AXEL

My heart pounded in my chest as rage threatened to overwhelm me.

Rejection?

Jasmine had no idea what she had done. Her recording had shattered the fragile trust I had built with Ashley. It had driven a wedge between us that I feared might not be fixed anytime soon. I should have known something was wrong. As soon as I drove into the palace, the tension in the atmosphere breezed over me. It had a kind of unsettling warmth that made me quirk my brow. The air was thick and rigid, the kind ...