Chapter 81

When I finally stopped, the silence in the room thickened. I could feel my heart racing, the adrenaline still humming in my veins from the strength of my own determination. I waited, watching him, uncertain how he’d react.

Then, slowly, something shifted in his expression. A smile began to curve his lips—not just any smile, but one that held a certain weight behind it. It wasn’t the usual smirk he wore when he was amused or pleased with himself. No, this smile was different. It was a smile of approval, of pride. There was something almost darkly encouraging about it, like he was silently acknowledging the fire in me, the resolve that matched his own ruthless ambition.

For a brief moment, I saw a glimmer of respect in his eyes, as if he was proud of what I’d become, proud that I was no longer the frightened girl who could be easily swayed or intimidated. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but that smile told me everything. I’d proven something to him in that moment—that I could be jus