Well, I always knew that a school dance was a perfect place to get dressed up, throw on some high heels, and ruin everyone’s night. But I didn’t expect it to go quite like this.
It was the school’s hundred-year anniversary gala, and like any self-respecting mafia princess, I was fully prepared to make an entrance. What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was the drama that would unfold before the night was over. Spoiler: it wasn’t the kind of drama you read about in a fairy tale.
I showed up in a custom-made gown, the kind that cost more than most people’s college tuition, with my red gemstone necklace proudly displayed on my neck. The necklace? Oh, it was an old family heirloom, a symbol of everything my family stood for—mob ties, blood, betrayal, and, of course, a little something extra for the drama.
I had a plan, see? A very meticulous plan. The gemstone necklace was the bait, and everyone at Kingsley High was going to bite. I’d told Diego, my ever-loyal bodyguard, to set up extra security. No one—especially not Liam—was going to slip past me tonight. I needed the truth, and I wasn’t going to get it by playing nice.
Liam tried. He always did. He came up to me, looking like a lost puppy who’d been kicked one too many times, and tried to explain himself.
"Scarlett, I—" he started.
I cut him off, cool as ice. "After the gala, Liam. You’ll tell me everything. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never see me again."
He swallowed, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t in the mood for his half-truths and whiny apologies. The night wasn’t about him. It was about me taking control, finding the truth, and putting all the pieces of this disgusting puzzle back together—whether Liam liked it or not.
The night progressed like any other high-society event—people in tuxedos, women in glittering dresses, fake smiles, and the unmistakable smell of desperation in the air. But then, just as the evening hit its peak, everything went dark. Literally. The lights flickered and died, sending the room into chaos. I could hear people screaming, stumbling around in the dark, and I—well, I wasn’t exactly surprised.
Then, the unmistakable sound of a gunshot cut through the confusion. Bang.
And I knew, deep down, that this wasn’t some ordinary random shooting. It wasn’t even about me. It was about the people who wanted me dead.
Scarlett Rossi: the black sheep, the mafia princess, the heir to a blood-soaked throne. The girl who had too many secrets and too many enemies. Yeah, it made sense that I’d be their first target.
I was right.
In the darkness, I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me. Liam. He was there. But his touch was different, urgent, almost... frantic. The gunshots didn’t stop. I tried to shake him off, but we were swept through the crowd, dodging people who were either running for cover or just standing there in frozen terror.
That’s when I saw it: Jax Malone, the resident bad boy, taking a bullet for Chloe Vanderbilt. A bullet. He didn’t even flinch. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or sickened by the fact that someone was willing to die for someone like Chloe. Not that she deserved it.
But there was something more. Something far worse.
As I tried to drag Liam toward the exit, I saw Marcus Blackwood—our friendly, resident pretty boy—giving the hitman a look. A look that screamed familiarity. I didn’t need to think about it. I knew exactly what it meant.
Marcus wasn’t just some rich kid. He was in on it. I could feel the venom rise in my chest, the betrayal stinging like acid.
Liam and I escaped, running down the corridors like rats in a trap, until we found a secret passage. Of course, Kingsley High had one of those. Every school has one, right? It wasn’t a full-fledged James Bond movie, but I felt like I was in one.
We crawled through the narrow, filthy tunnels until we found a hidden door leading to Principal Thorne’s private office. A hidden room—no one knew about it except for her. And in that room? It was a real shocker. Not just any illegal operation, not some mundane drug ring. This was something far worse.
Thorne was running an illegal surveillance operation on every teenager at Kingsley. It wasn’t just an “evaluation” program; it was a breeding ground for future operatives. They were studying us. Manipulating us. Waiting for the right moment to control us. And then? They’d use us to further their own evil little agenda.
I could hardly breathe. Liam, once the guy who I thought was just a good-looking, sweet boy with a past, had been a part of this. He wasn’t just an innocent pawn. No, he was one of them. He’d been sent here to figure out if I was valuable enough to be manipulated.
"You were never just a student here," Thorne said coldly, as if it was all part of the plan. “You were never just someone we let in. You were a test.”
My blood turned cold. The girl I thought I was? The strong, untouchable mafia princess? Turns out I was just another lab rat. Another pawn in their sick game.
And Liam?
“I’m sorry,” he said, and I saw the truth in his eyes—something raw and unmasked. “I thought I could stop it. But it’s too late.”
Yeah, it was too late.
But not for me.
I wasn’t going to be anyone’s pawn. I’d burn their empire to the ground before they ever got the chance to use me.
I wasn’t done yet.
And neither was this game.
But as I stood there, shaking with rage, there was a voice on the other side of the door. Police.
And that was when Thorne’s voice hissed in my ear.
"You think you’ve won?" she whispered, her cold breath sending chills down my spine. "Your father’s in our hands. If you want him back, you’ll use the Night Rose family’s secrets. We’ll let you know when to trade them."
I stood frozen, gripping my fist so hard I could feel the blood rush to my fingers.
"Game’s changed," I muttered under my breath. "Now, I’m going to destroy every last one of them."