"I cannot believe you, Anastasia Laurent!"
Caroline's shriek echoed through the grand corridors of the Laurent Estate as she grabbed Anastasia's wrist and yanked her straight into her old bedroom. The moment the door slammed behind them, she spun around, arms flailing in wild disbelief.
"Explain to me—no, scream it into my face—how you went from refusing to sign that devil's contract to married to Dante Alexander Montgomery in less than twenty-four hours!"
Anastasia didn't flinch. She just stood there, staring at Caroline with exhaustion painted across her features—her shoulders slouched, her skin pale under the soft lights of her old room.
"It was the only way," she said quietly. "I didn't do it just for me. I did it for my mother. For my grandfather. For your father too, Caroline. You know what was at stake."
