CHAPTER 1 : A Night to Remember

The grand chandeliers of the Rosewood Estate cast their golden glow over a sea of tuxedos and evening gowns. The charity gala was in full swing, a lavish display of wealth and philanthropy wrapped in soft jazz and the clinking of champagne glasses. Guests mingled under the ornate ceilings, their laughter echoing across marble floors and walls adorned with commissioned art.

Amidst the glitter and grandeur stood Athena Albrecht, poised in a midnight-blue gown that mirrored the storm clouds gathering outside. She moved with an air of quiet authority, the kind that turned heads and commanded hushed whispers. Her dark hair was swept into a sleek bun, her expression cool and unreadable. Many feared her in the boardroom, yet here, by her side, was the one person who could melt her frosted exterior with a single smile.

Sana Khatri, radiant in a blush-toned silk dress, laughed easily and often, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Where Athena exuded control and silence, Sana was chaos in bloom — joyful, bright, impossible to ignore. They made a striking pair as they moved through the crowd — fire and ice, tethered by years of friendship and unspoken understanding.

"Do you remember the time we snuck into your dad’s wine cellar and got caught drinking grape juice out of his vintage glasses?" Sana whispered, her laughter threatening to bubble over.

Athena's lips curved into a rare smile. "You swore it would make us look classy. You even said ‘cheers’ like a forty-year-old socialite."

"And you said grape juice was for peasants,” Sana added, pretending to flip her hair dramatically. “We were eleven. Absolute menace."

They wandered from room to room, stopping to greet old acquaintances, some of whom tried—unsuccessfully—to pry business talk out of Athena. But with Sana at her side, Athena wasn’t the CEO tonight. She was just a girl with memories—of barefoot summers and whispered dreams under starlit skies.

As the clock neared midnight, thunder growled low in the distance. Rain began tapping against the estate's arched windows.

“Let’s go,” Athena said, touching Sana’s arm gently. “It’s getting late.”

Sana glanced toward the ballroom, where couples were still dancing, and sighed. “Alright. But only if we get fries on the way back.”

Athena rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched. “Fine.”

They exited through the side, sheltered briefly by a valet with an umbrella. Athena’s car—a sleek obsidian sports sedan—purred to life as they slid inside.

“You sure you want to drive?” Sana asked, fastening her seatbelt as droplets raced down the windshield. “It’s getting bad out.”

Athena’s fingers were already wrapped around the steering wheel. “I’m fine. I’ve driven in worse.”

The road home was a winding ribbon of asphalt stretched through hills and trees. Darkness pressed in on either side, the headlights casting pale beams that sliced through the falling rain. The windshield wipers fought a losing battle against the storm, their rhythmic whoosh barely audible over the drumming of the rain.

For a while, they sat in silence, the comfortable kind that only years of closeness could bring.

Sana eventually broke it. “You’ve changed, you know.”

Athena’s eyes remained on the road. “Everyone changes.”

“Not like that. You’ve… built walls so high no one even tries to climb them anymore. Except me. Lucky me.” She smiled, but there was something somber in it.

Athena tightened her grip on the wheel. “I don’t have time for softness, Sana. Not in the world I live in.”

“But you do have time,” Sana said softly. “You just forget how to use it.”

A beat passed.

Then Athena replied, barely above a whisper, “Maybe I’m afraid if I stop moving, everything will fall apart.”

Sana reached out and rested her hand over Athena’s. “That’s why I’m still here. So you don’t have to hold it all by yourself.”

The road curved sharply ahead, slick with rain. Athena adjusted the steering, but the tires slipped just slightly—enough to spike her heart rate. She eased off the accelerator, face composed, but alert now.

“Careful,” Sana murmured.

“I’ve got it,” Athena said, more to herself than to Sana.

But the storm had other plans.

As they approached a narrow bridge flanked by trees, a sudden gust of wind pushed against the car like an invisible force. Athena’s eyes widened as the headlights caught the shimmer of water pooling across the road — flash flooding.

She tried to slow, but the tires skidded. The world tilted.

A scream — Sana’s.

A jolt — metal crunching.

Glass shattered.

Darkness.

And then… silence.

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