Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 730(@200wpm)___ 584(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Relief shines in his eyes as he looks down at me. “Thank fuck for that.”
The gasps get louder and louder and I pull out of his arms and look toward the crowd, only I didn’t come here to let them know that I was alive, I came here to fucking rule.
I walk across the front of the stage and up the small step leading to the casket, but I don’t dare stop. My heeled boot presses against the top of the casket and just as I go to step straight up onto it, Carver’s hand slips into mine, helping me up.
I turn to face the crowd, standing before them like the fucking bad bitch that I am, my dark red latex dress speaking volumes. “Who’s that?” I hear a kid in the front ask his mother.
The mother gasps, her eyes wide as I meet her horrified stare. “That’s … that’s Elodie Ravenwood.”
The kid screams, his high-pitched wail setting off every other kid in the cathedral, the sound bouncing off the high ceilings like a haunting echo. “GHOST!”
The screams and shrieks are horrendous as kids start bolting for their lives, while their parents sit in shock, staring at me as though they can’t believe what they’re seeing.
I can’t help but laugh as I watch the chaos unfold around me, but the laughter fades away as I find Ember Michaelson … or Harding, whichever the fuck she’s going by now, staring up at me in panic. Her gaze drops and she starts scrambling through her bag. I meet Carver’s stare. “Quick. Grab her before she gets a chance to tell Paris.”
He moves like lightning, flying down from the front of the church and quickly burying himself in the crowd. People move out of his way, knowing exactly what would happen if they tried to stop him. She tries to run, but she should know better when it comes to Dante Carver.
Ember is dragged out of the pew and brought to the front, away from the crowd as Grayson’s booming voice draws the crowd’s immediate attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, your leader, the very much alive, Elodie Ravenwood.”
Cheers holler around the cathedral as some remain sobbing, their emotions already too wound up to comprehend what’s happening right before their eyes. I give it a moment before raising my hands, asking for silence.
The room falls quiet and I notice the other heads of Dynasty discreetly moving away from their families to come and stand with me, making a show of support despite not knowing a damn thing that’s been going on, though I’m sure I’ll be hearing all about their disappointment in that as soon as this is over.
Grayson moves away from the dais and stands by Carver’s side as both King and Cruz move to my other side, the whole council and my boys creating a strong, united front, showing the whole community that we are stronger than ever before.
“You have no idea how grateful I am to be standing here before you today, though odd as it may be, I’m glad that I have this opportunity to share some truths with you all.” I meet King’s stare and he gives me a proud nod of encouragement and that one small gesture has my chin raising even higher. “There have been many whispers over the past few months and I have come here to set the record straight. I am sure by now that you have all heard of my mother, London Ravenwood, heard of the stories, her brilliance, courage, and beauty, but what some of you don’t know is that my mother was a twin.”
Gasps are heard all around but I don’t let that deter my speech. I’m on a roll and it’s going to stay that way. “Paris Moustaff is my aunt and she is everything that my mother wasn’t. She’s jealous, bitter, and has a dark heart. It was her involvement that saw my parents murdered, and it has been by her hand that I spent years jumping from foster home to foster home. She has followed me my whole life, inserting herself into my world, waiting for the right moment to strike. It was her intention to fool us all. She had planned on stealing my mother’s identity and ending my life, to slot straight into the role that my mother left behind. She inserted people into my life,” I say, pointing out Ember. “But every single one of her plans have failed, until recently. Paris kidnapped seven of our children and the price of their safe return was my death.”
The gasps continue, like a chorus of shock. People stand in outrage while others just watch on in confusion. “I was prepared to hand myself over. I had the gun, loaded and ready, but we were not going to give in that easily. My death was faked. The King’s cabin up in the woods was blown up and I along with it. Dante Carver and I went into hiding while the incredibly talented men of Dynasty found our kidnapped children and brought them home safely, but during the raid, Paris was not found, meaning our people are no longer safe. Paris will stop at nothing. She is responsible for multiple attacks and she will not get away with it.”