Chapter 56 The Victor's Mistake

• Smoke curled into the night sky, thick and relentless, swallowing the stars.
• Madeline stood at the edge of the destruction she had created, the heat of the fires licking at her skin, but the burn she felt had nothing to do with the flames. This was victory. She could taste it, feel it in the air, in the hollow quiet that followed the downfall of a king.
• Ivan had nothing left. His empire, once untouchable, was crumbling at his feet. His men had scattered, his businesses lay in ruins, his control over the city slipping like sand through his fingers. She had done it. She had taken everything from him, piece by piece, until all that remained was the man himself.