Chapter 40 - The Unseen Throne
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It was late evening when the rain began to fall softly over the estate.
I stood alone on the wide stone balcony of my master suite on the second floor, looking out over the glowing lights of the city in the distance. I held a glass of red wine in my right hand, listening to the soothing sound of rain pattering against the glass canopy above.
Cooper sat faithfully by my feet, his chin resting on my leather shoe, content and peaceful.
I took a small sip of the vintage wine—the same vintage Brandon had used to drug me on our anniversary. But tonight, it tasted only of rich oak, black cherries, and sweet victory. I was no longer afraid of the dark. I was the dark.
Suddenly, my personal satellite phone—the encrypted device that only five people in the entire world had the number to—vibrated softly in my pocket.
I pulled out the sleek black phone. The caller ID displayed an unlisted, heavily encrypted international signal originating from Zurich, Switzerland.
My brows furrowed slightly. I tapped the screen and brought the phone to my ear.
"Emily Yates," I said, my voice cool and composed.
A woman's voice answered through the speaker. It was a voice I had never heard before—cultured, cold, carrying an aristocratic European accent that dripped with immense power and quiet danger.
"Good evening, Sovereign," the woman said smoothly. "I must congratulate you on your impressive victory over Marcus Kane and your foolish ex-husband. You played your father's hand remarkably well."
I gripped the phone tighter, my eyes narrowing as I looked out at the dark rain falling over the gardens. "Who is this?"
"My name is Victoria Sterling," the woman replied softly, her light chuckle sending a sudden chill down my spine. "I am the High Chair of the European Syndicate Council. I am calling to inform you, Miss Yates, that your late mother... Sarah... was not just a truck driver's wife."
My breath hitched in my throat. "What are you talking about?"
"Your mother was our Sovereign, Emily," Victoria Sterling whispered through the static. "And twenty-six years ago, your father stole her from us. Now that you've claimed your father's throne in America... it is time you claimed your mother's legacy in Europe."
The line went completely dead.
I slowly lowered the phone from my ear, staring out into the dark, rain-soaked night. The golden signet ring on my finger caught the light of the balcony lamps, gleaming cold and bright against the darkness.
I didn't panic. I didn't tremble.
A slow, dangerous smile crept across my lips as Cooper stood up beside me, growling softly into the shadows of the unknown horizon.
I took a deep sip of my wine, turned back toward
May you like
my warm room, and closed the balcony door behind me.
The game was far from over. It was only just beginning.
