The Rejected Daughter's Genius Comeback

inside her. She stood for a long moment, letting the cold water soak through her clothes to her skin, trying to wash away t

be immediate, visceral. She wouldn't just ruin their reputation;

d watched the lone figure in the rain, a silhouette of defiance against the night. He

," he said, h

irl. "Sir, she seems... unstable." He could feel the da

r, something in the way she held herself, that resonated with a memory buried so deep it fe

e was hard, destructive. She turned and walked toward the skeletal remains of the

was looking for: a pile of cinder blocks. She pi

ut back in the direction she'd come. Back toward the manicure

es widened. Leo gasped

he didn't try to find the gate. She took a short, powerful ru

hand. She stopped before the large picture window of the living room, a g

was torn from her thro

e quiet, rainy night. It was followed by the hi

ulted it again, and returned to the constructi

crunch and tinkle of breaking glass became a symphony of her rage. Each shattered pane was a

iful, terrifying expression of pain. He felt no fear, only a profound sense o

the house. Shouts and s

t heaving, the fury finally spent,

la snapping open above his head. Leo tried to pro

ainting his face in strobes of red and blue. He reached Aria an

w a tall, handsome man with eyes that held no judgment, only

Atlas said, his voice

t felt impossibly soft-and draped it over her trembling shoulders. The warmth s

ce... she couldn't remember when. She could feel the power radiating from him, the quiet confiden

e hero? Be careful, they might think you're my accomplice." Her voice wa

s. He was clearly not expecting this response. He seemed, for a m

a frantic rhythm he co

erfect facade was shattered, for all their wealthy neighbors to see. They hadn't been robbed by pr

lled of him, a clean, expensive scent of sandalwood and

at him, a silent thank you

and turned to disappear into the