Chapter 14
I went to Damian’s house before sunrise.
No army.
Thomas and Victor only.
Damian sat in the breakfast room as if he expected us.
The arrogance almost impressed me.
I placed Sofia’s maid collar on his table.
“Explain.”
He looked at it.
Then me.
“I didn’t order that.”
I believed him.
That surprised me.
Victor did too.
“Then who?”
Damian’s expression hardened.
“Nolan acts dramatically.”
Convenient.
Maybe true.
I leaned forward.
“You built men like Nolan.”
“No.”
“You taught them Sofia represents disorder.”
Silence.
“You taught them Evelyn contaminated the family.”
Silence.
“You taught them restoring hierarchy mattered more than a child feeling safe in her own bed.”
His jaw tightened.
“Words are not orders.”
“No.”
I sat back.
“But leaders are responsible for what their ideas make ordinary.”
That landed.
Victor looked at him.
“So was our father.”
Damian turned.
Victor continued.
“He told people my mother was beneath him. Then acted surprised when everyone treated us like a secret.”
Damian said nothing.
I looked at my uncle.
“This ends now.”
He almost smiled.
“You can remove me from council. You cannot remove what people believe.”
“Correct.”
That was not what he expected.
“So I won’t try.”
His smile faded.
“I’ll change what belief earns.”
Silence.
“Anyone who treats Sofia as lesser loses access to my house.”
I counted with one finger.
“Anyone who uses service blood as insult loses rank around my family.”
Second.
“Anyone who drags children into succession loses my trust.”
Third.
“And anyone who invokes my father to restore something he ended gets corrected publicly.”
Damian stared.
“You’ll fracture Vaughn.”
“No.”
I stood.
“I’ll force people to choose whether they serve the organization or your nostalgia.”
Victor smiled faintly.
That was the right distinction.
Before leaving, Damian spoke.
“Alexander.”
I turned.
“For all your confidence, Sofia will one day resent being unprepared.”
Maybe.
Parenting has no guarantees.
I answered honestly.
“She may resent me for plenty.”
Then I looked at him.
May you like
“But she will never have to wonder whether I loved power more than her dignity.”
For the first time, Damian had no response.
