MasukVictor's POV
I had already met Elara twice before that afternoon in the garden.
Selene's POV Sapphire closed the door behind us."Three days of work," she said.I looked at the table. Then I looked at the walls. Then I looked at the table again.It was buried. Not stacked neatly, not modestly organised, but completely buried under files and print
Selene's POV I was exhausted down to my bones by the time I left the castle.The argument with Ethan had wrung something out of me that the quiet of my room afterward had not been able to put back. I lay there for a while in the dark, staring at the ceiling, but the room was too still and no amount of lying quietly in it was going to change that.I thought about Eli. About the sound of his laughter and the way he r
Victor's POV I gave the order with the kind of calm that came from having already decided and having no interest in being talked out of it."Prepare for the banquet," I said. "We are attending."The silence that followed was the kind that forms when a room full of people has received information they were not expecting and is trying to decide how to respond to it without overstepping.
Selene's POV Ethan looked at me, his jaw tight. He said nothing."Good," I said. "Then listen to me."I stood up and I did not raise my voice because I did not need to. The quieter I spoke right now, the more clearly he would hear every word."Let me tell you what Mel
Selene's POV Ethan's calls started coming in twenty minutes later. One after another, spaced just far enough apart that he was clearly trying to appear calm rather than rattled. I let every single one ring out without answering because I had nothing to say to him over the phone. Whatever needed to be said between us was going to be said with both of us in the same room.When night had properly fallen and I had cle
Selene's POV Suddenly, Melissa straightened her shoulders and something changed in her expression. Like a new kind of energy moved in where the grief had been sitting, the brightness of a person who has been turning something over in their mind and has finally arrived at a plan they feel good about.I recognised that look. And honestly, it made me slightly nervous."I have been thinking," she started.
Vanessa's POV I was still struggling to catch my breath.My hands were shaking, and my heels kept clicking too fast against the marble floor as the guards dragged us down the hallway. Camilla stayed quiet beside me, her face pale and her eyes wide like she was about to pass out.Heck, my chest bur
Victor's POV The drive to the banquet felt longer than it should have. I sat stiff in the back seat, fingers tapping against my knee, my jaw clenched the whole time. As we got closer to the venue, my chest felt increasingly heavy.I couldn't shake the image of Selene being there. Looking beautifu
Selene's POVVanessa scoffed like I had just said something stupid. “That’s all you can say? Really? You should be on your knees right now, begging for forgiveness.”Her voice echoed through the hall. It wasn’t loud, but it was sharp, full of hate, and it cut through the music. In that moment, peo
Selene's POV It was strange how quickly the whispers started. Spreading like wildfire, moving from mouth to mouth.“Why is Prince Ethan trying to defend that thief?”“Could it be… is that girl his lover?”“Oh goddess… I think she's his mistress.”The words stung. I could feel them crawling on my s







