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what’s going to happen to me.”
    “It can’t be helped.” He knelt in front of me, his eyes pleading. “All I can tell you is that once I’m Sovereign, I’ll make it all up to you.”
    “Just let me go.” I ran my fingertips down his chiseled jaw, the stubble sharp and thick. “You could let me leave. Or we could leave together.”
    “No, Stella. You don’t know what you’re asking me. When I’m Sovereign, I can give you anything you want. Anything you’ve ever dreamed about. These trials will just be some hazy memory when we’re flying on our private jet or vacationing in the Maldives or having tea with the fucking royal family. Don’t you see? If I lose, then all of that’s gone. The Vinemonts will spend another ten years under someone else’s thumb. Someone who may be even worse than Cal. Stella, look at me. We can do this.” His face appeared almost boyish in its earnestness.
    I laughed, the sound cold even to my ears. “Now it’s a team sport? ‘We’? Are you going to watch as your friends rape me? Hold me down? Cheer them on? Keep count? Gag me to cover my screams? Will all of that be a hazy dream to you once you’re Sovereign?”
    He rose, towering over me. “I will do what I have to do to become Sovereign. It’s the right play, Stella. You’ll see.”
    Turning his back, he strode away with renewed purpose, as if our chat about my defilement put his head back in the game. “Be ready to leave in half an hour.”
    My chin dropped to my chest as he closed the door. Lucius had made up his mind, just like Vinemont, to win at all costs. To them, the value of being Sovereign outweighed my well-being, my freedom, my everything. I stood and dropped the duvet before going to the shutters and throwing them open.
    The fields of sugar cane waved in the light breeze as the sun blazed down. The rays were painful, sharp, and unrelenting, but the sugar cane soaked up the punishment and grew stronger, sweeter—more valuable. Every moment under the oppressive heat was a gift, a dose of life when there would otherwise be none. Surviving and thriving.
    Was strength always born of fire, of torment? I nodded at the silent question. I would have to suffer to survive. But I would come out the other side. And when I did, I would burn the entire Acquisition to the ground.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Stella
     
     
     
    The jet ride lasted a few hours, the sun already fading from the sky as we neared land. The dark waters of the Gulf retreated and a twinkle of lights sprouted along the horizon. New Orleans was ablaze, the city vibrant even from the air.
    Neither Vinemont nor Lucius spoke to me or each other as they piloted the plane from the open cockpit. Despite the lack of words, the animosity between the brothers had grown into something almost palpable. It swirled around the cabin, making every moment strained. I smiled and relaxed back into my seat, enjoying the tension in both of their backs as they sat at the controls in front of me. Maybe tearing them apart wouldn’t be as difficult as I’d first imagined.
    We landed at a private airfield outside the city and taxied over to a hangar. A driver waited out front next to a black limo. Once we came to a stop, Lucius stood and opened the hatch, letting the stairs down so we could exit. He held his hand out for me.
    “Don’t touch her,” Vinemont growled.
    “Fuck off.” Lucius didn’t waver.
    I took his hand and stepped down, glad to be out of the tight cabin. The weather was chilly for Louisiana; winter was in full swing despite the high, bright sun.
    The driver greeted me with a smile and opened the back door. I slid in as he went to help gather the bags and other items from the plane’s storage hatch. The car was running, and Christmas music was playing low on the radio. I almost laughed. Merry Christmas to me . Gallows humor had taken on a particular relevance for me in the past few months.
    Even though I was here for the Acquisition trial, I was still glad