Chapter 2
The sheer audacity of Juliette’s response hung in the luminous, warm air of the dining hall like a physical weight. The clinking of silver against gold-rimmed porcelain slowed, then stopped entirely. The fifty guests—hardened capos, wealthy associates, and their wives—held their collective breath, their fair, rosy faces turning toward the confrontation at the head of the table. The festive Christmas Eve dinner had suddenly transformed into a tribunal.
Violet Ellis stood perfectly still beside Ruth, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She looked directly at Juliette, her expressive eyes wide with a mixture of absolute horror and a fierce, rising courage. Violet knew the danger of stepping out of line in a room full of syndicate killers. She knew the consequences of challenging the future wife of Victor Harrington. Yet, the memory of the weeping grandmother begging for help in the servant’s corridor had shattered Violet’s instinct for self-preservation. She drew a slow, deep breath, steadying the violent trembling in her chest before she spoke.
"Poppy wasn’t yours to sell," Violet stated, her voice echoing clearly across the silent marble room.
Juliette’s polished smile twitched, her eyes narrowing into venomous slits. "Excuse me?" Juliette hissed, her American accent losing its refined edge. "How dare you speak to me, you insolent little servant? You are overstepping your boundaries. Guards, remove this maid and this old hag immediately!"
The guests shifted uncomfortably in their velvet dining chairs. No one moved to intervene. The clean, bright lighting of the chandeliers seemed to spotlight the profound cruelty of the moment. Victor Harrington remained seated, his face an unreadable mask. His artistic tattoos stood out starkly against the white tablecloth as his fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"I am not leaving without my granddaughter," Ruth said, her voice shaking with raw emotion. "I entrusted Poppy to you while I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. You told me it was a charitable program. You lied to me. You sold my six-year-old girl to strangers!"
"I brokered an adoption for a destitute child," Juliette retorted coldly, adjusting her diamond earrings. "I provided a service. You are ungrateful, and this is highly inappropriate. Victor, darling, please handle your staff."
"You did not broker an adoption," Violet interjected, her delicate features set in stone, refusing to back down. "You accepted a briefcase of cash from a private buyer and handed a child over without her legal guardian's consent. It is human trafficking, Miss Voss."
"Shut your mouth!" Juliette screamed, slamming her hand onto the carved walnut table. "I will have you beaten for this!"
May you like
"You will do no such thing," a deep, controlled voice rumbled.
Victor Harrington spoke slowly, the sheer power of his masculine presence instantly dominating the vast room. The ambient hum of the mansion vanished. The air grew freezing cold despite the roaring fireplaces. Victor slowly turned his angular face, his dark eyes locking onto the maid who had just risked her life to expose a monster.
