“So, this is the girl who caused the collapse of a multi-billion dollar merger?”

The voice didn’t belong to a beast or a businessman; it belonged to a king. Silas Lancaster stood in the center of the Aldridge foyer, his presence so immense that even the vaulted ceilings seemed to shrink. He was older than Celeste had imagined, with a mane of silver hair and eyes that held the terrifying clarity of a man who had seen empires rise and fall. He didn’t look like Vivian. He didn’t have her frantic, desperate hunger for status. He had the calm, immovable weight of a mountain.

Emelia stood beside him, a triumphant,...