Chapter 9
The bright, airy lighting of the mansion illuminated the total collapse of Serena Voss. She sat frozen in her ivory upholstered chair, her sculpted satin evening gown looking suddenly heavy and restrictive. She looked across the table at the dozens of powerful figures, realizing that not a single man was reaching for a weapon to defend her honor. Nathaniel’s authority was absolute, and his judgment was final.
"What are you doing, Nathaniel?" Serena whispered, genuine fear finally bleeding into her eyes, replacing the arrogant entitlement.
"Am I the one who decided to threaten a woman's livelihood to terrorize a child?" Nathaniel asked in response, his hands clasping slowly behind his back. "Did I force you to reveal the blackened, rotten nature of your character before the entire commission?"
"It was a mistake!" Serena cried, tears of frustration and terror spilling over her fair cheeks, ruining her pristine makeup. "I'll apologize! I'll buy him whatever he wants! I will double the payment for her mother's care facility! Just let it go!"
"Can apologies erase the memory of my son believing he caused your cruelty?" Nathaniel asked, his tone dropping into a register of pure, concentrated ice. "Can money buy back the trust you have completely annihilated?"
He turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the silent, paralyzed guests.
"Is this dinner concluded?" Nathaniel asked the room at large.
The question was rhetorical, a lethal command disguised as an inquiry. The guests immediately understood. Chairs scraped against the thick patterned rugs as the most powerful men and women in the American mafia stood up in unison. They didn't speak. They didn't offer their goodbyes or polite pleasantries. They simply turned and began to file out of the luminous dining hall, desperate to escape the blast radius of the Boss's impending wrath.
Within ninety seconds, the massive, opulent room was entirely empty of guests. The only people remaining were Nathaniel, Henry, Celia, Serena, and the heavily armed security personnel standing quietly in the shadows near the marble columns.
"You are throwing away everything," Serena sobbed, clutching the edge of the mahogany table, the engagement ring on her finger catching the warm golden light. "My father will declare war. He will shut down your supply lines."
"Will he?" Nathaniel asked, tilting his head with dangerous curiosity. "Or will he thank me for returning his defective daughter before the ink on the contract dried?"
He looked toward the main doors of the dining hall.
"Will someone escort Ms. Voss to the foyer?" Nathaniel asked the shadows.
Two massive men in tailored dark suits stepped forward instantly. They didn't offer their arms; they simply stood flanking Serena, their expressions grim and unyielding.
"Get your hands off me!" Serena shrieked, though the guards hadn't even touched her yet. She looked back at Nathaniel, her face twisted with absolute, venomous hatred. "You are choosing a crippled boy and a maid over a queen! You are a fool!"
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"Are you ready to leave my house?" Nathaniel asked one final time, completely unaffected by her venom.
Realizing she had no power left, and terrified of what he might do if she lingered, Serena turned and stormed toward the doors, the two guards following closely behind. Her furious footsteps echoed through the bright, airy room until the heavy doors slammed shut, plunging the dining hall back into a profound, ringing silence.
