Chapter 100

Vivian felt the bitter taste of blood rise in her throat, the shock of it taking her by surprise. Cassandra’s move had been swift too swift and now she was reeling. Her body trembled, not from fear, but from the kind of tremor that comes when ego shatters when everything you believed about your own invincibility crumbles before your eyes. Her hand went instinctively to her neck, fingers brushing against the blood staining her skin. It was real. Physical. A sharp reminder of just how far she had fallen in one decisive moment. Her thoughts spun, trying to grasp the absurdity of it all. How had she the formidable force in this room ended up on the ground, vulnerable, exposed?