Chapter 86
Chapter 86:
“You are the Oracle,” he murmured. “I’m just the temple guard p>
Liam sat in the back of the rental car, Seraphina sobbing in his lap.
“They were so mean!” she wailed. “They ruined my night! I wanted to dance p>
Liam stroked her hair mechanically. His mind was not on her. It was on Skye.
He saw her in the black dress. He saw the way she looked at Julian Vance. He saw the way Alistair Thorne touched her.
Jealousy was a corrosive acid in his gut.
“She planned it,” Liam muttered. “She invited you just to humiliate us p>
“She’s a witch!” Seraphina cried. “You have to punish her, Liam! Cut her off completely! Take the car! Take the jewelry p>
“I can’t!” Liam snapped. “The accounts are frozen! I have nothing to take p>
Seraphina sat up. Her tear-streaked face hardened. “Then hurt her. Make her hurt like I hurt p>
Liam looked at Seraphina. He saw the ugliness in her for the first time—the raw, naked malice.
But he was too weak to reject it. He was angry. He was humiliated. And he wanted someone to pay.
“I will,” Liam promised darkly. “I’ll make her regret ever leaving me p>
Back at the estate, Julian Vance was in his study. He was watching the security footage of the terrace.
He watched Alistair kiss Skye’s forehead.
He picked up a file on his desk. It was a dossier on Skye Sterling.
“Oracle Holdings,” Julian read aloud. “Smart girl p>
He picked up his phone.
“Ethan,” he said when his brother answered.
“Yeah, Jules p>
𝗥о𝗆а𝘯сe n𝘰vеls 𝗼𝘯 be𝗅n𝘰𝘃𝖾𝗅ѕ.𝗰o𝗆
“Your friend Skye,” Julian said. “Bring her to dinner next week. I have a business proposition p>
“Uh, okay. Does this mean you’re not mad about the fake invite p>
“On the contrary,” Julian smiled at the screen. “It was the most entertainment I’ve had in years p>
He hung up.
Skye Sterling wasn’t just a player in the game anymore. She was becoming the board. And Julian Vance loved a good game.
The wind picked up as Skye left the gala. She had insisted on taking a separate car back, telling Alistair she needed time to think. He had reluctantly agreed, but insisted that Felix remain close to monitor the perimeter.
Skye stood alone at the valet stand, wrapping her shawl against the chill. She watched Alistair’s car disappear down the long driveway. She felt a strange sense of vulnerability without him, but she needed this moment of solitude to process Julian Vance’s gaze.
A black sedan pulled up. It wasn’t a taxi. It wasn’t Felix.
It was the rental Liam had been driving earlier.
Liam had been waiting. He had dropped Seraphina at the emergency room for her “fainting spell” and circled back, lurking like a predator in the shadows of the valet stand, waiting for Alistair to leave.