Chapter 6
The heavy mahogany doors slammed shut behind Nina and Luca, cutting off their rapid footsteps with a definitive, echoing thud. The grand banquet hall was plunged into a profound, ringing silence. The towering Christmas tree continued to sparkle with gold ornaments and burgundy ribbons, but the festive warmth of the room had entirely vanished, replaced by the freezing, calculated wrath of the mafia boss.
Grayson Vale walked slowly around the edge of the carved walnut table. He did not move to strike Odette, but his stillness was far more lethal than any sudden outburst of physical violence. His tailored dark three-piece suit seemed to absorb the light as he stopped just inches away from her.
"How many times, Odette?" Grayson asked, his deep, measured voice dropping into a register that shook the very air.
Odette backed away, her emerald satin gown catching on the leg of a velvet dining chair. The aristocratic polish was completely gone, leaving only naked terror. "Grayson, you have to understand! I was trying to consolidate power! She was making him soft! She was undermining my authority as his future mother!"
"Does her offering comfort to a motherless child justify treating her like an animal in my own home?" Grayson asked, stopping just a few feet away from her, his broad shoulders blocking any chance of escape.
"She is a peasant!" Odette shrieked defensively, tears ruining her flawless makeup. "I slapped her a few times to remind her of her place! I kept order! I just needed to establish boundaries until the wedding was finalized and the assets were transferred to my name!"
Grayson’s jaw clenched so tightly the bone looked as though it might snap. The sheer, audacious greed of her plan was staggering. She had tortured his staff and traumatized his son merely to secure her financial and political standing within his empire.
"Who on my staff allowed you to do this?" Grayson asked softly, his dark eyes narrowing into lethal slits. "Which of my guards stood by and watched you strike a woman under my protection without reporting it?"
Odette swallowed hard, her fair skin splotchy with panic. "I won't tell you! If I tell you, you'll kill me! My silence is the only leverage I have left to walk out of this mansion alive!"
"Do you believe leverage exists for a woman who has just admitted to abusing my son's caretaker?" Grayson countered.
He didn't wait for her to answer. He turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four heavily armed guards stationed near the service doors.
"Are you men going to secure this traitor, or must I break her legs myself before we walk downstairs?" Grayson asked, his command absolute.
Two massive enforcers stepped forward instantly, moving with terrifying, synchronized efficiency. They grabbed Odette roughly by the arms, entirely ignoring the expensive fabric of her emerald gown.
"Get your hands off me!" Odette screamed as they dragged her backward toward the corridor. "My family will not stand for this! You cannot survive without my father's alliance!"
"Take her to the holding cells in the sub-basement," Grayson commanded, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "Ensure the temperature is dropped, and that she is stripped of all jewelry and communication devices."
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"You are a dead man, Grayson!" Odette wailed as they hauled her through the heavy doors.
"We will see," Grayson murmured to the empty room.
