Chapter 3
Selene stumbled backward, her diamond earrings shaking violently as the reality of Dominic’s words hit her. The bright, airy light of the chandeliers seemed to mock the sudden darkness consuming her future. Dominic Vale had just openly declared his love for a housemaid, completely shattering the political and social alliance their engagement was meant to secure.
“You love her?” Selene shrieked, her voice echoing shrilly off the marble fireplace. “She is a servant, Dominic! I am the daughter of the Hart syndicate! We have an alliance! You cannot throw away a billion-dollar merger over a pathetic girl in a maid’s uniform and a screaming infant!”
Dominic took a slow, deliberate step around the head table. The clean whites of his tailored shirt contrasted sharply with his dark three-piece suit. The small neck tattoo just above his collar flexed as he tilted his head.
“Do you honestly think the Hart syndicate’s money is worth more to me than the life of my own child?” Dominic asked, his deep voice slicing through her hysteria with measured precision.
Elara watched him, her expressive eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe. She had always known the ruthless reputation of the man she had fallen for, but witnessing his cold, calculated fury unleashed to protect her and their daughter was entirely different. She adjusted her white ruffled maid headband, trying to maintain her composure, though her fair skin was pale.
“You can’t do this!” Selene cried, pressing her back against the ivory-paneled wall. “My father’s men are stationed outside! If you touch me, the truce is broken! There will be a bloodbath in the streets by morning!”
“Have I ever feared a war with your father, Selene?” Dominic asked, stopping just a few feet away from her. “Did you mistake my willingness to sign a peace treaty for an inability to slaughter your entire family?”
Selene choked on a sob, her rosy skin turning a sickly shade of gray. “I didn’t hurt the baby! I swear to God, Dominic, she is safe! I just sent her to a private facility! A place where she will be fed and clothed! I didn't want blood on my hands!”
Elara rushed forward, unable to hold back her maternal desperation. She grabbed the sleeve of Dominic’s suit, her graceful posture abandoned in her panic. “Dominic, please. She’s only three months old. She needs me. She needs to be fed. We have to find her!”
Dominic immediately turned his attention to Elara. The terrifying aura surrounding him softened instantly. He reached out with his generously spaced tattooed hands, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. His touch was warm and steady.
“Do you think I will let this night end without our daughter safely back in your arms, Elara?” Dominic asked gently.
Elara shook her head, leaning into his touch for just a second before looking back at Selene with fierce determination. “Where is she, Selene? Tell us right now!”
Selene crossed her arms defensively over her sculpted satin gown, jutting her chin out in a final, desperate act of defiance. “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.”
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Dominic slowly turned his attention back to his fiancée. His eyes were devoid of all mercy.
“Would you prefer to test exactly how much pain a human body can endure before the silence breaks?” Dominic asked.
