Chapter 4

Thinking I was finally breaking down, Celeste’s eyes lit up with malicious glee.

"Julian, look! Is she crying?"

"I knew she couldn't keep up the tough girl act."

She pulled out her phone and aimed the camera straight at me.

"Come on, Victoria. Look into the lens and admit you were wrong."

"Just admit you aren't worthy of Julian, and I'll unlock the door."

I raised my head and locked eyes with her.

"Celeste, are you sure you want to keep pushing this?"

She paused, caught off guard, then sneered.

"You're in that state and you're still threatening me?"

"Victoria, you don't actually think you're still that fearsome corporate executive, do you?"

"Your power came from Julian."

"What he gives, he can take away."

I slowly straightened my spine.

"Then ask him if he still has the power to take anything from me."

Julian’s eyes darkened with irritation.

"Victoria, what is that supposed to mean?"

Through the sheet of water, I locked eyes with him.

"It means you'd better pray I walk out of here alive tonight."

"Because if I do, tomorrow won't be Montgomery Enterprises' engagement party. It will be your liquidation hearing."

The crowd laughed again, assuming I was grasping at straws.

Celeste nearly doubled over in amusement.

"A liquidation hearing? Who are you going to liquidate? The Montgomery family?"

"Has the cold water frozen your brain, Victoria?"

Julian’s face hardened completely.

"Enough."

He looked up at me, his voice dropping into a stern command.

"Victoria, stop overestimating your worth."

"Every project in your hands belongs to Montgomery Enterprises."

"Every connection you have was made through our platform."

"Without the Montgomery name, you are nothing."

I looked at him, and the very last ember of pain in my heart turned to ash.

"Fine."

"Julian, let's see tomorrow."

"Let's see who is truly nothing without whom."

Celeste despised the look in my eyes.

She wanted tears, she wanted desperate begging, she wanted me stripped of all dignity before the elite crowd.

Yet I gave her none of it.

The smug smile vanished from her face.

"Still playing tough, huh?"

She handed her umbrella to an attendant and walked over to the electronic control pad.

"Since you refuse to apologize, let's raise the stakes."

She slammed another button.

The motorized blackout shades surrounding the conservatory suddenly deployed. Heavy, impenetrable black fabric slowly rolled down, sealing off the transparent glass.

Light was extinguished. My breathing hitched instantly.

Enclosure.

Darkness.

The deafening roar of water.

All three horrors crashed down on my senses at once. My vision spun black.

Outside the closing seam, Celeste threw me one last venomous glance.

"Didn't you say you were going to liquidate us?"

"Go ahead."

"Try walking out of there first."

The shades shut completely, plunging the conservatory into pitch darkness.

Only a malfunctioning white strobe light on the ceiling flickered erratically.

Water continued to slam down, every drop echoing like the storm leaking through the collapsed warehouse beams of my childhood.

I could hear my mother’s voice in the dark.

*Victoria, keep crawling out.*

*Don't look back.*

I bit down hard on my lower lip until the metallic taste of blood burst in my mouth.

I cannot fall. Not here. Not tonight.

Outside, a crowd was waiting to laugh at my corpse.

Julian was waiting out there, waiting for me to break and crawl to his feet.

Groping through the darkness, I moved toward the corner.

There was a heavy wrought-iron planter stand used for floral displays.

Summoning every ounce of adrenaline left in my body, I hoisted the heavy iron stand and slammed it brutally against the glass door.

*Crack!*

The first blow only spider-webbed the surface.

Outside, gasps rippled through the onlookers.

Someone yelled, "Is she insane?!"

"That's reinforced safety glass! She can't break that!"

"Victoria, stop humiliating yourself! Just apologize and be done with it!"

I didn't stop.

A second blow.

A third.

The violent vibration jarred through my wrists. The skin between my thumbs and index fingers tore open, blood mixing with water and splattering onto the tiles.

The fractures spread rapidly across the pane.

Panic finally crept onto Celeste’s face outside.

She banged on the door frame, yelling, "Victoria, stop it!"

"If that glass shatters, you're going to get hurt!"

I let out a cold, breathless laugh.

"Now you care if I get hurt?"

Celeste turned pale and frantically looked back at Julian.

"Julian, she's actually trying to smash it!"

Julian stepped forward, scowling deeply.

"Victoria, stand down!"

"You're only making this more humiliating for yourself!"

I swung the iron stand with everything I had left.

With a deafening crash, a corner of the glass door gave way.

Freezing mountain air rushed in.

I lunged forward and kicked violently at the shattered opening.