The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 454

Chapter 454 New Heirs Announced

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The proclamation detonated through the hall like a silent firework; murmurs swelled into a collective gasp.

For years, society had whispered that childless Everett might leave the vast Fane fortune to Arlene’s offspring, but rumor was still rumor. Hearing the words spoken aloud felt like watching a locked vault swing open.

At that moment, Rowan and Quinn appeared at the top of the grand staircase, arm in arm, descending with unhurried grace as though every step were choreographed by destiny itself.

All eyes pivoted upward, conversations dying mid–sentence.

Rowan wore a black tuxedo, white shirt, and a midnight–blue tie. The cut of the suit and the unmistakable Fane features proclaimed his lineage more loudly than any speech.

Once branded an illegitimate shadow, he now strode into the light as the rightful heir.

Quinn’s silver gown clung like moonlight; her hair was swept into a purposeful chignon, revealing high cheekbones and steady eyes that blended elegance with battlefield resolve. She radiated a quiet authority, as though storms were merely lessons she had already mastered.

Most of the elites had met Rowan over the past three years, and his appearance no longer surprised them.

Quinn, however, was a revelation.

They had heard she came from an ordinary Azanian household, yet the authority in her bearing eclipsed many daughters of powerful clans.

She moved like someone who had already charted rough seas; lavish wealth and gathered nobility clearly failed to intimidate her.

“Quinn Bridger,” she said, offering only the name–no titles, no apologies.

The simplicity struck harder than any pedigree recitation; it told the room she defined herself.

In a shadowed corner, Julius watched her with unblinking focus, every movement committed to his formidable memory. The woman he admired needed no protection; occasions like this were her natural terrain.

The city’s luminaries surged forward, eager to greet the newly christened heirs, each handshake an unspoken bid for favor.

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Chapter 454 New Heirs Announced

On the periphery, cadet branches of the Fane family exchanged tight–lipped glances, resentment flickering like static beneath polished smiles.

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They had walked into the banquet believing there would be plenty to carve up, that when the night ended, they would cach carry home a shining share of tomorrow. Instead, every path slammed shut, hope fluttering out like a candle the moment the doors closed again.

After circling the room with a practiced smile, Quinn finally caught sight of Julius. He leaned against a shadow–kissed column, the chandelier’s glow etching pale gold along the edge of his perfectly tailored jacket.

“Word is you were a nobody back in Azania.” A sharp voice rang out just as Quinn was about to approach Julius. “Feels nice, doesn’t it, leaping straight to the clouds? Just try not to disgrace the Fane name while you’re at it.”

Quinn lifted her gaze. Blocking her path stood a young woman whose features mirrored Serena’s so closely they might have been cast from the same mold–only this face carried far less warmth.

Quinn’s memory flicked to the Fane personnel files she had reviewed; that same face had stared out from a grainy photograph tucked near the end.

Jacqueline Fane, Serena’s younger sister, a collateral branch member forever circling the family’s blazing core.

“So you think this is what leaping through the clouds looks like?” Quinn asked, her tone calm enough to draw frost on the rim of her glass. “If that’s the limit of your vision, I almost pity you.”

“Vision?” Jacqueline laughed, the sound brittle. “You’re a divorcée whose ex–husband is drowning in bankruptcy and lawsuits. You latch on to us the moment we look prosperous, then leave him to rot. A gold–digging climber like you shouldn’t preach perspective.”

The cluster of socialites flanking Jacqueline broke into cruel, delighted giggles, as though someone had uncorked a bottle of spite and passed it around.

“Becoming the Fane heiress isn’t half that easy!”

“Does she really think a woman with zero ability can keep that throne?”

“Give it time–she’ll turn the whole city into a circus and drag the Fane household into the ring beside her!”

Quinn let the mockery roll over her. From the corner of her eye, she spotted several gray- templed uncles from the family’s collateral branch, all watching with patient interest. So this is

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Chapter 454 New Heirs Announced

their test, she realized.

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