"You can't even finish what you started. A coward as usual." Alexander taunted, his voice dripping with condescension. "Just like your weak whore of a mother and you claim yourself an Ashford?"
Sylus's jaw clenched, and a flicker of something dangerous crossed his face at Alexander's words. But he didn't respond, holding me even tighter, as if he could shield me from every twisted part of the Ashford legacy. His silence was a statement all on its own—a refusal to stoop to Alexander's level. Instead, he turned and carried me out, each step deliberate, as though he was walking away from the Ashfords altogether, carrying me toward something… different.