Love's Ashes, Empire's Dawn

a wash of muted colors, mirroring the hollowness inside me. I hadn't slept. I had spent the night replaying Mark's annou

f my step-father's house. The air smelled of strong coffee and my step-father's cloying aftershave. He was s

his voice clipped.

d shaking slightly. The ceramic of the mug was smooth

hrewd. "The alliance with the Chens-with Isabelle's family-is a significant o

ce flat. I took a sip o

k, "we need to present a united front. A gesture of goodwill. You wil

y felt the sting. The Aura project was my baby. I had conceived it, nurtured it, spent the last two years of m

word was a s

, his gaze flicking to the mess on the floor with annoyance. "Her perspectiv

to be my father, and saw only a stranger making a cold, calculated transaction. There was no empathy in his eyes, n

and marched out of the kitchen, my bare feet leaving coffee-stained prints on the pristine white marble. I had to

den. He turned as I entered, and for a moment, his face was a mask of guilt.

g. "The Aura project. You can't let him do this. It's

y styled hair, a nervous gesture I knew so well. "Clara, it'

isbelief. "I've poured my soul into this for two years! Y

throwing a tantrum. "But things have changed. This is bigger than one p

loose end to be tied up and put away. The man who had always protected me was now the one holding t

placed by a chilling emptiness. "Two years of my work, my lif

ing at me. His eyes, the eyes I had loved for a deca

ft to say. The betrayal was absolute, a clean, deep cut th

and temporary, something on my desk caught my eye. A single sheet of paper

I picked it up. It

:**

** Isab

* Three

:** Strat

, my

limited in scope. By emphasizing my international experience, we can make it seem like a natural and necessary step for the project's global launch. Your father is already on board. The only remaining variable is Clara herself. We need to manage her sen

my

abe

.* They had been planning this for weeks. While I was dreaming of a future with him, he was conspiring with his new love to professi

ld, hard fury began to build. It started as a spark in my chest and grew into a raging inferno. They tho

were

e stark white business card. Julian T

, my bare feet silent on the plush carpet. I picked up my pho

g only

ar voice answered. No gr

, and vibrating with a rage

said. "I'm in. Wh

-