Annika Price got shoved roughly into a car by a crew of burly goons, her wrists stinging red and her knee throbbing like hell. Panicked, she curled into the corner by the window, one hand flying to her stomach on instinct. She knew any resistance, any scream for help, would only get her hurt worse.

The car lurched forward, and Annika’s mind spun a mile a minute as she scrambled to figure out an escape plan.

"Are you guys working for Mr. Kennedy?" she called out into the suffocating silence. When no one answered, she took their silence for what it was: confirmation. They were definitely on Everest Kennedy’s payroll.

Annika switched tactics. "Why are you taking me to a hospital? What do you want from me? I’m not sick, I don’t need a doctor. Did you grab the wrong person?"

One of the men finally grunted, "You’ll figure it out when we get there. Something about a blood donation."

Annika’s head spun. Blood donation? As revenge? It sounded like they weren’t after her baby. Maybe Everest Kennedy had no idea she was pregnant.

She pressed harder. "Selena needs an emergency transfusion, right? Did she get in an accident?"

"Heard nothing about an accident. We just follow orders. That’s all we know."

"For a transfusion, your blood types have to match! You don’t even know what mine is—how can you be sure it’ll work? Was this Selena’s idea, or Kennedy’s?"

"The hospital has a whole blood bank! Why does it have to be mine? I don’t even have a rare blood type."

Annika’s nagging finally got to one of the men, and he snapped, "You’ll find out when you see Mr. Kennedy. End of discussion."

Annika’s fingers twisted so tight in her shirt her knuckles turned white. If this was Everest’s doing, she’d just escaped one trap just to fall straight into another. Was he really that desperate to get back at her?

She shoved her own terror down, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Fine. If Selena really needs my blood that bad, saving a life is all that matters. Giving a little blood isn’t the end of the world."

The bodyguards bought her fake calm hook, line, and sinker. They wrote her off as weak and compliant—nothing to worry about.

In a private luxury hospital room, Peter Kennedy, Everest’s father, lay in bed. He’d been in a vegetative state for ten years after a brutal car crash, no sign of ever waking up.

Everest had been forced to take over as head of the Kennedy family at eighteen, shouldering the weight of their entire legacy. He’d turned out to be a natural business genius, pulling the Kennedy empire back from the brink and pushing it to heights no one ever expected.

Selena Kennedy stood at his bedside, dabbing at her eyes with a crumpled tissue. "Brother, Dad’s been here ten years. How many more decades do we have to wait like this?"

Everest stood at the foot of the bed, hands stuffed in his pockets, his face hard as stone. "Selena, I stood here for half an hour and didn’t see his fingers move once. The doctors say there’s zero indication he’s ever waking up. Are you sure you actually saw something?"

Selena blinked, and the lie rolled right off her tongue like honey. "Brother, I swear I saw Dad’s finger twitch. Maybe he’ll wake up today. Any day could be the day."

Just then, Murphy Kennedy walked in, his jaw set with determination. "Everest, the psychic spoke. Today is the lucky day to cast out the bad luck. If we use blood from someone with a fire zodiac sign, it’ll cleanse Dad and bring him back. Follow the ritual, and he could wake up."

Selena’s eyes glinted with quiet satisfaction. She’d bribed the psychic to feed Murphy that exact lie.

"Brother, we have to do this right now. It’s better to try than to regret it later, right? If there’s even a tiny chance for Dad, it’s worth it."

Selena’s voice was warm, earnest, like she’d do anything to save her grandfather.

"Grandma, my sign matches perfectly. If taking my blood can wake Dad up, I’ll do it no questions asked."

Murphy’s heart melted, and she patted Selena’s hand gently. "Such a kind heart you have, Selena. We were right to adopt you."

Everest frowned. He didn’t buy into the superstitious nonsense for a second, but he knew how much Murphy trusted the psychic. He couldn’t bring himself to crush her hope.

Selena caught his hesitation, and she knew exactly what it meant: he didn’t want her to have to go through the ritual. She preened inwardly—this was exactly what she wanted. She’d already arranged for Annika to take her place.

"Brother, don’t worry about me. Any sacrifice is worth it if it gets Dad better."

