Chapter 3
The silence in the grand dining hall was absolute, heavy with the weight of an impending storm. The bright, luminous colors of the floral arrangements and the polished highlights of the silverware felt surreal against the dark, high-stakes tension radiating from Sebastian. He stood mere inches from Tessa, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the room, forcing her to look nowhere but into his cold, sharp eyes.
"I asked you a question," Sebastian murmured, the controlled pauses in his speech stretching the tension to its absolute breaking point. "What orders... were given... in my name?"
Tessa’s rosy lips trembled. She held his gaze, terrified of the consequences, yet entirely captivated by the raw, dangerous intensity of the man demanding her honesty. Heavy tears began to gather along her dark lashes, catching the soft chandelier glow before spilling over her fair cheeks.
"Your recording," Tessa answered. Her voice was fragile, breathless, and laced with genuine heartbreak. "You said... to punish me."
Sebastian’s expression went entirely still. It wasn't the stillness of shock, but the absolute, frozen calm of a veteran Mafia boss processing a catastrophic betrayal. The charming, romantic aesthetic of his slicked-back hair and tailored suit instantly gave way to the cold-blooded executioner lurking beneath his skin.
He slowly lowered his eyes. His gaze shifted from Tessa’s tear-stained face, dropping directly toward the pristine white tablecloth. It landed precisely on Daphne’s smartphone, which still rested face-down next to her dessert plate.
Daphne’s composed smile finally fractured. The fair, rosy skin of her neck flushed a deep, panicked pink. Realizing that her fabricated narrative was unraveling in front of the entire syndicate, she decided to exert her perceived authority to shut the maid up.
Daphne stood up abruptly, her silk evening gown swishing violently against her chair. She reached her hand out across the table, aiming directly for Tessa’s elbow.
"Enough," Daphne whispered sharply, her eyes flashing with venomous warning as she looked directly at the maid. "Back to work."
Tessa recoiled violently before the hand could even reach her. She stumbled backward, her delicate black heels slipping slightly on the polished marble floor.
Sebastian moved with blinding, explosive speed.
He didn't raise his hands, but he shifted his entire athletic, deeply masculine frame directly between Daphne and Tessa. He became an impenetrable wall of dark wool and tailored perfection, completely blocking Daphne’s path to the terrified maid.
"You... overstep," Sebastian said, his voice dropping an octave into a register of pure, concentrated ice.
"Sebastian, please," Daphne stammered, her American accent cracking as she tried to maintain her aristocratic composure. "She is hysterical. She is ruining our engagement dinner. Let the guards remove her."
Sebastian did not turn to look at his fiancée. He kept his back to Daphne, maintaining his protective stance over Tessa. The artistic, refined tattoos on his neck flexed as he tilted his head, his cold eyes locking onto the weeping woman in front of him.
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"Tessa," Sebastian said, his voice becoming dangerously quiet. It was a tone his enemies heard right before their empires burned. "What else... did I order?"
Daphne let out a sharp, panicked breath. Her hand shot out and closed firmly over her smartphone, gripping the device as if it were her only lifeline. Tessa’s lips parted, the truth hovering on the edge of her tongue, ready to burn the entire alliance to the ground.
