I rose to my feet, Lady Beatrice's demand still ringing in my ears like the oppressive weight of a storm gathering on the horizon. She thought she'd laid down the final word, that her command would break me, shackle me permanently to the Ashford legacy. But as I reached the doorway, a thought bubbled up, fierce and defiant. I turned on my heel, casting one last glance over the silent assembly.
"Oh," I said, my voice echoing across the hall, drawing all eyes back to me. "Before I forget—" I paused, savoring the sharp attentiveness that rippled through the room, "—you all keep adding conditions, piling them on, as if you're the only ones in control. But you forget one simple truth." My gaze swept over them, lingering on Lady Beatrice and Alexander, whose half-lidded, smug expression faltered just slightly. "You need me more than I will ever need you."
Murmurs rustled through the room like dry leaves in the wind, unsettled and curious.
