Chapter 4
Victoria stared at her son and the filthy, weeping child clinging to his ruined suit. A flicker of genuine panic flashed across her powdered, rosy face, but she quickly buried it beneath a thick layer of aristocratic arrogance and vicious contempt. She had controlled the Sterling empire long before Alexander took the reins, and she refused to be intimidated in front of her high-society guests.
She forced a brittle, artificial smile onto her lips and advanced toward them, her high heels tapping sharply against the marble. She reached her manicured hands out, intending to snatch Sophia away and hide the evidence of her cruelty.
"Alexander, darling," Victoria began, her voice sharp, controlling, and dripping with venomous condescension. "What on earth are you doing? Give her to the nanny immediately."
Sophia shrieked in terror the moment her grandmother reached for her. The little girl recoiled violently, burying herself deeper into Alexander’s chest, hiding her face entirely.
Alexander did not step back. He simply turned his shoulder, smoothly moving Sophia out of Victoria’s reach, creating an impenetrable wall of muscle and tailored fabric between his child and his mother.
He glared at his mother, his eyes burning with a freezing, lethal intensity.
"Put her down," Victoria demanded, her voice rising in volume as her control over the situation began to slip. She looked around nervously at the silent, staring guests. "That child does not belong here. She is ruining the gala."
"She does not belong in the trash," Alexander stated. His deep voice was kept at a low volume, yet it resonated with an absolute authority that sent a chill straight down the spines of the nearby attendees.
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Victoria scoffed, adjusting her pearl necklace. "She is a dramatic, spoiled brat, just like her mother was. She refused to eat her dinner, so she went outside to throw a tantrum. You are embarrassing yourself, Alexander."
"She is starving," Alexander whispered, his jawline tightening so hard the muscles leaped beneath his fair skin.
