At the annual Council banquet, I entered the ballroom on my brother's arm, my heels clicking on the floor.It was a complete departure from my former, demure style.Tonight, I wore a long black velvet gown.The form-fitting cut created a dangerous silhouette, and a high slit revealed the gun holster strapped to my thigh.For the past ten years, I had been nothing more than the smiling accessory on Killian Falcone's arm.But tonight, I was Seraphina Russo.The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in low murmurs.Countless gazes fell upon me, but the most searing one, without a doubt, was Killian's.He had lost weight. For once, he was alone, with no Clara, no flock of admirers.The moment he saw me, he gripped his glass so tightly his knuckles turned white.I didn't look at him.I held a glass of champagne and moved gracefully among the heads of the various families, making small talk and laughing.The auction began.This was just another kind of battlefield in high society.When
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