Chapter 4
Vera stared at the champagne velvet chair as if it were laced with poison. To sit in the boss’s chair, at the head of the table, while the future matriarch of the family stood across from her, was an act of social suicide. But her knees were buckling, and the sheer exhaustion of her starvation was beginning to overwhelm her deeply ingrained sense of obedience.
"Please, sir, I shouldn't," Vera whispered, her voice shaking violently. "I am just staff."
"Did I ask for your job title, Vera?" Adrian asked, his voice low, a soft rumble that vibrated through the floorboards.
Slowly, with trembling limbs, Vera stepped forward and lowered herself into the luxurious velvet chair. The cushion was warm, and the rich fabric felt entirely alien against her sophisticated black maid dress. She kept her hands folded tightly in her lap, her softly heart-shaped face tilted downward, unable to meet Estelle’s murderous glare.
Adrian stepped behind Vera’s chair, standing over her like a dark, tailored sentinel. He reached across the table and pulled the plate of lamb that Henry had pushed away, setting it gently in front of Vera. He picked up a heavy silver fork and knife and placed them meticulously on either side of the porcelain plate.
"Will you eat, Vera?" Adrian asked, looking down at the top of her dark, perfectly styled hair.
Vera picked up the fork. Her hand was shaking so severely that the silver clinked audibly against the porcelain. She took a small bite of the lamb. The rich, savory flavor exploded on her tongue, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to stop a fresh wave of tears from falling. She ate slowly, desperately trying to maintain her grace and dignity while her body screamed for sustenance.
Estelle stood across the table, her hands flat against the pristine white tablecloth. The sculpted satin of her evening gown heaved as she took deep, ragged breaths. The humiliation of being dismissed in front of the city's elite was burning her from the inside out.
"Are you completely insane, Adrian?" Estelle hissed, abandoning all pretense of her polite, gracious public manner. "You embarrassed me in front of the Don of the Lucchese family! You threw out the mayor! Over a maid's dinner schedule?"
"Do you believe my reputation relies on men who would watch a woman starve in my home?" Adrian inquired, his observant eyes locking onto Estelle once more.
"It's about respect!" Estelle screamed, slamming her palms against the table, rattling the crystal glasses. "I am your fiancé! I demand respect in this house! She is nothing but the help!"
"Does starving a woman earn you respect, Estelle?" Adrian asked softly.
Henry, who had been sitting quietly beside Vera, reached out and gently placed his small hand over Vera’s trembling arm. The boy’s touch was a profound anchor in the storm. Vera looked at the child, her heart breaking for the innocence he was forced to maintain in this dark, violent world.
"Are you going to let her speak to me this way?" Estelle demanded, pointing a trembling, diamond-clad finger at Vera, completely ignoring Adrian's question. "I want her fired. Right now. I want her thrown out onto the street with nothing!"
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Adrian did not raise his voice. He simply adjusted the cuffs of his tailored suit, his polished leather shoes making absolutely no sound as he took a step around the table toward his fiancé.
"Do you dictate the terms of my household, Estelle?" Adrian asked.
