Shattered Fragments

The biting cold of the Vancouver night seeped into Amira’s bones, a chill far deeper than the weather. Her breath hitched, tears freezing on her cheeks as she struggled against an unseen hold, the metallic tang of blood filling the air. Sounds of fighting echoed around her, but they were distant, muffled by the roaring in her ears.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this," she thought, her mind replaying the desperate, broken image of her sister, Elena. Everything had gone wrong. Her quest for revenge, a fire that had consumed her, had now burned everyone around her.

One year ago, life had been simpler, a world defined by the warmth of family and the weight of a shared legacy. Her parents gone, Amira, at just twenty-one, had become the reluctant CEO of Wilson Industries, her baby sister Elena her entire world.

"Amira! I have been yelling your name for over ten minutes!" Elena's cheerful voice, a stark contrast to the present, ripped her from her thoughts.

Amira turned, forcing a smile for her sister, who stood with hands on her hips, a playful frown on her face. "Aw, does my poor little Elena need help with something... again?" she teased, discreetly tucking away the photo album that chronicled happier times.