Chapter 2
The silence in the grand dining room was absolute, a suffocating vacuum that seemed to extinguish the very oxygen in the air. The tall candles flickered, casting erratic, dancing shadows across Audra’s softly heart-shaped face. Her expressive brows drew together in quiet confusion. She stared into Gideon's cold, observant eyes, entirely paralyzed by the question.
Her slender fingers moved instinctively, closing protectively around Mason's silver wedding band that rested against her collarbone.
"I never received anything," Audra answered softly, her voice barely a whisper, yet it carried flawlessly across the silent, polished walnut tables.
Gideon moved with the predatory, liquid grace of a man who commanded an empire. He shifted his powerful shoulders, stepping beside Audra and placing his imposing frame directly between the grieving housemaid and his fiancée. The small artistic tattoo on his neck became visible as he tilted his head, his cold eyes locking onto Serena.
Serena felt the sudden, terrifying weight of his gaze. She met his eyes, desperately maintaining a gentle, practiced smile. Her hands smoothed the fabric of her sculpted satin evening gown.
"I paid for the funeral," Serena said, her voice laced with a reassuring sweetness. Her eyes searched Gideon’s angular face for any sign of agreement, any indication that he would accept her benevolent lie in front of the assembled mafia elite.
Behind Gideon's broad back, Audra's breath hitched. She looked directly at Gideon's profile, her inner brows lifting helplessly. Her lower lip trembled slightly as the sheer cruelty of the situation crashed over her.
"He’s still at the morgue," Audra said. The words fell from her lips with a quiet, exhausted grief that shattered the polished illusion of the engagement dinner.
Gideon’s eyes lingered on Audra for a brief, agonizing moment, absorbing the sheer devastation in her delicate cheekbones. Then, his eyes slowly shifted toward Serena. His head followed slightly, a predatory alignment of focus. His mouth settled into a firm, unyielding line. He held Serena's gaze in complete silence. It was a cold, unwavering stare that stripped away every layer of her satin and diamonds, exposing the rot underneath.
"Are we to continue this dinner while the man who saved my life rots in a freezer?" Gideon asked, his deep voice slicing through the heavy silence.
"Gideon, darling, it was a simple misunderstanding with the bank," Serena stammered, the practiced smile finally cracking. "I can explain everything."
"Will you all leave my home immediately?" Gideon asked, his voice never rising, yet echoing with an authority that demanded absolute obedience.
He did not look at the guests, but the command was unmistakable. Chairs scraped violently against the floor as capos, politicians, and socialites scrambled to their feet. They abandoned their gold-rimmed porcelain and champagne, fleeing toward the heavy silk curtains and out the grand double doors. No one wanted to be in the room when Gideon Ashcroft dispensed his justice.
May you like
"Gideon, you are making a scene," Serena hissed, taking a step forward as the room rapidly emptied. "My father is sitting right there!"
"Does your father approve of his daughter stealing from widows?" Gideon inquired, turning his body to face her fully, his hands resting casually in his pockets.
