Chapter 10 - THE UNTOUCHABLE QUEENSix months later.
The deck of The Halcyon cut through the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, heading toward the coast of Monaco under a breathtaking golden sunset.
The air was warm, smelling of salt water, pine, and freedom.
I sat at a teak table on the upper deck, laptop open, reviewing international shipping portfolios, wearing a simple white linen dress and oversized sunglasses.
My phone rested beside my coffee cup. It didn't buzz with panicked texts from a lying husband. It didn't ping with alerts about compromised bank accounts or stolen access codes.
It was completely, beautifully silent.
Footsteps sounded softly behind me. Miller stepped onto the deck, holding a silver tray with a fresh glass of sparkling lemonade.
"We're entering Monaco airspace in twenty minutes, Mrs. Pierce," Miller reported with a warm smile. "The local port authority has cleared our berth at the private pier."
"Thank you, Miller," I said, closing my laptop and taking the glass.
I leaned back in my chair, looking out across the endless golden expanse of the open sea where the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant shades of violet, crimson, and gold.
They had tried to gaslight me. They had tried to paint me as unstable, hysterical, and broken. They had tried to steal my mother's legacy and use my life as a stepping stone for their greed.
Instead, they had only awakened a queen who didn't need anyone to protect her.
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I took a slow sip of my lemonade, smiled at the horizon, and let the wind carry me forward into an empire that was entirely, permanently mine.
THE END
