my broken heart was just background noise to their burgeoning empire. The cheap metal necklace still burned against my skin, a physi

. Franklin had cleared it out. I picked up a charcoal stick, drawing jagged, furious lines on a fresh canvas, a storm of jagged e

ay, her aura of polished ruthlessness almost suffocating. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebr

ng, but I met her ga

nued, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Such a pity. All that childi

hand on my back, his deep voice encouraging me, "Just keep pedaling, Eliana. I've got you." The warmth of h

e flat, devoid of emotion. The words felt like ash in my mou

epped out of the study, his phone pressed to his ear, his expression severe. He looked up, hi

is voice sharp, cutting through the m

ranklin." I used his formal name,

presence looming. "You have obl

My only obligation is to breathe." I tried to walk past him,

his voice low and menacing. "Not until I say so." His eyes burned into mine, a primal possessi

be so harsh. Perhaps Eliana just needs a little reminder of her place." Her words were honeyed, but her ey

ine, a silent warning. The message was cl

anklin William and Katarina Monroe: A Union Forged in Power." A pristine, smiling photo of them, side by side, dominated the scr

iends, acquaintances, all buzzing about the news. I watched the li

together, deleted. Every comment he' d ever left, erased. Every mutual friend, unfollowed. Then, I

nroe. My mother. All gone. Emptiness settled over me, a strange, quiet peace. I was a ghos