Monday morning arrived with bright, cold sunlight. Evelena stood by the penthouse window, staring out at the city. The agonizing grief over Aidan's death still burned a hole in her chest, and her hatred for Cathi fueled her every waking breath. She knew Cathi and Felicia were preparing for the upcoming high-society charity gala, a legacy of her grandfather that they had stolen. She wasn't returning to the trivial drama of high school to study; she was going to St. Jude Preparatory Academy because it was the breeding ground for New York's elite, and the first step in dismantling her family's social network before the gala. The gothic iron gates of the school stood open.

A black, bulletproof Maybach, flanked by four massive Range Rovers, drove straight through the entrance. The convoy completely ignored the speed bumps, rolling smoothly onto the campus.

The sheer aggression of the vehicles made every student in the courtyard stop moving. The loud chatter died instantly. Everyone stared, wondering which billionaire or politician was arriving.

The Maybach stopped right at the bottom of the main stone steps. Two bodyguards in dark sunglasses jumped out. They opened the rear door.

A foot wearing a custom leather boot stepped out. Evelena stood up. She was wearing the standard school uniform, but it was tailored to fit her perfectly.

Her short, sharp hair blew in the wind. Her face was completely devoid of emotion. She looked nothing like the quiet, scared girl they used to know.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. A girl standing near the steps dropped her iced coffee. The plastic cup shattered, spilling brown liquid everywhere.

Evelena ignored the staring eyes. She adjusted the strap of her bag and walked up the stone steps. Her back was perfectly straight.

At the top of the stairs stood Kenzie Block, the undisputed queen of the school's social hierarchy. She was surrounded by her usual group of wealthy followers.

Kenzie stared at the Maybach. Her father was a board member, and even he couldn't buy that specific model. Her chest burned with ugly, hot jealousy.

Brandi, Kenzie's right-hand girl, leaned in. She whispered loudly that since Evelena got kicked out, she must have sold her body to some old, gross sugar daddy to survive.

Kenzie's eyes lit up. She grabbed onto the lie immediately. She laughed loudly and agreed, making sure her voice carried across the courtyard.

The rumor spread like a virus. By the time the first bell rang, everyone in the hallways was whispering about Evelena being a high-priced escort.

Evelena walked into her AP Microeconomics class. The room went dead silent. Thirty pairs of eyes stared at her with disgust and curiosity.

She did not blink. She walked straight to her desk in the back row and sat down, pulling out her notebook.

When the class ended, Evelena walked into the girls' restroom. She pushed the door open and found Kenzie and three of her friends waiting inside.

Kenzie crossed her arms. She smirked and asked Evelena if her knees hurt from spending all weekend on the floor for her old sugar daddy.

Evelena walked to the sink. She turned on the cold water and slowly washed her hands. She did not even look at Kenzie in the mirror.

The silence made Kenzie furious. She stepped forward. She reached out her hand, trying to grab the collar of Evelena's uniform to look for marks on her neck.

Evelena's eyes hardened. She spun around and slapped Kenzie's hand away with brutal force. The loud smack echoed off the tiles. Kenzie's skin turned bright red instantly.

Kenzie shrieked. She grabbed her hand and screamed that Evelena was a dirty whore.

Evelena pulled a paper towel from the dispenser. She dried her hands slowly. She took a step toward Kenzie. Her eyes were dead.

She spoke in a low, terrifying voice. She told Kenzie that if she opened her mouth to bark again, she would physically rip her teeth out.

The heavy, suffocating pressure radiating from Evelena felt exactly like Ingram. Kenzie actually took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest.

Evelena threw the crumpled paper towel perfectly into the trash can. She shoved her shoulder hard into Brandi, forcing her out of the way, and walked out the door.

Kenzie held her stinging hand. Her whole body shook with rage. She looked at Brandi and hissed that they were going to destroy Evelena at the equestrian club this afternoon.

At lunch, Orlaith sat across from Evelena in the cafeteria. She leaned over her tray and asked about the insane car convoy.

Evelena kept her voice down. She said a powerful man saved her life, but she did not say Ingram's name.

Orlaith let out a breath. She warned Evelena that Kenzie was crazy and would definitely try to get revenge.

Evelena cut a piece of steak with her knife. Her face was completely calm. She said she was hoping Kenzie would try something. Orlaith watched Evelena's hardened expression. A deep frown of worry creased Orlaith's forehead. Beneath the table, she discreetly pulled out her phone and sent a rapid, urgent text message to her older brother, Cian, telling him Evelena was in serious danger and needed backup.