Just then, Everest’s phone rang. Selena hid a secret smile—this had to be Zeke Lee. They’d planned to lure Everest away with a fake emergency, make sure he left the hospital so Annika could step in as the substitute.

Sure enough, Everest’s tone turned sharp and serious when he answered. "I have to go handle this."

"Go on, brother, take care of your emergency. Grandma and I have everything handled here. It’ll be fine."

"Alright. You’re always so thoughtful, Selena. Just make sure they don’t take too much blood, okay? Just a little."

Everest gave Murphy a few quick instructions and headed out of the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Everest’s sleek Bentley brushed right past the black SUV that had brought Annika, so close their side mirrors almost scraped.

The SUV pulled to a stop, and Annika was escorted out by one of the guards. Since she’d been so cooperative, the guards were lax—they weren’t expecting any trouble at all.

"Hey, why don’t we wait in the car a little longer? No rush, right?"

"Works for me. It’s just a quick blood draw anyway. Besides, I need to hit the restroom—my stomach’s been acting up."

Annika told herself this was a legitimate hospital. They wouldn’t try anything crazy here, right? Even if they did take blood, it’d be done safely, no big harm done.

For now, she didn’t have much to worry about.

Inside, she followed the bodyguards into a small empty waiting room. One of them excused himself to go to the restroom.

"Hey, I need to go too, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I’m not stupid enough to try and run over a stupid blood donation."

The guard agreed. Who in their right mind would defy Mr. Kennedy, anyway?

"Alright. I’ll be right back."

Once he left, Annika started trying to flag down a nurse for answers. That was when she heard footsteps coming down the hall, and caught snippets of conversation between Selena and a group of her fancy friends.

Instinct kicked in, and Annika ducked behind the sofa to hide.

Sure enough, the door swung open, and Selena and her friends walked right in.

Selena put on that signature innocent tone of hers and said, "Brother Zeke, taking all that blood from Annika… isn’t that going a little too far?"

"Selena, she put you through hell. Is it really too far? A little blood is nothing compared to what she did to you."

"Exactly, Selena! You missed the international ballet competition because of her. You suffered through all that treatment. Doesn’t she deserve to pay for what she did?"

When Annika heard "international ballet competition," her heart clenched so tight it hurt. Three years ago, she’d gotten nominated for that same competition, but couldn’t go because of a family emergency.

What did Selena have to do with that? Why was it Annika’s fault Selena missed her shot?

Annika strained to hear more about Selena’s so-called grievances, but the conversation shifted back to the plan.

"How much blood are we taking? The ritual says it’s supposed to be mine. If it’s not me, we need 200cc from both of us—though I’m not even sure that’s enough, right?"

Selena pressed a hand to her head, looking pale and woozy. "Weird, I’ve felt so dizzy all day today."

Her friends immediately rushed to steady her on the sofa.

"Selena, you’re already not feeling well, you’ve been sick for weeks. You’re on more medication than most people—there’s no way you can give blood right now."

"You’re right. And Annika’s got the right element anyway, so let her give more—up to a thousand milliliters."

Annika’s breath caught in her throat. They were actually serious.

Even a perfectly healthy young person can only give 400cc at a time. On top of that, Annika was under the weight requirement, and pregnant. Losing that much blood would be deadly dangerous.

This time, she had to get out. She couldn’t stay hidden behind this sofa forever.

Luckily, her friends left first, and Selena went out to walk them to the elevator.

Annika grabbed her chance and slipped out of the room as quiet as a mouse.

Bad luck: as soon as her foot hit the hallway, the guard came back from the restroom and spotted her straight away.

He grabbed his phone and called Selena. "Miss Selena, we got her."

Annika squeezed her eyes shut. There was no way to slip past him now.

They dragged her back into the waiting room, and a nurse walked in carrying a blood draw tray.

The nurse glanced back and forth between Annika and the guard, then frowned in confusion. "So… which one of you is here to donate blood?"

Annika Price kept her cool, standing shoulder to shoulder with Everest Kennedy’s ever-vigilant bodyguard, facing the nurse who held a tray stacked with blood bags. One bag caught her eye immediately—it was a 34-ounce jug, way bigger than any of the others. Instinctively, Annika pressed a protective hand to her still-flat stomach.

