ora

a silent stop in front of th

all of flashing cameras and shouting reporters s

here have you been

u're taking ba

have to say t

the chaos as if it were a gentle breeze. Lucian was at my side, a formidable

e junior executives, froze, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe, fear, and raw

of the marble expanse, w

p of his senior VPs, a wide, sickening

ng toward me with his arms open wide for an embr

lunge. His arms cl

he quickly recovered. I just looked at him, my expression as cold and

crawl. "You've suffered so much. Come, let's go up to my office. We have so much to talk about." H

the lobby, across the faces of the employees and

hrough the silence with absolute au

predator locking onto its prey. "

of his executives. "I want an emergenc

shed, replaced by a flicker of panic. "Now, Aurora, let's not be h

round by a usurper. I can't afford to wait," I said, my voice dripping wi

adly. In front of his staff, in front of th

k onto his face, but it was a strained, ugly thing. "Of

e P

g at a photo

car, dressed in a white suit that made her look like an avenging angel. She wa

had called weak. The

tion churned in my gu

, timid whisper from the hospital

, the image of Aurora bur

the news. She's the Montgomery heiress. So powerful... and I'm..

movements clumsy and pained. "I sh

han I intended. I gently pushed her back against

ds are so different now! She's a queen, and

my own chaotic emotions. Aurora's new power felt like a betrayal, a pe

was constant. She w

g against my chest. "No one," I said, my voice a lo

couldn't see her face, a small, tri