After Rejection, she crawled to my feet for forgiveness

Chapter 76

The air within the Black Spire's command center was heavy, filled with the scent of stale coffee, rust, and desperation. The room itself was a fortress of cold stone walls, their surfaces pitted and scarred from decades of neglect. Flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow that danced at the edges, making shadows dart across the floor. Reports and timetables and rosters of prisoners littered Bethany's desk—each a reminder of the chaos engulfing her world. The Black Spire, Valkoria's darkest dungeon, was no longer hers to command. Drake's regime had seen to that.

Bethany crouched over her desk, her hands laced together to prevent them from trembling. Her uniform, once stiff and proud, hung loosely on her frame, dark blue cloth creased from too many late nights. Her brown hair was pulled back tightly into a bun, but there were loose strands that had escaped, outlining her face like the cracks in a dam that is about to explode. Her own sharp, gray eyes w