Chapter 1
The laughter was the worst part.
It bounced off the lockers in the crowded hallway, sharp and cruel, aimed directly at her. Katherine squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the ground would just swallow . In her hand was a crumpled piece of paper,the class ranking sheet. Her name was at the very bottom. Number 152 out of 152.
Last.
She'd never been a top student, always hovering somewhere near the bottom five, but she'd never been dead last. It felt like a spotlight had been switched on, illuminating her in a way she never wanted.
"Well, well, look what we have here," a sickly sweet voice cut through the noise. Jessica , with her perfect hair and glossy lips, snatched the paper from Katherine's hand. Her friends, Bia and Ana , flanked her like designer-clad vultures.
Jessica held the paper up for everyone to see. "Looks like the little charity case finally hit rock bottom. Tell me, Katherine, do you even try? Or does your brain work as slowly as your parents drove?"
A fresh wave of laughter erupted. The comment about her parents—a cheap shot about her being an orphan—hit her like a physical blow. Her cheeks burned with a hot, shameful flush. She stared at her worn-out school shoes, unable to look at their smug faces.
"Leave me alone, Jessica ," she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.
"What was that?" Jessica leaned in closer, pretending she couldn't hear." She crumpled the paper and threw it at Katherine's chest. "Don't worry. At least you're number one at something,being a complete and utter loser."
They walked away laughing, leaving Katherine standing alone in the middle of the hallway as other students whispered and laughed. In that moment, a cold, hard knot of resolve formed in her stomach. She was tired of being a looked down on and mocked ,tired of being a punchline. She promised herself, right there, that one day she would be so successful, so powerful, that people like Jessica would feel like insects beneath her feet.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The harsh, insistent sound of her alarm clock dragged Katherine from the memory. She blinked, her heart still pounding from the phantom humiliation of that hallway. The morning sun streamed through the blinds of her sleek, minimalist apartment.
Thursday, September 25th. The day of the reunion.
She swung her legs out of bed and walked to the large window, looking down at the sprawling city below. Her life now was a world away from that school. She had a high-paying job as the Personal Assistant to one of the most powerful men in the country, Damien Veyron. She had this apartment, a car, a wardrobe filled with designer clothes. On paper, she had everything she'd ever dreamed of. She had won.
Tonight was her victory lap.
She had ignored the reunion group chat for weeks, watching from the sidelines as people posted pictures of their kids and talked about their promotions at mid-level companies. She hadn't said a word. She wanted her arrival to be a surprise. She wanted to see the look on Sandra Adewale's face when she walked in.
A grim smile touched her lips as she opened her closet. The dress she'd bought for tonight was hanging in a garment bag. It was a sharp, black, ridiculously expensive Tom Ford dress,It screamed power, success, and untouchable elegance.
She spent the day on autopilot. At the Veyron Enterprises skyscraper, she managed Mr. Veyron's chaotic schedule, her efficiency a wall that no one could breach.
"Hales, reschedule my meeting with the Minister. I don't care what you have to do," he'd barked through the intercom.
"It's done, sir."
"And get me the financials on the new port acquisition."
"They're already on your desk."
He was demanding, cold, and barely acknowledged her existence beyond her usefulness. But he paid her enough to afford a dress that would make her old bullies choke. For today, that was all that mattered.
Back at her apartment that evening, she began to get ready. As she stood in front of the mirror, applying her makeup with practiced precision, a flicker of the old, scared Katherine looked back at her. The girl who stared at her shoes.
What if they don't care? a small voice whispered in her head. What if you walk in, and they still see the same charity case from the bottom of the class?
She paused, her mascara wand hovering. The knot of anxiety from her dream tightened in her stomach. She had the money, the job, the dress… but when she looked in the mirror, she could still sometimes see that girl in the hallway.
Katherine took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the wand. No. She wasn't that person anymore. She had built this new life brick by painful brick. She had earned this. Tonight wasn't just about showing off. It was about killing the ghost of that helpless girl for good.
She finished her makeup, slipped into her dress, and looked at her reflection one last time. Her expression was hard, her eyes focused. She was no longer Katherine Hales, the orphan. She was Katherine Hales, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Veyron Enterprise.