Darkest Deception (Deception Series)

Prologue

No one should be happy that their parents are dead. And yet, here I am, standing with a masked smile at my father’s funeral.

Rain pours in sheets from heavy, dark clouds, an appropriate accompaniment for the crowd’s sombre expressions and attire. The black suits and modest dresses scattered in front of the church fit in, but the melancholy atmosphere never quite settles properly. The paparazzi are pressed against the metal gate of the church just a couple of feet away from the burial site. Their cameras keep flashing in bright starbursts, shattering the shroud of solemn observance, a news bomb ready to detonate and change everyone’s lives.

My head is bowed, my face partially shielded. My mouth is pinched in sorrow, eyebrows furrowed and shoulders held tight, but all I feel is freedom.

From his clutches, from his ruthlessness, and from the vise grip he had around my throat.

I am breathing.

I am alive.

And I will conquer his empire.

My empire. My rightful empire.

All everyone sees is a daughter mourning her loving father’s death. But my soul is ascending to the highest heavens. I will soar, but then I’ll plummet into the darkest pits of hell right after.

Lying is a sin.

Deception is a sin.

And, in my world, happiness is also a sin.

And I will be committing every single one.

The death of a monster should always be celebrated.