tisfaction was etched on his face, but underneath it, there was something

isheveled state on the sofa, her torn blouse. A flicker of fear cross

acant, as if she had retreated to a place deep inside herself where he couldn't reach her. She method

r said snidely from the doorway. "Julian, darling, le

, no pleading, no anger-unnerved Julian far more than any hysterical outburst would have. He found himself staring at the angry red mark forming on her cheek where her face had hit

d. She slid to the floor, her body finally succumbing to the

nd locked herself in her room, no

of the empire, a position Eleanora had arranged for her when she'd first married Julian. Her assistant, a kind young woman named Zoe M

her current projects, updating files, and preparing a detailed handover document. This work, curating the priceless art that adorned Beaumont properties worldwid

etter. She left the comprehensive handover documents and the l

ramed photo of her mother, a collection of art history books, a favorit

nse of dread settl

demanding and whiny. "Something about you a

, Frank," she sai

o fix this. I need a loan. A substantial one. I ha

ded to leverage her marriage for the good of the family. The memory of why she had entered this cage-to

familial obligation

," she said, her voice cold an

llowed by an explosion of rage. He accused her of being self

e of release washed over her. She had

walked out of the Beaumont building and into the crisp evening air. Private appeals had failed. Direct confronta

wards the secluded east wing of the Greystone estate, to the one plac