The air was thick with anticipation, each second dragging on as if time itself was holding its breath. The estate, once a quiet sanctuary, now felt like a battlefield, and I was standing at its center. Damien stood beside me, his eyes never leaving Victor, who was standing just a few feet away, his smirk so wide that it barely seemed real.
Victor had always been a master manipulator, a man who could twist people's minds with nothing more than a few well-placed words. But today, I wasn't afraid. Not anymore. Not when everything we'd fought for was at stake.
"You've come far, Emilia," Victor said, his voice smooth, almost mocking. He paced slowly, his eyes flicking from Damien to me, as if he were inspecting us. "But this is where your story ends. All your efforts, all your schemes… they mean nothing now."
His words hung in the air, the weight of them pushing down on my chest. But I wasn't going to let him win. Not now. Not after everything we had been through.