Chapter 444: The Game of Power

Christiana Blackwood – A Daughter's Defiance

I stood at the balcony, watching as the palace staff scrambled to deal with my father's extravagant display.

Luxury cars.

Diamonds.

A fortune wrapped in velvet-lined boxes.

It was so typical of him.

To appear after ten years and assume that throwing wealth at us would reestablish his dominance.

Classic had rejected his gifts outright. I wasn't surprised. My brother was too proud to accept anything that made him look dependent.

But me?

I played my cards differently.

I allowed the servants to bring everything into my chambers. Every box, every key, every silk-wrapped package.

Because unlike Classic, I knew something about strategy.

Chris wasn't just displaying wealth—he was testing us.

And if he thought I would give him the satisfaction of reacting impulsively, then he didn't know his daughter as well as he thought.

Let him think I accepted his gifts.

Let him believe I was still in his palm.

Because while he played his game, I was preparing my own.

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Ethan Carter – The King's Shadow

Chris sat at his desk, reading reports as if he hadn't just shattered a decade's worth of power shifts with a single reappearance.

He looked entirely at ease.

"Classic rejected the gifts," I reported, standing before him. "Christiana accepted them."

Chris smirked. "Of course, she did."

"She's not yielding," I warned. "She's watching. Calculating."

His smirk widened. "Good."

I exhaled. He wanted this.

He wanted to push them—to see how they would react, where their loyalties lay.

But this wasn't just a game. It was a war of control.

"What about Skylar?" he asked.

I hesitated. "She's resisting. She's making moves to secure her own power."

Chris let out a slow, amused chuckle. "Let her."

I frowned. "You're not concerned?"

He leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Ethan, I didn't come back to fight for my throne." His eyes darkened with something lethal. "I came back to take it."

And somehow, I knew—this was only the beginning.