The Compton estate smelled of mold and desperation.
Eleonora had been summoned. Or rather, dragged. Two of her father's "associates" had intercepted her outside her apartment.
She walked into the living room. Her stepmother, Vivian, sat on the sofa, looking like a coiled viper. Her father, Richard, stood by the fireplace, looking old and weak.
Tiffany was sitting in a wheelchair.
"You ruined Tiffany's reputation!" Vivian shrieked. "The Alumni Association sent a letter!"
"She ruined it herself when she cheated," Eleonora said calmly.
Julian stepped out of the shadows. He was standing next to Tiffany. "Give me the original video file, Eleonora. Or your father doesn't get a dime for his bail."
Eleonora looked at her father. "You're letting him threaten me?"
Richard looked at the floor. "El... for the family. You have to sacrifice."
Eleonora felt a crack in her chest. The last piece of her childhood, breaking.
Suddenly, Tiffany stood up from the wheelchair. She forgot she was supposed to be injured. She rushed at Eleonora. "You jealous witch!"
Eleonora sidestepped.
Tiffany's momentum carried her forward. She tripped on the rug and collided with the banister of the stairs. It wasn't a hard hit, but she let out a scream that could shatter glass.
She slid to the floor, clutching her stomach. "Ah! My baby! Julian, our baby!"
Silence.
Julian dropped to his knees. "Baby? You're pregnant?"
Vivian gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Murderer! Eleonora pushed her! She's carrying a Stark heir!"
Eleonora stared. "I didn't touch her."
Julian looked up. His eyes were wild. He saw it. The golden ticket. An heir. A way to secure his place in the trust against Alden.
"You tried to kill my child," Julian said, his voice dripping with venom.
"This is attempted murder," Vivian declared. "We're calling the police. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Eleonora asked, her voice trembling with rage.
"Unless you sign over your remaining inheritance rights," Richard said softly. "And marry Mr. Hightower to settle my debts."
Eleonora looked at them. Her father. Her family. They were selling her.
"You make me sick," she said.
She turned to the door.
Two large men blocked the exit.
"Welcome home, darling," Vivian smiled.
They grabbed her arms. Eleonora kicked and screamed, but they dragged her upstairs. They threw her into her old bedroom.
The lock clicked.
She ran to the window. Bars. They had put bars on the windows years ago, "for security." Now, it was a prison.
She checked her pockets. Her phone was gone.
Tomorrow was the signing with Alden. And she was locked in a tower, with no knight coming to save her.
