Chapter 122

Raquel sat stiffly in the dim light of the office.

The air was thick with smoke from her cigarette, curling around her like a warning.

Across from her, Xavier leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, eyes sharp like knives.

The weight between them was heavy — heavier than the silence that had stretched too long.

“I still can’t believe you want to take the kids from Jade,” Raquel said quietly, voice barely above a whisper, but full of disbelief.

Xavier’s eyes didn’t move. “It’s not a bluff. But it depends on her, on whether she gives in.”

Raquel snorted, flicking ash onto the floor. “She’s stubborn as hell. Doesn’t want a cent from the empire. She calls it dirty. You know how she feels.”

Xavier’s jaw clenched. “Doesn’t matter how she feels. Those boys belong where they’ll be strong. Where they can be shaped into what they need to be. I won’t let her keep them from the future.”

“That future,” Raquel said, blowing smoke, “is the life she’s trying to escape. You’re dragging those ki