Where the Storm Made a Queen

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Weren't you so sharp-tongued during the last board meeting with Director Thorne?"

A wave of snickering rippled through the crowd.

Caleb stood there, arms crossed, watching me with cold detachment, as if I were nothing more than a hysterical fool.

"That's enough. Stop embarrassing yourself."

He grabbed the belt of my trench coat and began dragging me toward the cabin door.

"Go cool off outside. We'll talk when the snow lets up. Otherwise, you'll just keep making a scene and embarrassing all of us."

"Outside… It's a blizzard out there…" I clutched his sleeve, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

He yanked his arm away. The metal edge of his watch scraped my skin, leaving a cold, sharp sting.

"Stop the act. How long are you going to play the victim? You think I can't see right through you? I'm not one of your fawning subordinates. I won't go easy on you just because you're pretending to be sick."

With a groan of protesting wood, he pulled open the door, shoved me out, and bolted it behind me, trapping me in the heart of the raging storm.

Their voices drifted from the cabin. Caleb laughed as he handed Sienna a mug of hot cocoa.

"Don't mind her. She's been on that high horse for so long, does she really think the Vaughn Group would collapse without her?"

"Caleb, will she be okay? I heard these blizzards are incredibly dangerous…" Sienna's voice dripped with saccharine concern.

"What could happen? She once did a week's worth of work for an entire project team in three days. What's a little snow to her?"

I curled up under the eaves of the porch, too weak to even shiver. The ice and snow whipped at my face and neck like a thousand tiny razors. Earlier, I'd gotten a small flask of whiskey from a guide, along with a personal locator beacon for emergencies. The flask was just a few feet away, near the door.

But I didn't have the strength to even lift my hand.

The searing pain made my body convulse, and my vision dimmed. Inside, not a single soul cared if I lived or died.

After what felt like an eternity, a pair of expensive snow boots stopped in front of me. It was Sienna.

She dangled the USB drive in front of my face, her expression a mask of pure indifference.

She crouched down, a triumphant smile twisting her lips, her voice a low, venomous whisper.

"My dear Chief Architect, did you know? Caleb's been wanting to break off the engagement for a long time."

I stared at her, my eyes wide, wanting to curse her, but only a faint, rattling hiss escaped my throat.

Sienna's smile widened.

"He said the very sight of you disgusts him. If it weren't for the investments your family could bring, he never would have proposed to a headstrong, boring woman like you."

Seeing the smugness radiating from her, I wanted nothing more than to claw that hypocritical mask from her face. But on the verge of freezing to death, I couldn't so much as twitch a finger.

She suddenly produced a small knife from her boot and slashed open the sleeve of my coat. This was a limited-edition goose-down coat, a gift from my father, rated for polar expeditions. Now, a long gash split it open, and the icy wind and snow bit directly into my skin.

My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges. With the last ounce of strength I had, I threw myself against the wooden door, stumbling inside.

"Are you insane? That was my last layer of warmth! People die of hypothermia in blizzards!" I shrieked, my voice raw and cracking as the sudden warmth of the cabin hit me.

Caleb and the others were laughing by the fireplace. Hearing the commotion, he stalked over, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

Sienna's eyes immediately welled with tears as she scurried to hide behind Caleb.