Be my guest

Signoral leaned back in her chair, her gaze locked on her phone. Calista should have called by now. Or perhaps Ranya. One of them should be groveling, begging her to release Mr. MacQuoid, while she seized her true prize—Ranya, all to herself.

That was the plan. It was why she revealed herself in the first place. She wanted Calista to know who was in control, to remind her that this time, Signoral held all the cards.

Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the leather armrest. It had been years since she felt this level of fury... Well, maybe that wasn’t true. Ever since she’d aligned herself with Calista, anger had become a near-constant companion, especially after that idiotic contract linking her to Ranya.

But, as always, she was winning. Calista would vanish for good this time, leaving no trace. And she would pay dearly for her meddling.

Her thoughts darkened as she remembered how her father had once intervened, costing him his livelihood. She had uprooted her life to monitor him,