ut Chloe, about her lies and her cruelty, he would shut me down. "Excuses," he'd spit. "Just like your father." My past attempts to reason with him

And he was forcing me to attend. Not as a guest, but as a servant. My uniform was a simple, black dress, ele

ech king, powerful and untouchable. He caught my eye and gestured for me to bring a

ation, taking a glass from my tray without a glance. He was deliberately

Capital's assets for pennies on the dollar," o

simply in the right place to clean up the mess." He looked directly at me then,

aw me not as a person, but as part of the spoils of war. I felt my face burn with

out your father. Such a tragedy. And you... well, you've certainly landed on

otest. Liam watched the exchange, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He was enjo

ds, setting it on a nearby table. He placed a hand on the small of my ba

d beautiful things. And I've recently acquired a new piece for my collection." He turned me to face

n, but in a way that was almost worse. He was offering up

on to my family's charitable foundation, one of you can hav

was funded by that same foundation. My compliance

eading. He just stared back

," I whispered, the

a significant amount of money. Be charming. Be witty. Be the society princess

lt a piece of my soul die. I met Liam's gaze one last time, my own e

n my back. A part of him, the part that still remembered the man he used to be, flickered wi

had begun. For me, it was a countdown to the end of my endurance. For him, whethe