22_The Reckoning

Lucian

I leaned back in the leather chair, staring out at the skyline of the city. The view from my office always gave me a sense of power, as if I could control the world with the snap of my fingers. And I could. Or at least, I could control the parts of it that mattered. Eloise, for one.

The thought of her made my jaw tighten. I couldn't believe the audacity of her, thinking she could stand up to me like this. All these years, I’d held the reins, guided her, shaped her ...