Calculated Defiance

Valerie’s POV

“How dare you walk out of a dinner with the royal family?” King Maverick’s furious voice cut through the massive dining room.

His tone hit me like a physical blow, freezing my boots to the marble floor near the towering mahogany doors. The weight of judgmental stares pressed against my back, dark and suffocating. The sudden silence that followed his outburst was deafening. The soft