Elle must escape a life of despair to find magic in a Prince's arms. Elle Seeley's world turns upside down when her mother passes unexpectedly. Her father brings her into his business, teaching her the art of negotiation in the marketplace and how to defend herself against attack. All his training and grooming comes to a halt when he brings home a new wife and the woman's daughter. Elle's father makes her promise to listen and obey. The minute her father leaves, her new step-mother transforms into a monster with one goal--to humiliate Elle into submission. When news of a ball is announced, Elle wants to escape her mentally unstable captor, but she is forbidden to go. Will Elle find a way to escape a life meant only for despair?