Seraphina Vale did not sleep that night. She sat beside the window in her bedroom while the city lights glowed beyond the glass. The events of the past two days continued to circle through her mind with stubborn clarity. She could still hear the murmurs of the wedding guests when she refused Adrian at the altar. She could still see the stunned expression on his face when he realized that the woman he thought he controlled had just destroyed his carefully constructed image.
Seraphina folded her arms tightly across her chest.
The silence in the room felt heavy.
She had taken the first step toward revenge, but she knew that the real battle had only begun. Adrian Hawthorne would not remain passive after such public humiliation. He would investigate every move she made, and he would search for a weakness he could exploit.
Seraphina knew that she needed protection, and she also needed power.
Lucien Ashford possessed both.
