Chapter 4 - The Checkmate
I looked at the man I had spent eight years building.
"You already lost it," I whispered.
I turned my back on him and looked at Julian.
"Mr. Vale," I said, my voice steady, ringing with the authority my mother had left me. "Please cancel all pending contracts with Mercer Urban. And have these two escorted to the police waiting in the lobby."
"With pleasure, Madam," Julian murmured.
Grant screamed my name as the security guards grabbed him by the arms. Celeste sobbed hysterically, trying to hide her face from the flashing cameras of the press as they were both dragged across the marble floor and thrown out the heavy brass doors of the ballroom.
The room was perfectly silent for three seconds.
Then, Julian Vale, the most feared and respected man in the city, gently offered me his arm.
"The string quartet was just getting to the best part," Julian said softly, his dark eyes entirely focused on me, completely unbothered by the empire he had just helped me burn to the ground. "Shall we take our seats, Elena?"
May you like
I looked at his outstretched arm, feeling the heat fade from my cheek and the crushing weight of an eight-year lie finally lift from my shoulders. I slipped my hand through his arm, feeling the solid, unshakable strength of a man who actually knew my worth.
"Yes, Julian," the queen of the Veil Foundation replied. "I think we should."
