"If Grandmother believes this is the optimal course of action for the family, then... I won't object," Serena Montgomery whispered, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt with a nervous intensity. The weight of her lineage's expectation seemed to bow her shoulders as she looked around the opulent dining room of the Montgomery Estate.
Upon hearing this, a sharp, predatory smile broke across the face of Dame Beatrice. The elderly matriarch leaned back in her high-backed chair, the tension leaving her frame as she visualized the consolidation of power. Beside her, Preston Montgomery let out a breathy chuckle, his eyes gleaming with the triumph of a strategist whose gambit had finally paid off.
"I object!"
The voice rang out like a gunshot, shattering the celebratory atmosphere. Liam