Losing all 34 ounces wouldn’t kill her, but there was no way her pregnancy would survive it. She hesitated for half a heartbeat, then schooled her face into compliance and stepped toward the nurse.

"I’m here to donate blood," she said softly.

"Have a seat," the nurse ordered, already getting supplies ready. "Roll up your sleeve."

Annika did as she was told, sitting down and extending her arm. Seeing how cooperative she was, the bodyguard relaxed and took up his usual post by the door, standing guard outside the room.

Annika snuck a glance at him—his back was turned, his attention focused elsewhere. She let out a quiet, relieved breath. As long as she wasn’t under his constant surveillance, the risk of something going wrong dropped a lot.

The cool swipe of an alcohol pad on her arm made her fingertips tremble. Her eyes flicked to the nurse, who prepped the site and readied the needle with practiced, cold efficiency. That 34-ounce bag stared right back at her, the size printed clear as day.

A cold dread washed over Annika. Selena Kennedy had definitely ordered the nurse to drain the full 34 ounces. She was trying to kill both her and the baby.

Right as the needle was about to pierce her skin, Annika quietly triggered the alarm on her phone, letting it ring like an incoming call.

"Wait a second. I need to take this," she said, yanking her arm back like it was an urgent call from Everest himself.

"Hello, Mr. Kennedy," she purred, putting on her best reverent act. "Yes, I’m at the hospital now, all ready to donate. The nurse is here with me. I’m happy to help you any way I can—donating blood’s good for red cell production anyway, right?"

She kept up the charade, selling both the nurse and the bodyguard on her total loyalty to Mr. Kennedy. She still didn’t know exactly why they needed the blood, but from what she’d picked up from Selena and her stuck-up friend group, this was all just some messed up revenge game.

She kept faking it, pretending to wrap up the call, then tilted her head like Everest was still talking. "Mr. Kennedy, how much blood do you need this time?"

"Exactly seven ounces? Not a drop more, not a drop less? Too much messes with the whole energy thing? Alright, should I have the nurse talk to you directly to confirm? I’ll pass it along if anything changes."

Still pretending to be on the line, Annika sat back down in her chair across from the nurse.

"Go ahead," she said. "Mr. Kennedy was very clear on the amount. Not a drop extra, or there’s hell to pay."

Convinced Selena’s 34-ounce order had just been a mistake, the nurse swapped it out for a much smaller blood bag.

As Annika’s blood slowly filled the bag, a hot spark of defiance surged up through her chest.

Everest, they’re wasting your precious seven ounces like it’s a bad joke. Do you even have any idea this is my blood? That it’s for our baby? she thought bitterly.

Once the draw was done, Annika stood up and headed straight for the exit. When the bodyguard didn’t stop her, her strung-tight nerves finally started to loosen. Even so, her palms were still slick with cold sweat.

Just when she thought she’d made it out of danger, she ran straight into Selena Kennedy.

Annika kept her eyes down, trying to slip past unnoticed, but Selena stepped right into her path.

Selena wore that same innocent little smile she always did, but Annika knew exactly what was hiding under it.

"Annika, you really did show up to donate blood to help my brother?"

"Yes," Annika answered, her fingers curling into a tight fist at her side.

Selena was the mastermind behind all this revenge crap, always stirring up drama with her rich kid friends. But now she was acting all sweet, trying to pin the whole thing on Everest.

All those spoiled brats were always gushing about what a "sweet, kind Selena" they thought she was. None of them saw how two-faced she really was. Annika just wanted to get the hell out of there, so she kept her answer casual: "Selena, I donated the blood. I hope you’re happy now."

But Selena dropped the innocent act right there, and sneered at Annika.

"Annika, you can quit the act. Didn’t you know this was all my brother’s revenge plan from the start?"

Annika’s lips tugged up into a cold, mocking smile.

Damn right it was Selena. She was the one who pulled that million-dollar stunt making Annika fish a necklace out of an alligator pit. She was the one who set Annika up to deliver drinks to Everest’s suite, so she’d overhear the truth about that stupid fake poverty revenge game.

