Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 1

Dusk had fallen outside the main gates of the Hawthorne Villa. A fresh-faced girl with twin braids and a baseball cap stood before the heavy, ornate iron gates, a heavy-duty woven utility bag slung over her shoulder.

Stella Hawthorne stared at the gates, knowing it would be child's play to simply scale them. But she didn't want this to be easy—not in the slightest.

Dropping the bag, she put on noise-canceling earmuffs and a safety mask, then pulled a heavy-duty circular saw from the depths of her bag.

Moments later, the ear-splitting shriek of metal being ripped apart echoed throughout the villa...

The three members of the Hawthorne Family, who were having dinner in the dining room, immediately dropped their silverware.

"Who's thoughtless enough to do renovations at this hour?" Chloe Hawthorne complained. "Are they trying to ruin our dinner?"

"That can't be right," Miranda said. "This is an exclusive, fully finished neighborhood. That sound... it's coming from right outside our house."

Frederick Hawthorne was about to speak when the butler came rushing in. "Sir, we have a problem!"

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Frederick snapped, irritated. "Spit it out!"

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead, apologizing profusely. "Forgive me, Sir, I misspoke in my panic. There is a masked woman outside taking a power saw to our front gates."

Frederick slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "What! Who has the sheer audacity to saw through my gates in broad daylight?"

Miranda quickly stood up, holding his arm to soothe him. "Don't get upset, let's just go see what's happening."

The family of three marched toward the front gates, the butler trailing nervously behind them.

By the time they arrived, Stella was still busy tearing through the heavy lock.

"Stop right there!" Frederick bellowed.

Stella powered down the saw, pulled off her earmuffs, and shoved them casually into her pocket.

She didn't stop because of Frederick's yelling; she stopped because she had just finished slicing cleanly through the smart lock.

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