Chapter 5
Hugo slowly turned his head, his thick, swept-back hair catching the light of the crystal chandeliers. He looked across the room at the fifty guests. The older relatives who had laughed earlier were now trembling, their smartphones long since hidden away, their faces pale with terror.
"Are all of you waiting for a formal invitation to vacate my home?" Hugo asked the crowd, his deep voice carrying a cold dismissal.
The spell broke. The guests scrambled for the exits, practically sprinting toward the coat check. Within minutes, the vast, luxurious room was entirely empty, save for Hugo and Giselle.
Hugo let out a long, slow breath. The rigid tension in his shoulders relaxed by a fraction of an inch. He turned his attention back to the beautiful housemaid standing beside him.
Giselle was shaking. Her sophisticated black maid dress felt incredibly thin in the aftermath of the violence. She had just witnessed the destruction of a mafia coup, all because she had refused to step away from him. She looked at the mafia boss, terrified of the unpredictable storm that was surely about to consume the estate.
"Are you harmed anywhere, Giselle?" Hugo asked quietly, his perceptive eyes searching her delicately featured face.
"I am unharmed, sir," Giselle answered, her voice trembling as she kept her hands folded over her white apron. "But... I know what just happened. I know his loyalists will come for you because I struck him."
"Do you believe I would allow a man who disrespects me to harm the woman who defended me?" Hugo asked, a flicker of profound, protective warmth entering his cold eyes as he looked at her.
"I didn't know what to expect, Mr. Fairholt," Giselle whispered, her expressive eyes wide with residual fear. "I just knew I couldn't watch him hit you again."
"Did you think a monster would punish the only person with the courage to stand by his side?" Hugo asked gently.
He didn't walk away. He stood there, his towering masculine frame casting a long shadow in the golden light. The rigid boundaries of class, wealth, and danger had been completely obliterated in the span of a single evening.
"Will you accompany me upstairs, Giselle?" Hugo asked, his gaze lingering on her softly contoured face. "Do you think I trust anyone else in this house right now?"
"I will come," Giselle said softly, the reality of her new position settling heavily upon her.
"Are you prepared for the war that begins tomorrow?" Hugo asked, turning his broad shoulders toward the heavy mahogany doors.
The private west wing of the mansion was a stark contrast to the opulent, echoing ballroom. The corridors here were lined with plush carpets and warm, muted lighting, designed specifically to be a sanctuary. Hugo walked silently down the hall, his polished shoes making no sound. Giselle walked a half-step behind him, her black maid dress swishing softly. Heavy, armed guards nodded respectfully as they passed, their eyes widening in absolute shock as they registered the housemaid walking the private halls with the boss.
They reached the heavy oak double doors of the master suite. Hugo pushed them open, stepping into the massive room bathed in the soft glow of bedside lamps.
"Will you lock the door behind us, Giselle?" Hugo asked softly, turning to face her as she stepped inside.
"Yes, Mr. Fairholt," Giselle said, engaging the heavy deadbolt with a solid click.
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Hugo removed his tailored suit jacket, draping it over a chair. He unbuttoned his crisp white shirt at the collar, revealing the artistic neck tattoo fully. He walked over to a crystal decanter on a side table and poured two glasses of amber liquid.
"Will you join me?" Hugo asked, holding one of the crystal glasses out toward her.
