Chapter 1 - The Shadow of the Rival
The voice belonged to Julian Vane,
the only man who had ever looked at Kalin Thorne and seen a coward,
not a king.
The room shifted,
like a tide receding from a jagged shore.
Julian walked through the crowd,
his presence heavy enough to dampen the sound of the rain against the glass.
He did not look at the cameras,
or the directors,
or the mistress still sobbing on the floor.
His eyes were locked on Kalin’s hand,
which was still buried in my hair.
"Release her,"
Julian said,
his voice like a low,
lethal vibration in the air.
Kalin’s jaw tightened,
his knuckles turning white as he gripped me harder for a fleeting second,
a reflex of possession.
"This is a private matter,
Vane,"
Kalin spat,
his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and genuine fear.
"Get out of my gala."
Julian didn’t stop until he was inches away,
towering over us both.
"It stopped being private when you invited the press to watch you assault your wife,"
Julian replied.
He reached out,
his hand moving with a speed that made the room gasp.
He didn't hit Kalin.
He simply wrapped his fingers around Kalin’s wrist and squeezed.
The pressure must have been immense,
because Kalin’s fingers flared open,
releasing my hair.
I stumbled back,
my knees burning from the glass,
my breath hitching in my chest.
Before I could fall,
Julian stepped behind me.
He shed his heavy,
charcoal overcoat in one fluid motion and draped it over my shoulders.
The fabric was warm,
smelling of cedar and something clean,
shielding my torn dress and my shame from the hungry lenses of the paparazzi.
"Are you hurt,
Saraphina?"
he asked,
not looking at the crowd,
but only at me.
I couldn't speak.
I could only nod,
clutching the lapels of his coat as if it were the only thing keeping me on this earth.
Tamson,
seeing her audience waver,
let out another theatrical wail.
"She pushed me!
Julian,
she’s insane!"
Julian finally looked at her,
his expression one of pure,
unfiltered disgust.
"I’ve been standing on the balcony for twenty minutes,
Tamson,"
he said,
each word sharp enough to draw blood.
"I saw you trip yourself.
I saw you pour the wine.
And I have the security feed from my own team currently uploading to the cloud."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kalin’s face drained of color,
turning a sickly shade of grey.
"You’re lying,"
Kalin hissed,
though the lack of conviction was obvious to everyone in the room.
"I’m many things,
Kalin,"
Julian said,
taking my arm and gently pulling me toward the exit.
"But I am never unprepared.
Tonight,
May you like
your empire doesn't just crumble.
It burns."
