Chapter 20 - The Queen Checks Mate
Later that evening, the celebration moved to the Sterling penthouse. The city lights sparkled below like a sea of diamonds—real ones, this time.
Seraphina stood on the balcony, letting the cool wind wash over her. She thought, for a fleeting second, of Julian. He was currently serving year one of a twenty-year sentence. She thought of Beatrice, complaining to nurses in a state facility. She thought of Chloe, living in obscurity in a forgotten town.
They had tried to bury her. They didn't realize she was a seed.
Arthur wheeled himself out onto the balcony, a blanket draped over his lap.
"You did well, Sera," the old man said, looking out at the city they essentially owned. "The board is unanimous. They want you to assume the role of CEO permanently."
Seraphina smiled, turning her gaze away from the past and looking toward the glittering horizon.
"I accept," she said quietly.
May you like
She had walked into the lion's den as a lamb, endured their claws, and emerged as the dragon. The world no longer belonged to the arrogant men who wielded the whip. It belonged to the woman who signed the checks.
And she would never, ever let them forget it.
