*Chapter 19: Shadows of Loyalty*
The ballroom was quiet long after the guests had left. The once-glamorous hall now echoed with the soft hum of cleaning machines and the click of Elena's heels as she walked through the aftermath of her orchestrated ambush. The scent of champagne still lingered in the air—sweet, deceptive, much like the night itself.
In a secured chamber beneath her estate—the "Black Room"—Sofia sat handcuffed to a chair, her once flawless makeup now smeared, her eyes wide with fear… or perhaps guilt.
Elena stood before the two-way mirror, watching her sister without a word.
Marco approached from behind. "She hasn't said much. No begging, no explanation."
"She's calculating," Elena said coldly. "Waiting to see if she still holds any value."
Marco hesitated. "You sure you want to be the one to handle this?"
"I *have* to be," Elena replied. "If I let someone else clean up this betrayal, what message would that send? That I can be undermined—even by blood?"
Marco didn't argue. He knew better.
***
Inside the room, Elena entered slowly. The door clicked shut behind her like the final beat of a death sentence.
"Was it worth it?" she asked.
Sofia lifted her head. "I didn't plan to betray you."
"But you did."
"I did what I thought was necessary to survive!" Sofia snapped. "You're playing a dangerous game, Elena. Every move you make puts a bigger target on your back. I just… I wanted a way out."
Elena walked forward, her eyes sharp. "You think I don't wake up every day wondering if it's my last? You think power is some gift I enjoy without cost?"
Silence hung between them like a blade.
"You had everything, Sofia. Protection. Respect. A seat beside me. And still… you sold me out to Lorenzo."
Sofia's lips trembled. "I was afraid."
"You should be now," Elena said darkly. "Because there are only two kinds of traitors in my world—those who die quickly… and those who die slowly."
***
Later that night, as rain poured over the estate, Marco found Elena alone in her study, staring at a photo of her and Sofia from years ago—back when their world was simpler.
"You didn't kill her," he said quietly.
Elena didn't look away from the photo. "No. But I sent her away. Far from here. If she ever sets foot in my city again… she won't walk out."
"That's merciful, for you."
"No, it's cruel," she whispered. "Because now she has to live knowing she lost everything. And she did it to herself."
***
Outside the city, a black SUV sped down a lonely highway. In the back seat, Sofia sat in silence, her wrists unbound but her future shackled. She stared at the darkness ahead—no longer part of Elena's empire, but forever marked by it.
The Queen had spared her life.
But took everything else.
*End of Chapter 19*
Let me know when you're ready for Chapter 20.