Chapter 2
The silence in the luminous banquet hall was absolute, deafening in its weight. The crystal chandeliers continued to cast their gentle golden highlights across the ivory-paneled walls, but the soft elegant warmth of the room had suddenly turned to ice. Dominic Vale remained standing, his broad shoulders squared in his tailored dark three-piece suit. His cold, unwavering stare was fixed entirely on Selene, who sat rigidly in her champagne velvet chair.
Elara stood paralyzed beside Dominic, her knuckles turning white as she clutched Ivy’s baby blanket to her chest. The clean whites of her apron and collar seemed stark against the sophisticated black fabric of her dress. Her heart hammered against her ribs, terrified of the violence that was undoubtedly about to erupt.
Dominic slowly turned his gaze away from Selene and swept his eyes over the hundreds of elite guests staring at the head table. His deep, measured voice echoed off the gilded ceiling moldings.
“Do you all believe this private family matter is a theatrical performance arranged for your evening entertainment?” Dominic asked.
The guests, hardened criminals and high-society aristocrats alike, blanched. Chairs scraped loudly against the polished floors as people scrambled to their feet. The unspoken command was clear. Within a matter of seconds, the crowded room descended into a chaotic, hurried exodus. Men and women rushed through the grand mahogany doors, abandoning their crystal stemware and fine porcelain, desperate to escape the mafia boss’s impending wrath.
When the heavy doors finally clicked shut, only Dominic, Selene, and Elara remained in the vast, brightly lit room, surrounded by glowing tall ivory candles and abandoned white roses.
Selene stood up, the sculpted satin of her gown rustling loudly. Her fair, rosy skin was flushed with a mixture of anger and panic. “Dominic, please listen to reason! You cannot possibly be angry with me! I protected your reputation! What would the other families say if they knew you sired a bastard with the hired help?”
“Did you truly believe you possessed the authority to dispose of my bloodline without my knowledge?” Dominic asked, his voice dangerously low, his artistic tattoos flexing as he rested his hands on the polished walnut table.
“She manipulated you!” Selene cried, pointing a diamond-adorned finger at Elara. “She seduced you, got pregnant, and hid the child to use as leverage! I took the problem away, Dominic! I sent the child somewhere safe so we could proceed with our wedding!”
Elara stepped forward, tears streaming down her softly oval face. “That is a lie! I never wanted leverage! I just wanted to keep my baby safe! You came into the nursery this morning with your armed guards and ripped her from her crib! You told me if I said a single word to Dominic, you would have Ivy thrown into the river!”
Dominic’s sharply defined jaw ticked. He slowly turned his head to look at the housemaid, taking in her delicate, graceful posture, now bowed under the weight of a mother’s terror.
“Did she threaten the life of our daughter under my own roof, Elara?” Dominic asked softly.
“Yes!” Elara sobbed, gripping the blanket tighter. “She said a maid’s bastard had no right to breathe the same air as her future children.”
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Dominic slowly turned his gaze back to his fiancée. The warm golden light illuminated the absolute, chilling emptiness in his eyes.
“How long did you expect to survive after making such a threat to the woman I love?” Dominic asked.
