Beautiful Lies

For five years, Sasha Zinrilli Volkov had lived like a ghost.

Not because she was invisible - the international world knew exactly who she was.

The daughter of Viktor Volkov, the man whose empire stretched beneath Russia's soil and across its factories, Sasha was the heir to generations of wealth built from every piece of metal pulled from the earth and every drop of oil that fueled nations. Her name carried power. Her bloodline carried danger.

But Sasha had learned something early:

Power did not protect you. It made you a target.

After her mother's sudden and tragic death, Viktor sent Sasha away from Russia under the excuse of safety. He told her there were threats inside the family. Enemies waiting for the right moment. People who wanted the Volkov empire - and the easiest way to take it was through the only heir.

Her father remained behind, ruling an empire she was never allowed to see.

Sasha moved from city to city across the United States, never staying long enough to build roots. New apartments. New names. New lives that disappeared before anyone could ask questions.

At least, that was the story she was told, Sasha believed it. Mostly, because the truth was becoming harder to recognize.

The men who watched over her never introduced themselves as guards. They were always just strangers who happened to appear in crowded places. A man sitting too close at a café. A car that seemed to follow her home. A face she recognized but could never place.

Her father claimed they were protecting her. Sasha wondered if they were protecting everyone else from her.

For five years, Viktor Volkov controlled her life from thousands of miles away. Every decision. Every move. Every relationship.

Until her twenty-sixth birthday. The birthday she had been waiting for. The day she thought she would finally be free.