Chapter 1

I was at the Rivercrest Zoo with my daughter for the weekend. I only stepped away to use the restroom for a second, but when I came back, she had been thrown into the snake pit.

Dozens of venomous vipers were slithering toward her. The situation was desperate.

I charged forward like a madwoman, trying to pull her out of that nightmare.

But the zoo's security guards pinned me down. A young woman stood over me, looking down her nose with a smug grin.

"You dare let your brat steal my son's watch? You must be tired of living in Rivercrest!" she hissed.

But that watch was a gift my husband had specifically brought back from a business trip overseas!

I roared at her, my heart breaking for my child. "Ava has been terrified of snakes since she was a baby! Get her out of there now!"

The woman didn't listen. Instead, she delivered a stinging slap across my face.

"Shut your mouth! Do you know who I am? I'm the wife of Silas Sterling, the CEO of the Sterling Group. I have enough money to buy your pathetic life a thousand times over!"

I froze, my entire body trembling.

Silas Sterling?

Wasn't that my husband's name?

A surge of cold fury washed over me. A man who married into my family, took my name, and acted like a puppet―how dare he!

He must have forgotten why people used to call me the Iron Queen.

1

Dozens of oily, scales bodies twisted and writhed. Dark red tongues flicked in and out of the air.

Ava had always been deathly afraid of snakes. Now, she was curled into a ball in the corner of the pit.

Seeing her face so pale made my heart feel like it was being crushed.

I struggled like a wild animal, trying to break free from the guards' grip.

"Whatever this is, we can settle it later! Just get my daughter out of there!" I screamed.

The woman grabbed me by the hair, forcing me to look her in the eye.

She scanned me from head to toe, her blood-red lips curling into a sneer.

"How do trashy people like you have the nerve to steal my daughter's necklace? Like mother, like daughter, I guess."

By now, a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered around us.

"Isn't that Bianca Hartley? The wife of the Sterling Group's CEO?" someone whispered.

"I heard Mr. Sterling worships the ground she walks on. This woman is dead meat."

"Serves her right. If her kid is a thief, she deserves what's coming."

Bianca's expression grew even more arrogant as she soaked in the crowd's flattery.

Inside the pit, a snake was starting to climb onto Ava's leg.

I was pinned to the ground, helpless. I could only call out to her in a trembling voice. "Ava..."

My daughter seemed to hear me. She turned her head toward me, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm scared... Mommy, save me!" she shrieked.

Her heart-wrenching cries felt like they were tearing my soul apart.

"You bitch! Let my daughter out right now, or I will make sure you disappear from Rivercrest forever!"

Bianca blinked in surprise at my outburst. Then, she let out a sharp, piercing laugh.

She kicked me hard in the stomach and grabbed my chin with her manicured claws.

"In this city, nobody threatens me! Who do you think you are?"

The dull thud in my lower abdomen made me shudder with pain.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead as I wheezed out the truth.

"The Sterling Group is mine! Every cent Silas spends on you belongs to me! He's nothing but a man who married into my family!"

Bianca looked at me with amused eyes.

"If you can prove Silas Sterling is your husband, I'll let you both go. If you can't, you'll crawl on your knees and apologize to me in front of everyone!"

She signaled the guards to loosen their grip.

I didn't waste a second. I sent a quick text to my most trusted assistant.

Then, I dialed Silas's number.

My heart was in my throat. I prayed he would pick up and end this nightmare for Ava.

I called three times in a row. Each time, I was met with nothing but a busy signal.

My heart sank into a dark abyss.

Bianca saw that I couldn't get through. She looked like she was about to burst with joy.

"A lowlife like you actually thought you could claim Mr. Sterling? How pathetic."

"If you don't apologize to me and my daughter right now, you can watch your brat become snake food!"

I looked back at the pit. Several snakes were already draped over Ava's small body.

My blood turned to ice.

"Let her go! Stop this! Please, just stop!"

I screamed hysterically, looking at the crowd for help, but no one moved.