Cracks in the Empire

“Finally,” Chloe whispered to herself, the gleam in her eyes matching the sparkle of the diamond necklace she had clasped hastily around her throat. She stood before her mirror, lips stretched into a triumphant smile, painting a fresh coat of crimson lipstick across her mouth.

Finally, her patience, her endless tears, her humiliation, her forced silence was paying off.

The Langfords had turned against the very children they once claimed as heirs. The fortress that had ...