Chapter 6
Clarissa backed away until her spine hit the edge of the carved marble fireplace. The bright, luminous light of the room offered her no place to hide. She looked wildly around the empty dining hall, desperately seeking an exit that did not exist.
"I was doing it for you!" Clarissa cried out, her voice pitching an octave higher as her panic fully set in. "You demand perfection in this house! He was soft! You are a king, Rafael! You cannot be tied to a child who trembles at his own shadow!"
"Do you believe you have the right to decide how my son is allowed to grieve?" Rafael asked, his deep voice remaining terrifyingly calm, completely devoid of the hysteria radiating from the woman before him.
"You need me!" Clarissa shrieked, grasping at the last shreds of her political power. "My family controls the western distribution lines! We built an empire together! If you break this engagement, my father will start a war that will burn this city to the ground!"
"Do you think the threat of a war frightens me more than a monster sleeping under my roof?" Rafael inquired, tilting his head slightly, his cold, observant eyes narrowing into dark, lethal slits.
He didn't wait for her to process the absolute lack of mercy in his gaze. He reached into the inner pocket of his tailored dark suit, his refined tattoos catching the golden light, and withdrew a heavy, encrypted mobile phone.
"Are you waiting in the grand foyer, Marcus?" Rafael asked into the receiver. He paused, listening to his unseen underboss. "Will you bring two men into the dining room immediately?"
Clarissa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in sheer, unadulterated terror. She knew exactly what Marcus did for the Ashford family. He was the man who made Rafael’s problems disappear.
"No! Rafael, please!" Clarissa shrieked, kicking off her expensive heels and scrambling backward across the hardwood floor. "You can't do this! I am a Vale! My family will kill you! My father will slaughter your entire syndicate for this!"
The heavy mahogany double doors of the dining room swung open violently. Marcus, a towering man with a heavily scarred face and a dark trench coat, stepped into the room, flanked by two equally intimidating enforcers. They moved with absolute, silent precision, ignoring the lavish surroundings and focusing entirely on their boss.
"Will you escort my former fiancée to the holding cells in the sub-basement?" Rafael asked, not taking his eyes off the weeping woman backed against the fireplace.
"No! No, please!" Clarissa shrieked, kicking and thrashing wildly as the two enforcers reached out and grabbed her by the arms. They hauled her to her feet with effortless strength, the delicate fabric of her sculpted satin gown tearing audibly at the seams. "I loved you, Rafael! You owe me! I saved you from weakness!"
"Will you ensure she is gagged if she continues to scream, Marcus?" Rafael inquired, casually adjusting the cuff of his dark suit.
Marcus nodded grimly. "Yes, boss. Let's go, princess."
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The enforcers dragged Clarissa backward toward the doors. Her threats devolved into hysterical, panicked sobs that echoed down the grand hallway until the heavy doors clicked shut behind them, sealing the dining room in a profound, suffocating silence once more.
Rafael stood perfectly still for a long moment. The tension slowly bled out of his powerful shoulders. He turned his head, his thick, slightly wavy hair catching the light of the crystal chandeliers, and looked across the room to where Mina was standing, her arms wrapped securely around Theo.
