Chapter 3
The silence in the grand dining hall was absolute, a heavy vacuum waiting to be filled by inevitable violence. The warm golden light from the tiered crystal chandeliers suddenly felt incredibly harsh and exposing, stripping away the glamorous facade of the evening. Sienna’s face, previously flushed with wine and the triumph of the engagement dinner, drained of all color until her fair skin turned the shade of ash. Her diamond earrings trembled as a subtle, uncontrollable shake took over her body.
Garrett did not break his cold, unwavering stare. The absolute stillness of his broad shoulders was far more terrifying than any outburst of rage. He slowly raised his hand, his family signet ring gleaming under the light, and rested it flat against the polished walnut table.
"Are all of you waiting for a formal invitation to vacate my dining room?" Garrett asked, his deep, low voice echoing across the long banquet table.
The question was a direct command. Instantly, the scraping of velvet dining chairs against the cream marble floors sounded like thunder. Capos, crime bosses, and state senators scrambled to their feet, abandoning their fine porcelain plates and half-empty crystal glasses. They moved with a hurried, terrified silence, practically sprinting toward the grand double doors of the dining hall. No one offered their goodbyes or dared to look back at the unfolding disaster.
Within two minutes, the massive, luxurious room was entirely empty, save for the four of them: Garrett, Sienna, Hannah, and young Ben. The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut, echoing with a hollow, terrifying finality.
"Garrett, darling, please," Sienna stammered, the polished smile completely evaporating from her face. She reached out across the table, her manicured fingers shaking. "The child is confused! He misunderstood the situation! I was trying to teach her responsibility! Her mind is playing cruel tricks on him!"
Garrett slowly lowered his hand from the table. He stood up, his towering frame completely dominating the space. He stepped deliberately between Sienna and his son, forming an impenetrable wall of dark wool and muscle.
"Do you believe my son possesses the malice to invent such a specific, venomous lie?" Garrett asked. His slow, controlled pauses carried the weight of an executioner's blade.
"The maid is manipulating him!" Sienna cried, pulling her hand back as if the table had burned her. "Hannah probably told the boy to say that! She hates me! She’s been trying to ruin this engagement since the day I moved in! She wants your wealth, Garrett!"
Hannah stood her ground, though her knees felt weak. She stepped closer to Ben, her bandaged hands gently resting on the boy's small shoulders, providing a solid anchor for the child who had just bravely defended her. She refused to defend herself against the hysterical accusations. The truth was already spoken; it didn't need her protection.
"Do you expect me to believe a housemaid orchestrated a psychological attack on my own blood?" Garrett asked, stepping slowly around the edge of the table. "Is forcing a woman to bleed for a broken glass your definition of household management?"
"It wasn't like that!" Sienna shrieked, losing her aristocratic composure entirely. "She was careless! She was ruining the evening! I was trying to secure a perfect night for us!"
"Did you think I would crown a woman whose hands are stained with the abuse of the innocent?" Garrett asked, taking another slow, deliberate step toward her.
Sienna backed away until her spine hit the edge of a gilded wall panel. The bright, luminous light of the room offered her no place to hide. She looked wildly around the empty, cavernous hall, desperately seeking an alley that did not exist. Her burgundy gown rustled loudly in the suffocating quiet.
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"I was doing it for you!" Sienna cried out, her voice pitching an octave higher as her panic fully set in. "You demand perfection in this house! The boy is entirely too attached to the help! You are a king, Garrett! You cannot be tied to a screaming child and a disobedient servant!"
"Do you believe you have the right to decide who my son loves under my roof?" Garrett asked, his deep voice remaining terrifyingly calm, completely devoid of the hysteria radiating from the woman before him.