Annika had seen through Selena’s little games a long time ago. Selena wanted her to find out the truth, so Annika would be completely disillusioned with Everest and leave him for good. If Selena hadn’t been subtly manipulating every little thing for the past four years, Annika would have stopped playing this stupid game ages ago.

With that thought, Annika straightened her back and flashed Selena a sharp, empty smile full of defiance.

"Selena, you got what you wanted. I hate Everest enough now, and soon I’m getting the hell out of this city for good. That leaves you and your brother free to be as close as you want."

Her voice turned sharp as a knife: "Selena, every action has consequences. Don’t think I forgot what you did. I might not leave half as nice as you think I will."

"Annika, stop acting all high and mighty. You’re not leaving. You’re lying."

Selena didn’t buy a word of it. How could Annika give up Everest, her ticket straight to the top of high society? Selena wasn’t going to rest until Annika’s reputation was completely ruined, so Everest would have no reason to keep chasing after her.

"Annika, I know you can’t let go of my brother—golden, handsome Mr. Kennedy. You’re just playing hard to get. Don’t get any stupid ideas; this was all just a game to him. He never actually cared about you."

"What’s there to let go of?" Annika narrowed her eyes, her face hard with resolve.

"To you, Mr. Kennedy is the ultimate prize. To me? He’s just trash. Do us both a favor and do your job as the trash collector—go pick him up, because I couldn’t care less about him."

With that, Annika turned her back on Selena, not willing to waste another second talking, and hurried for the hospital’s front doors. She wasn’t about to give Selena room to stir up more trouble, not after she’d just lost seven ounces of blood.

But of course, the thing Annika wanted most to avoid was exactly what happened. Maybe she walked too fast, maybe she was too eager to get out—but that gave Selena all the proof she needed something was off.

"Stop right there," Selena called, her voice thick with suspicion.

Someone who’d just lost 34 ounces of blood could barely stand, let alone power-walk out of here like that. From what Selena knew, even losing 14 ounces left you dizzy, sick as a dog, pale as a sheet.

Annika was supposed to have lost 34 ounces. So why wasn’t she passing out? Something was definitely wrong.

Selena’s gaze raked over Annika’s face, picking her apart.

Other than a slight paleness, Annika looked completely fine. Nothing like someone who’d just lost that much blood.

Seeing Annika was still dead set on leaving, Selena stepped in front of her again, her voice sharp and accusatory.

"Annika. How much blood did they actually take?"

A cold chill of anxiety washed over Annika the second it clicked—she’d accidentally shown her hand to Selena. She fought to school her face, forcing every muscle in her body to stay calm.

"Selena, didn’t you have the nurse do the blood draw? Why are you grilling me?" Annika asked, letting her legs go wobbly on purpose. She swayed a little, clutching her head like she was about to pass out. "I don’t feel right. I can’t breathe, everything’s spinning. I need to lie down."

But Selena wasn’t about to let this slide. She clamped a hard hand around Annika’s arm, not letting her move an inch. "Annika, you’re not going anywhere. I need to double-check with the nurse that we got enough for the ceremony. My brother takes this ritual deadly seriously, and he made it very clear how important the right amount is."

Annika clenched her fist until her nails dug into her palm, frustration boiling under her skin. Everest and Selena were both rotten to the core. If she got pulled deeper into this, it would only put her in danger. A direct fight with Selena wasn’t the move—she needed a new angle.

"Selena, if you don’t let go of me right now, I’ll go tell Everest the whole truth about your little revenge plan," Annika warned.

"What the hell are you rambling about? What revenge plan?" Selena scoffed, her smile oozing with so much sarcasm it stung. "My brother trusts me, his own sister, way more than he trusts some gold-digger who bailed on him when he was broke. You really think he’s gonna believe your little story?"

"A gold-digger?" Annika bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Have you ever met a gold-digger who stayed with a man drowning in debt for three whole years? Lived in a tiny rented closet of an apartment, split a single cup of instant noodles for dinner? Have you ever seen a gold-digger work her fingers to the bone to pay his bills, and wouldn’t even splurge on a four-dollar cup of coffee for herself?"

Selena sneered. "And if my brother was just playing you this whole time? You enjoyed the game, didn’t you?"

"Annika, even if my brother took your side, do you really think anyone would believe you left him because you found out he’s actually a billionaire?"

