Chapter 11 - THE GRANDMOTHER'S COLLAPSE
Victoria Vance struggled back to her feet, her royal blue evening gown torn at the hem, her dignity permanently shattered.
"You think you've won, Jack Sterling? People like you are just dirt beneath our feet," Victoria hissed with venomous defiance.
Jack turned slowly to face the aging matriarch, his rugged features impassive under the harsh conservatory lights.
"Dirt builds the foundations that arrogant dynasties stand on, Victoria, and we're finally sweeping the floors," Jack replied smoothly.
Victoria let out a high-pitched, hysterical laugh that echoed bizarrely against the steel-shuttered glass walls.
"The committee will never let you leave this estate alive. They own the entire eastern seaboard," she whispered maniacally.
"The committee was dismantled at midnight by the Department of Justice," Jack countered, checking his smartwatch notifications.
Victoria's jaw dropped slack, her manicured fingers loosening their desperate grip on her shattered diamond necklace.
May you like
The illusion of her untouchable supremacy evaporated into thin air, leaving her an old, frightened woman in a fancy dress.
She staggered backward, collapsing heavily onto a velvet settee as the final remnants of her sanity fractured.
