Chapter 2His Ruined Queen

The shadow of that memory washed over me again, cold and suffocating.

Before I could steady myself, Lana, still crying, shielded Cole with her body.

"Sloane! You think you can control everything, don't you? You're nothing but a broken toy, something everyone's already played with! What right does trash like you have to run the Blackwood family?"

The auction house was now dead silent.

I could hear the sharp intake of breaths from every corner.

Even Cole's face turned white with shock.

This was a Blackwood operation. Everyone here knew what my trigger was.

And this idiot, this girl, had just dared to pull it in front of everyone.

"Cole, I'm not afraid to die. If she has the guts, let her kill—"

Before she could finish the word, I put a bullet through her thigh.

If Cole hadn't moved at the last second, it would have been her head.

Lana nearly fainted from the pain, but she bit her lip, forcing herself to speak.

"Cole, don't worry about me. I'm not afraid to die for you, it’s just…"

She whispered something in his ear.

Cole’s breath hitched.

Without another glance at me, he lifted her into his arms and started for the exit.

The auction house security moved to block his path.

Cole had once been my father's greatest weapon; his skills were legendary. But holding Lana, he was outnumbered. It wasn't long before he was bruised and bleeding.

"Ma'am, that woman will be a plague upon you!" Arthur urged, his voice tight with concern.

I watched Cole, his eyes feral, a man transformed by rage.

And in his arms, the girl whose dress didn't even have a speck of dirt on it.

I blinked, my eyes dry and aching. A few tears escaped, tasting like bitter laughter.

Whatever last shred of hope I held for him vanished.

"Let them go."

My voice was flat. "And Arthur? Get me Kian Donovan on the phone. Tell him I accept his offer."

…

Cole didn't come back for three days.

During his absence, news trickled in from Northgate. Every man who had placed a bid on those photos at the auction had met with a… misfortune.

Cole was always unhinged. This didn't surprise me.

What did surprise me was that Lana still had the nerve to provoke me.

She sent a package to the Blackwood estate. Inside was a positive pregnancy test and photos of the bidders, beaten to a bloody pulp. A handwritten note oozed with triumph.

"Well, Sloane, what good is all your power now? You’re just the woman who had her womb scraped out. You can never have children."

"The baby in my belly is Cole’s only heir. Something you can’t get no matter how many gods you beg."

A laugh, sharp and brittle, escaped my lips.

I burned the package to ashes.

The next day, Cole stormed into the estate.

He kicked Arthur into the koi pond, his face contorted with a rage so pure it was murderous.

I waved a hand, and my men pulled Arthur out of the water.

"What's wrong? Tired of playing attack dog out on the streets?"

Cole’s face was a thundercloud. He threw a medical report onto the floor. It was a notice of miscarriage.

"Sloane, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

I just scoffed.

My dismissal seemed to shatter his restraint.

He grabbed my arm, dragged me to his car, and drove like a madman to the hospital.

Lana was in a private room, weeping as she clutched a pair of baby dolls.

"Because of you, Lana has fallen into a severe depression," Cole said, his voice dangerously low. "The doctors say if she can't get past this, she'll never recover."

"You are going to apologize to her."