I saw him before he saw me. A man—young, sharp-eyed, and dangerous—his gaze locked onto mine. I spun to run, but before I could take a step, his hand clamped around my arm, yanking me back.

“Not so fast, young lady,” he said, smirking.

I screamed. “Help! Somebody help!”

He laughed, cold and detached. “Scream all you want. No one’s coming. After that explosion, everyone’s too busy running for their lives. You’re stuck with me.”

“What do you want? Are you going to kill me too?” I demanded, my voice trembling.

“Kill you?” He raised an eyebrow. “No. I need an alibi.”

My stomach churned. “No. I won’t be part of this!”

“You think you have a choice?” His grip tightened. “You saw too much. You’re not leaving until I’m done.”

I stared at him, fury replacing fear. “Do you even know who I am? If you did, you’d think twice about using me.”

His smirk widened. “Miss Blair Gallo, Europe’s wealthiest heiress.”

My heart sank. How did he know?

“You’ve been on my radar for a long time,” he continued. “And now you’re mine.”

Before I could respond, the door burst open. Another man, lean and grim-faced, stepped in. “Boss, the elevator’s working. We need to move. The helicopter’s out, and the police are swarming the place.”

Louis—so that was his name—nodded. “We’ll blend with the crowd. Stick to the plan.”

He dragged me into the elevator, his men flanking us. As the doors closed, he leaned closer. “See? Perfect crime. No one will ever tie me to this.”

“You have a witness,” I spat. “Me.”

His smirk didn’t falter. “Oh, but you wouldn’t risk your family’s pristine reputation, would you, Miss Gallo?”

I stiffened, glaring at him. “Why did you kill Alexus? What’s your angle here?”

“Justice,” he said simply. “Do you know how many families he destroyed with his scams? He got what he deserved.”

“And that justifies murder?” I snapped.

“There’s no justice in this world,” he replied coldly. “Not for the poor, at least.”

The elevator doors slid open to chaos. The lobby was a frenzy of police officers shouting orders, panicked guests running in every direction, and bloodied security guards sprawled on the floor.

Louis tightened his grip on my arm, steering me through the commotion. My mind raced, searching for an escape.

Then I saw him—Xander. He stood by Elise, his arm protectively around her. Her face was pale, but when her gaze landed on me, her expression twisted into fury.

“That’s her!” Elise screamed, pointing at me. “She did this! She’s the one who killed Alexus!”

“What?” I gasped, stunned.

“This is because Xander left you, isn’t it?” Elise sneered. “You couldn’t handle the rejection, so you killed his father!”

I turned to Xander, desperation in my voice. “You know me. I wouldn’t—”

“I don’t know you,” Xander said, his voice cold. “Not anymore.”

My hand flew across his face, the slap echoing over the chaos. “You think I’m capable of murder?” I hissed.

“Miss Blair?” A police officer stepped forward. “We need you to come with us for questioning.”

I froze. “I didn’t do this! It was him!” I pointed at Louis, who stood calmly beside me, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement.

The officer raised an eyebrow. “Him? That’s impossible. He’s Louis Machini.”

“So what?” I shot back.

“He’s a wealthy businessman, an Ivy League graduate, and an exceptional athlete,” the officer replied. “Why would someone like him have any motive to kill Alexus Winfield?”

“And I do?” I demanded, my voice rising.

The officer didn’t blink. “Yes, poor ones like you always cause trouble. Now, come with us.”

Elise smirked. “See? Look at her. She’s wearing stolen jewelry. There’s no way she could afford that.”

“I’m not a thief!” I snapped, my voice shaking with rage. “I’m Blair Gallo, the daughter of Europe’s wealthiest family!”

The room fell silent for a moment before laughter rippled through the crowd.

Louis leaned closer, his voice a whisper. “See how quick they are to judge? Now do you understand what I mean about justice?”

I glared at him, fury and helplessness swirling in my chest. “You did this,” I said through gritted teeth.

“No, babe,” he said softly, his words dripping with mockery. “They did this to you because they think you are poor.”

As his words sank in, the weight of the world pressed down on me. I was trapped, and no one would believe me.

The interrogation room was cold and suffocating. I sat in the metal chair, my wrists resting on the table, refusing to look at the officers hovering over me.

“Miss Blair,” one of them said. “If you cooperate, this will go much faster. Why don’t you tell us what you were doing near Alexus Winfield’s room?”

I didn’t answer, keeping my eyes fixed on the table.

“Miss Blair,” another officer pressed, his patience wearing thin, “if you want this to end, tell us the truth.”

I finally lifted my head and stared at him. “I want a lawyer,” I said firmly.

One of them sighed, clearly irritated. “We’ll get to that. But first, you need to answer our questions.”

I leaned back, crossing my arms. “If you let me make one call—to my mother—you’ll have your answers. But you won’t let me, will you?”

The officers exchanged glances but said nothing.

“I demand to call her,” I continued, my voice rising slightly. “If you let me, you’ll know exactly who I am and the truth about all of this.”

“Enough,” one officer snapped, slamming his hand on the table. “You’re not calling anyone until we’re done here.”

The door opened, and Elise walked in with Xander trailing behind her. Elise’s eyes immediately landed on the jewelry I was still wearing.

“Take it off,” she said, her voice icy.

I frowned. “What?”

“The necklace,” Elise repeated, pointing at it. “And the rest of the jewelry. You’re a thief, Blair. You don’t deserve to wear them.”

I clenched my jaw. “This is mine.”

Elise let out a laugh. “Yours? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll keep them until the real Lady Gallo appears. Let’s see how long you can keep up this ridiculous charade.”

“Elise,” Xander said hesitantly, but she silenced him with a glare.

She turned back to me. “Just because your last name is Gallo doesn’t mean you’re related to the family. I’ve known you since college, Blair. The Gallo family doesn’t even have a child. Stop pretending.”

I stayed silent, biting back the urge to respond. Of course, they weren't aware of my identity because my parents had never talked about me. I wanted it that way, to also protect myself, but seeing this is happening now, it seems like I really need to let the world who really am I.

Elise turned to Xander. “We need to get the jewelry and you can return it to Lady Gallo. Maybe she would reconsider the partnership.”

“That’s a great idea,” Xander replied.

I scoffed. “Your father is dead and all you can think about is money?” I shook my head. “It makes me think you actually wanted him dead.”

“Shut up, Blair,” Elise replied. Now I’m really seeing her true colors and that makes me despise her, especially Xander. He should have been the one who died!

Elise stepped closer to me, her eyes narrowing. “Take it off,” she demanded, pointing at the necklace around my neck. “You have no right to wear that.”

I raised an eyebrow, meeting her glare. “I’m not giving you anything. It’s mine.”

“Yours?” Elise let out a mocking laugh. “Stop lying. You stole it. Hand it over now, or I’ll take it off you myself.”

She grabbed at the necklace, her fingers brushing the gold chain. I stepped back, swatting her hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped.

“You don’t deserve it!” Elise hissed, lunging again.

We struggled, her nails clawing at my neck as I tried to push her away. The commotion grew louder, drawing the attention of the police and Xander.

“Enough!” a commanding voice rang out, silencing the room.

Everyone turned toward the door, where a tall, elegant woman stood. My mother.