Chapter 29: Not Enough

Charlotte called upon Mr. Beaumont for assistance, her fingers deftly pocketing a shard of porcelain, her gaze as hollow as the echo of a ghostly cathedral. "If he can't save Annie, at least he can salvage the justice I'm seeking in her name." She knew gratitude should have filled her heart; Mr. Beaumont had not only taken Annie under his protective wing but had also nurtured her with a kindness that both Annie and she should have been forever thankful for. Yet, the bitterness lingered, unbidden. Her Annie was gone. The Beaumonts, stewards of a vast empire, had turned a blind eye as Chloe's taunts grew into torments, culminating in the unthinkable – Annie's life extinguished by Chloe's hand! An innocent girl. Drowned in cold indifference. "Pass the word to Mr. Beaumont," she declared with a resolve forged in the fires of her loss, "the steps he hesitates to take due to blood ties and social standing, I will stride without faltering." "I shall be his avenging spear, the blade in