Across the city, Ingram sat in his office. He looked at a text message from the security team detailing the rumors spreading around the school. His jaw ticked.

He dropped his pen onto the desk. He looked at Palmer and told him to cancel the afternoon meetings. He was going to St. Jude.

Palmer's eyes widened slightly, but he immediately nodded and walked out to prepare the car.

The storm was moving toward the school.

The afternoon sun beat down on the outdoor dirt arena of the school's equestrian club. The air smelled of dust and horses. Evelena wore dark, fitted riding pants and tall leather boots. She walked toward the stables.

She reached for the metal latch of the stall holding the calm thoroughbred she usually rode.

Kenzie stepped out from behind the wooden posts. Brandi and three large boys from the football team followed her. They formed a wall, blocking the stall door.

Kenzie held a black leather riding crop decorated with fake diamonds. She tapped it against her leg. She laughed and told Evelena she should be riding her sugar daddy's lap, not a horse.

The boys laughed loudly. Other students in the arena stopped brushing their horses and turned to watch.

Evelena stared at Kenzie's face. Her expression did not change. She said, "Move," and tried to step around them.

Brandi suddenly stuck her heavy riding boot out, aiming to trip Evelena face-first into the dirt.

Evelena saw the movement. She did not try to step over it. Instead, she brought her own hard leather heel down violently, stomping directly onto the bridge of Brandi's foot.

Brandi let out a sound like a dying animal. She collapsed into the dirt, grabbing her foot and screaming in agony.

Kenzie lost her mind. She raised the heavy leather riding crop high above her head. She swung it down with all her strength, aiming directly for Evelena's face.

The whip cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Evelena's eyes narrowed. She did not flinch back. She threw her left arm up, taking the brutal hit directly on her forearm.

The leather cracked against her sleeve. A line of pure fire burned across Evelena's skin.

The pain did not make her weak. It made her vicious. Before Kenzie could pull the whip back, Evelena's right hand shot out and grabbed the end of the leather tightly.

Kenzie yanked hard, trying to free it. Evelena planted her feet. She did not move an inch.

Evelena pulled the whip toward herself with a violent jerk. Kenzie lost her balance and stumbled forward in her boots.

As Kenzie fell forward, Evelena did not attempt a martial arts kick she hadn't been trained for. Instead, she used Kenzie's own momentum against her. Evelena stepped to the side, grabbed the collar of Kenzie's riding jacket with both hands, and shoved her violently downward with all her body weight. Kenzie lost her footing entirely. She stumbled wildly and crashed hard, face-first, into the muddy dirt of the arena.

The entire club went dead silent. No one moved. They stared in absolute shock at the quiet girl who just kicked the board member's daughter into the mud.

Kenzie rolled on the ground, gagging for air. Her perfect makeup was smeared with wet dirt.

She screamed hysterically. She ordered the three boys to grab Evelena and hold her down.

The boys hesitated, but they outnumbered her. They spread out and walked toward Evelena, cracking their knuckles.

Evelena did not back down. She reached over to a bale of hay and grabbed a heavy, rusted iron pitchfork. She held it across her chest like a weapon. Her eyes looked like a cornered wolf.

She smiled a cold, crazy smile. She told them the first person to step forward was getting iron spikes through their throat.

The boys stopped dead. The murderous intent radiating from her body was real. They believed her.

Suddenly, Milton Yardley, the Dean of Students, came sprinting across the dirt. He was sweating heavily.

He saw Kenzie in the mud. His face turned pale with terror. Kenzie's father funded his salary.

Milton turned to Evelena. His face turned purple with rage. He screamed that she was a violent psychopath.

He pointed a shaking finger at her and ordered the two campus security guards running behind him to arrest her immediately. He screamed that she was expelled.

The two large guards rushed forward. They grabbed Evelena's arms, twisting them painfully behind her back. They ripped the pitchfork out of her hands.

Kenzie struggled to her feet. Brandi helped her stand. Kenzie walked over to where the guards were holding Evelena. She raised her hand and slapped Evelena across the face as hard as she could.

Evelena's head snapped to the side. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. But when she looked back at Kenzie, her eyes were completely unbroken.

Milton ordered the guards to drag her to the holding office.

Before they could take a step, a deafening roar shook the ground.

A massive, matte-black AgustaWestland AW139 heavy helicopter dropped out of the sky. It hovered directly over the equestrian arena.

