to their family—his voice had been buried beneath corruption and power.

Victor Carter.

Even the name made Evelyne’s stomach churn. The man who had stolen everything from them. The man who had framed her father for crimes he never committed, stripping them of their wealth and status.

Her father died chasing justice, drinking himself to death with the weight of his failures. Her mother never recovered.

And Evelyne?

Evelyne learned how to survive. How to smile through gritted teeth. How to let people believe she had moved on when, in reality, she was still hunting for the truth.

And now, after fifteen years—she had finally found it.

A flash drive sat in her pocket, its weight heavier than anything she had ever carried.

On it—a name.

The driver who had killed Ethan.

The man who had left him to die.

Victor Carter.

The evidence had taken years to find. Digging through bribes, buried reports, and tampered records. But the truth was clear. Victor Carter had been behind the wheel that night. He had seen her brother. He had hit him. And he had chosen to drive away.

The storm outside grew heavier, mirroring the rage burning inside her.

Victor Carter would pay.

And if his son, the golden boy of the Carter family, had to suffer for it too?

Then so be it.

---

Meanwhile – Adrian Carter

Adrian Carter stood in his father’s office, hands clenched behind his back. The room smelled of expensive cigars and polished wood, the faint hum of rain outside barely audible over the weight of silence.

Victor Carter sat behind his desk, fingers steepled together. The man had aged well—too well for someone who had built an empire on ruin. His gray eyes, sharp and unreadable, met Adrian’s.

“Why did you call me here?” Adrian asked, his voice calm despite the unease settling in his gut.

Victor exhaled slowly, leaning back. “There’s someone looking into our past. A woman.”

Adrian arched a brow. “And?”

Victor’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “And she’s dangerous.”

Adrian had heard this before. His father had many enemies. But there was something different this time.

“She’s been asking about things she shouldn’t know,” Victor continued. “Digging into old records. Files that were erased.” His gaze darkened. “Your job is to make sure she doesn’t find anything else.”

Adrian exhaled sharply. “I’m not your personal fixer.”

“You are my son.”

The weight of those words settled between them. Adrian had spent his life trying to distance himself from his father’s legacy, but the blood that ran in his veins tied him to it all the same.

“Who is she?” Adrian finally asked.

Victor slid a folder across the desk. Adrian picked it up, flipping it open.

And then—he froze.

A photograph stared back at him.

A woman, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes filled with quiet determination.

Evelyne Reyes.

His stomach twisted. He had seen her before. Met her once, in passing. She was beautiful, confident—someone he had found intriguing.

But now?

Now, she was a threat.

Victor’s voice was cool, commanding. “Find out what she knows. And handle it.”

Adrian’s grip tightened around the folder.

He didn’t know what Evelyne Reyes was looking for. But something told him that whatever it was…

It would change everything.