he gala had been nothing short of a test-a spectacle that paraded her as a new piece of the Wyclif

tive warmth. Evelyn rose, slipping into a tailored dress as she prepare

tian was already seated in the dining room, reading the morning paper. His calm,

he greeted wit

ed, sliding into a s

he soft clinking of silverware. Evelyn's patience wor

y these game

brow arched. "What

room around them. "The constant pre

setting it aside. "You speak as i

owed. "Perhaps I n

er. "And yet, here you are. A willing p

s stung, and Evelyn h

by the restless energy that refused to subside. Her steps carried he

he'd never read, stories she'd never live. Her gaze fell on a section marked

its pages yellowed with age. As she flipped through it, she realized it wasn't a journal b

ucted web of power and control. Evelyn's stomach churned as she r

re you

k to her chest. Sebastian stood in th

off, knowing there was no ex

ements deliberate. He took the book from h

his voice low, "are no

ne, refusing to back down.

e that didn't reach his eyes. "Careful

lyn returned to her room, her mind racing with questions. The Wycliffe famil

from the night before. She picked it up again, read

than wealth and power. It carri

und the paper. Whoever had sen

d her, and she quickly tuck

n," she

's attendants. "Miss Laurent, Mr. Wycliffe

. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as she entered the room,

e said, her voice ste

ace her, his gaze sha

rms, leaning against

here," he

lace? What is that

"This isn't a game, Evelyn. If you're going to be part o

it entail?" s

nt before speaking. "Loya

"Strength? You m

, Evelyn. Strength means surviving in a world that

or a moment, Evelyn saw a flicker of something

ne, replaced by the cold, calc

s Laurent," he s

ever. Sebastian Wycliffe was a puzzle, and eve

o survive in his world, she needed to