Chapter 1

Selena Everhart stood at the window of her formerly grand family estate, watching sadly as the last of her family's carriages disappeared down the winding drive. The sky above was gray, the same color as the stone that had made up the towering walls of Everhart Manor for centuries. Everything was gone now, the wealth, the status, the legacy her family had built over the long years, torn apart in one swift betrayal.

Her heart broke at the thought of it all, of the moment her world had broken into parts she felt somehow incapable of fixing. Once, she had been the jewel of high society, raised with every luxury there was, with her future secure as the sole heiress to the Everhart fortune.

The Everharts had been respected, admired, and even feared by those who knew the true extent of their power. Her father had been a master of diplomacy and cunning, operating the treacherous waters of noble politics with grace and ease. Until he wasn't.

The family could pull off any task, at any time, irrespective of what terms or condition came with such task. Those were good times one would love to live over and over again.

Selena's mind travelled back to that fateful night, her father's face pale, the note trembling in his hand as he read aloud the charges of treason brought against him. And in one swift wave, everything had been taken from them. Their lands, their wealth, their connections. Every ally had turned their back on them, either because they were too afraid to intervene and get a backlash, or they were interested in profiting from the Everharts' downfall.

In the end, they had become powerless. Stripped of titles and fortune, her parents had been sent away in disgrace. Selena was left behind, a shadow of the woman she once was, determined to survive through the ordeal. Determined to see the ones responsible for the brutal move against her family pay.

She glanced down at her hand, with her fist clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her skin.

Harrington.

Lord Magnus Harrington, the man responsible for her family's ruin. A master manipulator who had carefully mapped out and orchestrated their downfall out of the shadows. The man who had her family's blood on his hands.

But vengeance, Selena had learned, was not won through emotion. It required patience, cunning, planning and most importantly power. Things she no longer had. At least, not on her own and so she needed someone else, someone even more ruthless, more powerful.

She had someone in mind, and the thought of him made her spine straighten with purpose.

Damon Blackwood.

He was her answer. Heir to the Blackwood fortune and one of the most feared names among the noble families. The cold, calculating man who had risen from the ashes of his own family's downfall. Damon Blackwood, whose father had also been destroyed by Lord Harrington.

Who was best to ally with, if not someone with a similar past?

Their goals were the same; revenge, justice for their ruined families.

She believed that if anyone had the power to make Harrington fall, it was Damon.

But Damon wasn't one to take allies lightly. He was known for his ruthlessness, his unfeeling demeanor, and his relentless pursuit of power. Selena had crossed paths with him once before, years ago at a grand party. He had barely acknowledged her existence, just another glittering participant in a room full of them. But times had changed, and so had she.

Selena closed her eyes, summoning the last image she had of him: tall, striking, with dark eyes that they say could see straight into your soul. Those same eyes had watched the downfall of his own family with the same cold detachment.

Rumor had it that Damon had spent years gathering allies, resources, and secrets, all in preparation for his own act of vengeance.

Now, she needed him.

With a final glance at the remnants of her family estate, Selena turned from the window. She would not let herself linger in the past any longer. Her future, her revenge, was all that mattered now. She had spent lots of time piecing together the puzzle of her family's betrayal, uncovering the hidden connections and the real power players behind the fall of the Everharts. The answer had always led back to Harrington. And the possible solution was Damon Blackwood.

Her heart raced with a mix of fear and anticipation. Approaching Damon would be dangerous. He was not a man who trusted easily, and no one could blame him for that. Also, she was in no position to demand anything from him. But she had something he wanted; information. Secrets that no one else had, carefully gathered through whispered conversations and long forgotten alliances. And she had more to offer. Her name.

A marriage of convenience.

It was audacious, borderline reckless. But it was the only way to secure Damon's cooperation. A contract marriage between the last Everhart and the heir to Blackwood would give both of them what they wanted. Together, there was the possibility that they could have the combined power and influence to bring Harrington to his knees.

And there would be no love. That, she was certain of.

Damon was too cold, too distant for such trivial emotions. This would be business. Revenge, and nothing more.

But as Selena dressed in her plainest gown and pulled her hair back in a tight knot, a part of her couldn't help but feel a flicker of something else. A sense of anticipation she hadn't felt in years. Damon was dangerous, a man of shadows, but there was a strange allure in the idea of standing by his side. Of watching the world burn down together.

As she left the crumbling manor behind, the weight of her past lifted slightly from her shoulders. This was her new beginning, one forged in vengeance and fire. She had made up her mind to go down fighting, and she would make sure that Harrington, and anyone who stood in her way, would burn with her.