The room went still. The kind of still that hummed under your skin and made your pulse sound too loud. Thomas Fox stood at the head of the table like a man delivering the word of God, his voice low but carrying. "The Fox-Harrigan alliance will restore stability," he said. "It's the natural next step. Two dynasties, one future." He wasn't talking about love. He was talking about power, property, headlines. A merger disguised as a marriage, and I was the disposable plot twist in between.
My fingers tightened around my wine glass just to stop them from shaking. I could feel Mabel's eyes on me, a slow, satisfied burn that said she'd already known this would happen. She sat straighter, chin high, every inch the heiress reclaiming her throne. I wanted to throw my champagne in her face. Or m
