er. Its reflective glass glistened in the afternoon sun, ca

on my shoulders. The world I'd run from was now draggi

the horns of impatient taxis and chatter

power were intertwined in ways that crushed those unworthy be

y. Angus was waiting, as expected. He wore the same expre

is time, though, he wasn't wearing his overcoat. He didn't ne

countdown to my execution. By the time the doors slid open, revealing the

-sleek, minimalist, and designed to intim

han the average person made in a lifetime, and the floor-

It was a battlefield, one where ever

e skyline. She was every bit the queen of this kingdom, control

had arrived. Angus announced my pr

like silk dragged over shards of

one was enough to command the room. I stepped in, the weight o

ver my form, assessing, measuring. It felt like she was

moved toward a leather armchair, gesturing

voice betraying the frustration I'd been bottling up. The re

warmth in it. It was the kind of smile that knew too m

. His death leaves a void, Adrian. And nature-

, power was either held or taken. And w

drink made it clear: she wasn't going to le

r glass. The ice clinked softly, the only sound between us fo

ut harsh, a confession of the years I'd spe

h something that could have

hat you want, Adrian. It's about survival. Without

down with a delicate

u. Questioning if you have the strength to lead. And withou

ink I'm the solution?" She didn't flinch.

ur world, that carries weight. But make no mis

e, another layer of her disarming presence. "You wil

er. They'll size you up, challenge you. If you don't p

est. It was suffocating, the way everything was being laid o

and final. "If you don't take control, A

t, telling myself I could stay hidden in the shadows. But there was no e

shut behind me. The Manhattan skyline stretched out be