Chapter 2
"Let her go, Mother," Julian hissed through clenched teeth, his charcoal grey suit jacket ruined by the dust of the foyer floor. "She'll be crawling back by midnight begging for mercy."
Victoria paused at the threshold, turning her head just enough for the amber porch light to catch her sharp, unblinking gaze. Her long brown hair cascaded over her bare shoulder like liquid silk.
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"Keep your delusions, Julian, because I wouldn't return to this gilded cage even if the world outside was burning," Victoria stated coldly, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings.
Martha gasped aloud, her aristocratic composure completely shattering under the weight of such public defiance. No one had ever spoken to a Sterling family heir with such absolute, chilling contempt.
