AUTHOR’S POV
"That arrogant, reckless boy! He would set the entire empire on fire just to prove he can hold the matches!"
The heavy crystal decanter slammed onto the mahogany side table in Margaret’s private study, the amber liquid inside sloshing violently against the glass. Margaret Carter stood in the center of the room, her emerald silk gown which had looked so triumphant an hour ago now appearing like the shimmering skin of a cornered predator. Her chest heaved, the pearls at her throat rattling with every jagged breath.
Sonia sat slumped in a velvet armchair, her face a mask of pale, frozen disbelief. The wine glass in her hand was dangerously tilted, a dark red stain already blooming on the expensive rug at her feet. She didn't seem to notice.
"He lied for her," Sonia whispered,
