Her eyes shifted to the others. Daemon, Gage, Archivalt, and Ace, they all looked the same. Calm. Expectant. As though this decision required no discussion at all.

Did they truly understand what they were doing?

This wasn’t a simple gesture. This was access to power, something that represented the entirety of their family’s standing. And yet, they were handing it to her without pause, without condition, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then, from the corner of her vision, she caught Ophelia’s gaze.

Sharp. Burning. Filled with hatred that she no longer bothered to hide. And Ashley couldn’t even bring herself to resent it. Anyone who understood what that card meant would react the same way.

"Take it, Ash," Apollo said lightly. "Buy whatever you want."

The words only deepened the tension.

Because for Ophelia, this wasn’t just generosity, it was a shift in position. Yes, she would still go shopping with Apollo, still have his company, but that no longer mattered the way it once would have.

The card changed everything. It was a symbol, a declaration of trust and status, and it had been placed in Ashley’s hands without hesitation.

The very thing Ophelia had wanted for so long, to use that card, to display her place beside them, to make it clear where she stood, had been given to someone else instead.

And that realization burned.

Ophelia had asked for that card before, more than once. At first, it had been a careful request, then a hopeful plea, until it turned into something almost desperate.

She had even lowered herself enough to ask to borrow it for just an hour, just long enough to use it in front of her socialite circle. Because among them, everyone knew the truth that she wasn’t a Gildenvale by blood.

She was adopted. And no matter how politely they smiled to her face, she could feel the judgment behind their eyes, hear the whispers that followed her back.

She had wanted that card not for its power alone, but for what it represented.

It was proof.

Proof that she belonged. Proof that she had a place in the Gildenvale family, no matter what others said. She had imagined holding it, presenting it casually, letting those same people choke on their assumptions when they realized exactly where she stood.

But Apollo had never given it to her.

Not once.

And yet now, Ashley, who had only just returned, who had barely taken her place at the table, was handed that very same card without hesitation, without question, as if it meant nothing at all.

For the first time, Ophelia felt it clearly, the line drawn between them. A difference she could no longer ignore, no longer pretend didn’t exist. Was it because Ashley was the real sister?

The thought festered, turning sharp, bitter.

Resentment rose, not only toward Ashley but toward the brothers themselves. Toward the way they had denied her, then given so freely to someone else.

Toward the quiet, undeniable realization that no matter how long she had stayed, no matter how much she had tried, there were things she would never be allowed to claim.

And that was something she couldn’t accept.

The resentment that had been building finally spilled over, burning away what little restraint Ophelia had left. She didn’t pause, didn’t weigh her words; she simply spoke, driven by the sharp edge of jealousy twisting inside her.

"Brother... don’t you think that’s unfair?"

Her voice trembled, fragile enough to sound on the verge of breaking. "I’ve asked you before, so many times, to let me use the Black Dragon card, and you always refused."

Her fingers tightened at her sides as she struggled to keep her composure, a faint, unsteady breath slipping past her lips. "And yet... this girl, who just arrived out of nowhere, gets to use it on her very first day?"

A soft hitch followed her words, almost like a suppressed sob, as if the injustice she felt was too much to contain.

Apollo felt his temple throb the moment Ophelia’s words settled in. She wasn’t entirely wrong; there was a logic to her complaint, but that didn’t make the situation simple. Because no matter how it sounded, he couldn’t treat her and Ashley the same.

Because they were not the same.

Ashley was his blood. His sister, lost for nearly two decades, had spent her life during those years an unknown he could neither account for nor make up for.

Whether she had suffered, struggled, or endured things he could only imagine, he and his brothers had not been there. And that absence carried weight. A debt, of sorts.

Ophelia, on the other hand, was different.

He had taken her in, yes. Protected her, provided for her, even indulged her at times, but that had always been within reason. His care for her came from a promise, from a debt of gratitude for what they had once done for him.

It was never meant to blur into something equal to blood. There were boundaries, whether she accepted them or not.

And the Black Dragon card was one of them.

It wasn’t just an object, nor a convenience to be passed around. It was a symbol, a declaration of the Gildenvale family’s standing, their power, their wealth.

Whoever held it carried not only access to their resources but the weight of their name in the eyes of the world. It wasn’t something that could be lent lightly, not without consequence.

Not even his own brothers had been given the chance to use it freely. Daemon, Archivalt, Gage, and Ace, none of them had ever held it. Even Aunt Lavinia had never touched it.

Only he, as the head of the family, wielded it, and even then, with restraint. To flaunt it carelessly would invite attention, envy, and the kind of scrutiny that could turn dangerous. As a towering tree in a forest inevitably drew those who wished to cut it down.

And that was exactly why he had refused Ophelia, time and again.

But Ashley...

That was a different matter altogether.

"Ophelia, be reasonable..."

Apollo’s voice came out low and measured, edged with restraint as he pressed his fingers against his temple, slowly massaging away the beginnings of a headache. The weight of the situation settled heavily on him, and for a moment, it showed in the tightness of his expression.

______

It’s been a while, everyone! I’m excited to share my new book, "The Return of the Fallen Luna: Rise of the Heiress." It starts off a bit slow, but stay with it, there are plenty of twists and turns waiting ahead.

I also have some great news: my other book, "The Alpha’s Regret: Return of the Betrayed Luna," is getting an audio drama adaptation! It will be released on Kokoro Audio (kokoroaudio.com), and you can already check out a sample on their Instagram page. The first volume drops on April 30, 2026, and I truly hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who’s been supporting my current work. It really means a lot, and I hope the story resonates with you. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.

And thank you for the Golden Tickets and all the little gifts. Your support keeps me going and inspires me to write more.