Chapter 2
The steady beep of a heart monitor pierced through the darkness, each pulse a reminder that death had rejected her. Her throat felt raw, as if she’d swallowed broken glass, and even breathing sent sharp daggers of agony through her chest.
Tori’s eyes fluttered open, immediately assaulted by harsh fluorescent lights. The sterile white ceiling above her swam in and out of focus as her mind struggled to piece together fragments of memory. Damian’s hands around her throat. The coldness in his eyes. His cruel smile as he squeezed tighter. Their wedding photo watching her die.
“Easy there,” a gentle female voice cautioned as Tori tried to sit up. Cool hands pressed her back against crisp hospital sheets. “You’ve been unconscious for three weeks. Take it slow.”
The nurse – Elena, according to her name tag – was young, perhaps late twenties, with intelligent green eyes and auburn hair pulled back in a practical bun. There was something sharp in her gaze, an awareness that seemed to cut through the professional facade.
“W…water,” Tori managed to rasp, her voice barely a whisper. Even that small effort sent waves of pain through her bruised throat.
Elena helped her take small sips through a straw, her movements efficient but gentle. “The doctor will want to examine you now that you’re awake. You’re quite the miracle case, Ms. Kane. Or should I say, the former Ms. Kane?”
Tori nearly choked on the water. Elena’s lips curved in a knowing smile as she set the cup aside and pulled out a tablet, turning it to show Tori the screen. The headline made her blood run cold:
“TRAGIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE OF BUSINESS HEIRESS TORI KANE.
Grieving husband and sister lead memorial service for Kane Industries Successor”
The accompanying photo showed Damian and Selena at what appeared to be her funeral. Her husband wore perfectly tailored black, his expression a masterpiece of controlled grief. Selena clung to his arm, her designer black dress and tasteful veil creating the perfect picture of mourning. The sight made bile rise in Tori’s throat.
“They found you at the bottom of the stairs in your mansion,” Elena continued, her voice low and careful. “Severe head trauma, strangulation marks, multiple contusions. The official report calls it an unfortunate accident – a fall down the stairs after taking sleeping pills. Very tragic. Very neat.”
Tori’s mind raced despite the fog of medication. If the world thought she was dead, then Damian and Selena believed they’d succeeded. But why was this nurse sharing this information? Why wasn’t she calling the police or notifying her “grieving” family?
“Why…” Tori swallowed hard, forcing the words past her damaged throat, “Why are you showing me this?”
Elena glanced at the door before pulling up a chair. “Because three months ago, another woman came through this ward. Similar ‘accident.’ Similar marks around her throat. Similar wealthy, powerful husband.” Her green eyes hardened. “She wasn’t as lucky as you. I was with her when she died, and she told me things – about her husband’s business dealings, about mysterious accidents happening to people who asked too many questions.”
The nurse leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “That woman’s husband was on the board of Kane Industries. And two weeks after her death, her husband voted to support a major restructuring of the company’s assets. The same restructuring your husband is now pushing through as your grieving widower.”
Pieces clicked into place in Tori’s mind. The corporate takeover wasn’t just about her family’s company – it was part of something bigger, something that left bodies in its wake. How many other “accidents” had there been? How many other families had been destroyed?
“The police…” Tori began, but Elena cut her off with a sharp shake of her head.
“Are either bought or too scared to investigate. The medical examiner who signed off on your ‘death certificate’ drives a new Tesla. The detective who closed your case just bought a vacation home in the Hamptons.” Elena’s lips twisted bitterly. “Money talks, and your husband has plenty of it.”
Tori closed her eyes, letting the full weight of her situation sink in. Legally dead. No resources, no allies, no way to fight back through official channels. Damian and Selena would have moved quickly to seize control of her assets, using her “death” as leverage.
“Why help me?” she finally asked, studying Elena’s face for any sign of deception.
The nurse was quiet for a long moment. “Because someone has to stop them. And you,” she smiled slightly, “you might be our best chance. You’re on the inside. You know their weaknesses. And most importantly – they think you’re dead.”
A knock at the door interrupted them. Elena quickly stood, smoothing her scrubs. “That’ll be Mr. Tobias Riley for your examination. He’s one of the good ones – helped hide your real identity when you were brought in.” She paused at the door. “Think about what I said. You have a unique opportunity here, but you’ll need help.”
The doctor who entered was tall and distinguished, with salt-and-pepper hair and kind eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. But it was the envelope he carried that caught Tori’s attention – thick cream paper bearing her grandmother’s law firm’s seal.
“Ms. Kane,” he greeted softly, closing the door. “I’m Dr. Tobias Riley. And I believe your grandmother left something for you, in case of exactly this type of situation.”
Tori’s heart skipped a beat. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Kane, had been a force of nature – brilliant, ruthless when necessary, and always three steps ahead of her enemies. She has built Kane Industries from the ground up, fending off countless takeover attempts and corporate raiders. If anyone would have prepared for betrayal, it would have been her.
“Before she died,” Mr. Riley continued, breaking the seal on the envelope, “your grandmother came to me with very specific instructions. In the event of your death under suspicious circumstances, certain protocols were to be activated. She knew the vultures would circle eventually. She just wasn’t sure which form they’d take.”
He withdrew several documents and a USB drive. “This contains offshore accounts she set up in your name, untraceable to Kane Industries. Evidence she gathered about certain board members and their… activities. And most importantly, a list of people you can trust – people who owe her favors and are willing to help.”
Tori’s vision blurred with tears. Even from the grave, her grandmother was protecting her, giving her the weapons she needed to fight back. The magnitude of preparation, of foresight, was staggering.
“There’s more,” Mr. Riley added, his voice gentle. “But before we proceed, I need to ask – what do you want to do? We can arrange for you to disappear completely, set up a new life far from here. Or…”
“Or I can fight back,” Tori finished, her voice stronger now despite the pain. The image of Damian and Selena at her funeral flashed through her mind, their false grief like acid in her veins. “I want everything they took from me. I want my company back. I want justice for that other woman, and anyone else they’ve hurt.”
A small smile crossed the doctor’s face. “Your grandmother said you’d say that. She left specific instructions for this choice.” He pulled out another document. “It outlines a plan – contacts, resources, steps to take. But Tori,” his expression grew serious, “this path is dangerous. These people won’t hesitate to kill you again if they discover you’re alive.”
The pain in her throat seemed to pulse with her racing heart, a physical reminder of just how close she’d come to death. But along with the fear came something else – something hard and cold and determined.
“They already killed the old Tori,” she said, her voice low and intense. “The trusting wife, the loving sister – that woman died in that bedroom. It’s time they met the woman they created.”
Elena, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. “If you’re serious about this, you’ll need to transform completely. New face, new identity, new skills. I have contacts who can help – people who specialize in making people disappear and reappear as someone new.”
Mr. Riley nodded. “Your grandmother’s instructions include provisions for exactly that. But first,” he gestured to the bedside table, where a laptop sat waiting, “I think you should see exactly what’s been happening while you were unconscious. Knowledge, as your grandmother always said, is the deadliest weapon.”
As Tori reached for the laptop, her hands steady despite everything, her grandmother’s favorite saying echoed in her mind: “In business, as in war, the best revenge is making your enemies realize, too late, that they never really knew you at all.”
Looking at her allies – the sharp-eyed nurse and the quietly competent doctor – Tori felt the first stirrings of hope. Damian might have taken everything from her, but he’d forgotten one crucial detail: a Kane woman was most dangerous when she had nothing left to lose.
“Show me everything,” she said, her voice hard with determination. “Every deal, every betrayal, every lie. It’s time to plan a resurrection they’ll never forget.”
