Flashback ( PDFDrive )

gleaming door made of braided silver, with the Vacker crest
emblazoned across the handle.
Fitz eased the door open silently—like they were sneaking in—as
he motioned for Sophie to follow him into a room that was way bigger
than what she’d been expecting. The space could easily fit hundreds of
people and still have room to spare—though they’d have nowhere to
sit. There wasn’t a single piece of furniture anywhere.
But the sparseness did nothing to dull the overall opulence. The
walls were a combination of crystal and mahogany panels, broken up
with teal curtains made from thick velvet. And the floor was made of
gold stamped with an elaborate swirling pattern. Massive chandeliers
dangled from the cathedral-height ceiling, casting flecks of rainbow
over everything.
“What is this place?” Sophie whispered, tiptoeing over to a giant
portrait of the five Vackers hanging above a fireplace big enough for
her to stand in.
“The reception hall,” Fitz said, as if that was the most normal thing
in the world.
She couldn’t help giggling. “Your house has a reception hall. Of
course it does.”
He grinned. “It’s not that weird. Lots of houses have them.”
“Mine doesn’t.”
“It used to. What do you think your bedroom used to be?”
Sophie’s jaw fell open.
She’d never thought about it before—her bedroom was just sort of
there when she moved in. But it made sense, given how huge her room
was. There was also the fact that Jolie had used a different bedroom
down on the second floor—which was beautiful, but also wasn’t nearly