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My heart hammered against my ribs as we waited, Jakob at my side and the Elite at my back. I glanced at my watch again—she was late. It was a bad omen. I could feel it.
Without warning, the double doors flung open. Victoria strode in—an arrogant smirk upon her face and two guards in tow. Dressed in an elegant emerald gown with long sleeves and a plunging v-neckline, she stopped several yards in front of me.
“Victoria, thank you for coming,” I said in greeting.
Victoria looked around the room, boredom etched upon her features. “What is it, Mother? I have an event to attend and haven’t got time for your games today.”
“I’m worried, Victoria,” I started.
“Which is your default emotion.” She made a circling motion with her hand. “Get to the point.”
“I’m worried about our nation, and I’m worried about you. You’ve changed over the last year.”
She laughed, throwing her hands up. “Of course, I’ve changed. I’ve finally come into the powers I deserved to have years ago! I am in the process of getting everything I’ve always wanted.”
“You’ve hurt people.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Only those who deserved it. They hurt me first.”
I sighed. “That’s not how we do things. This stops now.”
Victoria’s gaze shot to mine, her jaw clenching. “You don’t control me anymore, Mother.”
“I control everyone. You are not yet the Magnate,” I told her, my hands clasped at my back.
“And what if I refuse?”
“That’s not an option. I won’t allow your behavior to continue.”
Victoria laughed. “What are you going to do, Mother? Lock me up?”
I glanced at Sara.
Victoria scoffed, running a hand through her long dark hair. “You really are doing this. I didn’t want to believe it.” She laughed again, but it was an exasperated sound. “You would do that? To me?” Pain etched Victoria’s features.
A lump rose in my throat; I swallowed hard. “It’s not like that. Anything I do is for your own good.”
There was an extended silence as we stared at one another. Victoria reached up and wiped a tear from her eye, causing a pang of hurt to shoot through my heart.
Why did I feel like the bad guy here?
“That’s what you’ve always said, isn’t it, Mother? That everything you’ve done was always for my own good. Well, you know what? That’s bullshit. I think you should admit that you never wanted defective, little me. You were embarrassed. You hid me from the world because you were appalled by your powerless daughter.”
“That’s not true, and I think you know it,” Jakob said softly.
She ignored her father and continued on. “Tell me. What are you going to do when I don’t allow myself to be put under your thumb again?” Her voice cracked on the last few words, impaling my heart with another spear of pain. No mother should ever have to do this.
I held my arms up, reaching out for her. “We just need time. Time to sit down and talk about things—without anything else getting in the way.”
“No.” Victoria backed away, crossing her arms. I watched as her expression of sadness and disbelief shifted into one of bitterness.
“I told you. Refusing isn’t an option anymore. Now, come with us quietly,” I stated, with more bravado than I felt.
“No,” she repeated, this time with added power.
I sighed again. “All right, we’re doing this the hard way.” I gestured to Sara. “Collect her, please.”
“Don’t come any closer!” she shouted at my guards. None of them listened, causing Victoria’s eyebrows to shoot up as she noted the lack of compliance around the room.
Victoria glanced over her shoulder at her own guards. “Don’t just stand there! Stop this!” she yelled. Icy magic saturated the room, and the two jumped into action—one stepping in front of Victoria while the other shot a long spray of flames our way. A wall of frozen water rose before us, cast by one of my own. The fire rolled to the ground and quickly fizzled, filling the room with steam. The wall of ice disappeared at once, evaporating back into the air.
Another of my elementals immediately blew the steam aside, clearing our view to Victoria—the remaining vapors continued to swirl about the edges of the ample space.
Sara made a hand signal, and four of the Elite launched forward. One struck the fire elemental on the side of his head, and he dropped instantly. The other was tackled to the floor and cuffed before the remaining guardians turned their sights upon my daughter.
“It’s not too late to come quietly, Victoria,” I added. Please—please—just do as I say.
Victoria was livid. I hadn’t seen her this angry since our fight at her wedding. Her fisted hands shook—her hair askew from the wind and steam.
“You will not control me!” she screamed.
Just then, the cry of a baby rang out. My heart sputtered, dropping to my stomach like a rock. Shocked, I looked over to see Randall, Isla’s father, and Victoria’s puppet, stepping into the room—my granddaughter in his arms.