Born To

Born to Overcome Nine hundred years ago, a member of the Bale family accepted an extraordinary gift. They never read the clause. Now... The debt has come due. For nine centuries, every sixty years, the oldest daughter of the chosen Bale bloodline has died on her thirtieth birthday. Not a day too early. Not more than eighteen days before. No escape. No bargain. No mercy. The Clause always collects. Now the countdown belongs to Cindi Bale. With less than nine months to live, Cindi refuses to become another name carved into her family's tragic history. Armed with mysterious silver abilities awakening inside her, an ancient power flowing through her bloodline, and a determination that borders on terrifying, she makes a decision no Bale before her has ever dared to make. She isn't running from the curse. She's hunting it. Standing beside her is Charlie—a mysterious immortal with no memory of the life he lived before becoming immortal over a thousand years ago. Every clue they uncover raises more questions than answers. Why do ancient enemies recognize Charlie when he cannot recognize himself? Why do forgotten symbols react to Cindi's presence? And why does it feel as though destiny has been waiting centuries for the two of them to meet? As hidden underground civilizations begin emerging into the light, forgotten enemies awaken beneath continents, and an ancient White-Robed Elder prepares for a war centuries in the making, Cindi discovers that the curse threatening her family may be only one thread in a far greater nightmare. Even more horrifying... Not everyone in the Bale family wants her to survive. For generations, every cursed daughter has unknowingly brought extraordinary blessings to other members of the family. Wealth expands. Businesses flourish. Strength increases. Influence grows. While one daughter pays with her life... others quietly prosper. Some relatives mourn. Others celebrate behind closed doors. After all... It's much easier to support tradition when someone else's daughter is dying. Now Uncle Marty and those who stand beside him believe Cindi is growing weaker with each passing day. They're wrong. Spectacularly wrong. While they prepare to inherit her empire, Cindi is quietly preparing to dismantle theirs—piece by carefully calculated piece. She doesn't intend to destroy them overnight. That would be too merciful. She plans to let greed do most of the work. After all, greed has terrible eyesight and an even worse sense of direction. But the greatest danger doesn't come from family. It comes from something far older. Far beneath the earth, ancient gates are beginning to open. A White-Robed Elder has awakened from centuries of waiting, convinced the time has finally come to complete a mission begun nine hundred years ago. He believes Cindi is the final obstacle standing between him and absolute victory. He has no idea... She's no longer fighting alone. As Charlie's forgotten past begins to stir, children disappear, ancient powers awaken, impossible alliances form, and horrifying truths surface, Cindi discovers that overcoming the Clause may require confronting the very force that created it. Every answer uncovers another secret. Every victory comes with another price. Every gift... Has a clause. Will Cindi become the first Bale in nine hundred years to break the curse? Or will she become its final sacrifice? One thing is certain... This time... The Clause has chosen the wrong daughter

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