Chapter 1 - The Glass Tower
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.
It illuminated the polished black marble floors, reflecting the city skyline fifty stories below. The room was vast, cold, and quiet.
In the center of the living space sat a handcrafted baby grand piano. Beside it, three-year-old Lily sat on the tile floor in a soft yellow sundress.
In her small hands, she held a battered wooden music box.
It was a simple object. The paint was chipping at the corners, and the tiny brass crank squeaked when turned.
Yet it was the only item in the enormous apartment that mattered to her.
The music box had belonged to her mother, Clara, who had passed away two years earlier.
Every afternoon, Lily sat near the window, turning the handle slowly to hear the faint, melodic lullaby.
A shadow fell over the little girl.
Victoria stood above her.
She wore a fitted burgundy silk dress and three-inch designer heels. Her dark hair was pinned into a flawless knot at the nape of her neck.
She was elegant, powerful, and utterly devoid of warmth.
Victoria had been dating Ethan—Lily’s father—for six months. She had moved into the penthouse three weeks ago, bringing four trunks of designer clothes and an air of absolute authority.
She looked down at the wooden toy with undisguised disgust.
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"Take your filthy hands off that!" Victoria snapped.
Her voice echoed sharply against the cold glass walls.