"Believe it or don’t," Annika swallowed back her tears and shoved Selena away hard, her jaw set with determination. "I don’t owe any explanation to trash like you."

"Trash?" A deep, sharp voice cut through their shouting.

Selena froze, panic lurching in her chest. Why the hell was Grandma Murphy here? How much had she heard? What if she’d seen how ruthless Selena really was?

Panicked, she crumpled to the floor, clutching her side like she’d been mortally wounded. "Ow! Annika, why’d you push me? That hurts so bad!"

Murphy Kennedy, leaning heavily on her cane, immediately called for help to lift Selena up. "Selena, honey, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself bad?"

Selena breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Grandma Murphy must not have heard much, only that Annika called someone trash. That could work for her, actually.

She quickly pulled on a sorrowful face, tears pooling in her eyes as she spoke. "Grandma, it hurts so bad. I think I might have broken something. I heard Annika call my brother a lowlife. I just tried to stand up for him, and she pushed me. Don’t blame me, okay? I was just trying to protect his honor."

"What? She called my Everest a lowlife?" Murphy went pale with shock, then started trembling with rage. "My Everest is brilliant, he’s done so much! How dare anyone call him that?"

Murphy yelled for the bodyguards immediately and pointed straight at Annika. "Lock her in one of the guest rooms. I’m gonna get to the bottom of why she dares insult my Everest like that."

Annika’s brow furrowed, frustration coiling tight in her chest. Things were already messy enough, and now Murphy had been dragged into the middle of Selena’s mess. With Selena twisting every word to her advantage, getting anyone to believe her was gonna be next to impossible.

Two bodyguards were there in seconds, stepping to either side of Annika, ready to drag her off if she resisted.

"There’s no need for force. I’ll go on my own," Annika said, one hand curling protectively around her stomach over her dress, shielding her unborn baby as she walked toward the room they’d indicated.

Just then, a nurse rushed in with a message from the doctor for Grandma Murphy. "Ma’am, the doctor sent me to remind you to bring the blood donor to the ceremony right away, or you’ll miss the auspicious time."

"Oh good heavens, I completely forgot. The ritual is the most important thing today. If Peter doesn’t wake up, nothing else matters," Grandma Murphy said urgently, then ordered, "Quick, help Selena get ready for the ceremony."

The nurse blinked in confusion, not knowing what was going on. "But… this young lady is the one who had her blood drawn. The doctor needs the actual donor to be present for the ceremony."

Selena’s face burned bright red with rage. What was this idiot nurse talking about? All the credit for the "sacrificial donation" was supposed to go to her—she’d just bailed because she was scared and talked Annika into taking her place.

Grandma Murphy turned to Selena, her brow furrowed with question. "Selena, what is going on here?"

Selena shoved her rage down, swallowing the bitter resentment clawing at her throat, and curled her hand around Grandma Murphy’s arm, softening her voice into a hurt, whimpering tone. "Grandma, I was gonna donate, honestly. But I suddenly got so dizzy. The nurse said I wasn’t well enough to give blood, that the ritual needed healthy blood to work. So I asked Annika to help me out. And then she pushed me and insulted my brother…"

Tears glinted fake-bright in Selena’s eyes as she pointed at Annika, her voice soft and pitiful. "Annika, even if you didn’t want to donate, you didn’t have to insult my brother. What did he ever do to you? He just wants to help his dad wake up after ten years in a coma. Is asking for a little blood really too much?"

Annika stood off to the side, watching Selena’s whole performance with cold, blank detachment. A sardonic little smile tugged at her lips. She was all out of sympathy for this act.

"Selena, I never refused to donate. I already did it—nurse and the bodyguards can both confirm that. And as for pushing you, we can just check the security cameras to see what really happened."

Panic flashed across Selena’s face, and she scrambled to change the subject immediately. "This isn’t the time to check footage! My dad’s waiting for this to save him!"

Grandma Murphy cut in sharply, her mind made up. "Enough bickering. This is not the time for fighting. The auspicious time is almost here. Young lady, if you donated the blood, come with me to the ceremony."

"If my son Peter wakes up, no matter what grievances you two have, I will personally remember your kindness and stand by you through anything."