Chapter 33 - A QUESTION OF PROTECTION

The room was cold again, the residue of my father's toxic presence slowly dissipating. The adrenaline from the confrontation with Sebastian still hummed beneath my skin, a potent reminder that my war was not only against Derrick but against the entire, rigid hierarchy of the Blackwood name. My father's command to 'stand down' had only cemented my resolve. The arrogance of it was a bitter, familiar taste, the expectation that I would simply pause the meticulous execution of my revenge because it momentarily inconvenienced his financial stability. He had fundamentally misunderstood the nature of my imprisonment, mistaking it for punishment rather than preparation.