The violent wind from the rotors kicked up a massive cloud of dust, blinding everyone and forcing them to cover their faces.

The black helicopter touched down on the grass just outside the dirt arena. The engine roared, vibrating the ground beneath their feet.

The side door slid open. Ingram stepped out into the wind. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit. His face was a mask of pure, terrifying ice. A squad of heavily armed Blackwater contractors poured out behind him.

At the exact same moment, a line of silver Rolls-Royces tore through the campus gates. They slammed on their brakes at the edge of the arena, tearing up the grass.

Cian Regan, the heir to the Regan family and Orlaith's older brother, stepped out of the lead car. His eyes were sharp and angry.

The two most powerful men in the city locked eyes over the hood of the cars for one second. Then, both of their gazes snapped to Evelena, who was still being held by the school guards.

Ingram saw the blood dripping from the corner of Evelena's mouth. The air around him seemed to freeze. He walked forward with long, predatory strides.

The Blackwater guards did not wait for an order. They drew their weapons, grabbed the school security guards by the collars, and threw them violently into the dirt.

Evelena was free.

Dean Milton recognized the two billionaires. His knees actually gave out. He stumbled forward, stuttering and trying to explain.

Ingram walked right past him. He stopped in front of Evelena. He raised his hand. His thumb brushed against the corner of her mouth, wiping away the blood. His touch was incredibly gentle, contrasting with the murder in his eyes.

His voice was a low, dangerous rumble. He asked her who hit her.

Evelena did not answer. She just turned her head and stared at Kenzie, who was trembling like a leaf.

Cian walked up. He took off his expensive suit jacket and reached out, trying to drape it over Evelena's shoulders.

Ingram's arm shot out. He blocked Cian's hand with brutal force. Ingram stripped off his own jacket and wrapped it tightly around Evelena, pulling her slightly behind him. It was an absolute claim of ownership.

Cian's eyes narrowed. He stared at Ingram. The air between the two men sparked with heavy, violent tension.

The scene shifted to the Dean's office. The room felt like a pressure cooker.

Ingram sat in the Dean's large leather chair behind the desk. Evelena stood right next to him.

Cian leaned against the bookshelf, his arms crossed over his chest. He stared coldly at Milton and Kenzie, who were standing in the center of the room.

Milton was sweating through his shirt. He tried to say Evelena broke the rules and Kenzie was just defending herself.

The office door opened. Palmer walked in. He threw a thick folder directly into Milton's chest. The papers spilled onto the floor.

It was a financial document. It detailed the Santiago Corporation's complete blockade of Kenzie's family supply chain.

Ingram spoke. His voice was flat and devoid of mercy. He told Kenzie that her father's company had just lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the last ten minutes.

Kenzie screamed that he was lying. She pulled out her phone and called her father. The sound of her father screaming and cursing echoed through the small speaker.

Cian pushed off the bookshelf. He looked at Milton and calmly announced that the Regan family was permanently pulling all their funding from the school.

Milton gasped. He grabbed his chest and collapsed into a chair, his face gray.

Ingram stood up. He walked slowly around the desk until he was standing right in front of Kenzie. He looked at her like she was an insect.

He told her to get on her knees and apologize to Evelena. He said if she didn't, the Block family name would be erased from New York by morning.

Kenzie's legs gave out. She dropped to her knees on the carpet. Tears streamed down her face, ruining her makeup. She bowed her head to Evelena and choked out the word "sorry."

Evelena looked down at her. She felt no pity. She said two words. "Get out."

Ingram turned to Evelena. He wrapped his arm firmly around her waist and started walking toward the door.

Cian stepped in front of them. He looked at Ingram and demanded to know what right he had to take his sister's friend away.

He looked Cian dead in the eye. He let out a dark, arrogant laugh. He said, "She is under my absolute protection now. That is all you need to know."

The entire school watched in terrified silence as Ingram led Evelena out of the building and pushed her into the back of the Maybach.

The car doors locked. The engine started. Ingram looked at Evelena sitting next to him.

He said she was done playing games in this fake greenhouse.

He picked up a thick file bearing the Santiago Corporation logo and dropped it onto her lap. It contained the financial blueprints of the Valenzuela family's stolen assets. He looked at her and said the Valenzuela family had hollowed out her legacy, and if she wanted true revenge at the upcoming charity gala, she needed better weapons. He told her to report to his headquarters tomorrow. He was going to personally teach her how to destroy them on the real battlefield.