Chapter 5
The recorded audio lingered in the air, a chilling echo that condemned Daphne Sterling in front of the entire Mafia elite. The luxurious indoor lighting suddenly felt like a grotesque stage play. Daphne stumbled backward, her high heels catching on the imported rug. She looked toward her father, a powerful white American capo sitting a few tables away, silently begging for intervention.
Her father stood up, his face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and rising anger.
"Sebastian," the older man began, his voice booming across the silent hall. "This is a domestic misunderstanding. Daphne has always been overly possessive. She was jealous. She made a foolish mistake. Let us handle this privately, as families do."
Sebastian did not raise his voice. He slowly pivoted, facing the older capo. The deeply masculine, intimidating presence he commanded forced the older man to stop in his tracks.
"A mistake... is dropping a glass," Sebastian said, his words dropping like heavy stones into the quiet room. "Fabricating my voice... to execute psychological torture... and physically assaulting a member of my household... is an act of treason."
"She is a maid!" Daphne shrieked, tears of genuine panic streaming down her rosy cheeks. "I am your future wife! You are destroying an alliance over a girl who scrubs the floors!"
"She... is under my protection," Sebastian corrected, his voice a low, vibrating hum of pure, concentrated danger. "You... are a liability."
He reached his tattooed hand toward his left ring finger. With a smooth, deliberate motion, Sebastian twisted the heavy gold engagement band he wore, mirroring the one on Daphne's hand. He pulled it off.
The collective gasp from the guests was audible. Breaking an engagement at this level of the syndicate was a declaration of war.
Sebastian tossed the gold band onto the pristine white tablecloth. It landed beside Daphne’s dessert plate with a sharp, metallic clatter.
"The engagement... is broken," Sebastian announced. The finality in his tone was absolute. "You and your family... have ten minutes to vacate my property. If any member of the Sterling family... sets foot on my territory again... I will consider it an act of war."
"You can't do this!" Daphne’s father roared, slamming his fist onto the table. "We control the eastern ports! You need us!"
"I need... loyalty," Sebastian murmured, his cold eyes locking onto the older man. "And I have just discovered... your daughter is a viper. Marcus."
"Boss," Marcus responded instantly, his hand dropping to the grip of his concealed firearm. Around the room, forty highly trained bodyguards mirrored the motion, stepping forward in perfect synchronization.
"Escort the Sterlings... to the gates," Sebastian commanded. "If they resist... eliminate them."
Panic erupted among the Sterling faction. Chairs scraped violently against the floorboards as they scrambled to their feet, realizing the overwhelming, lethal disadvantage they were in. Daphne sobbed hysterically as Marcus grabbed her by the arm, dragging her away from the head table. She reached out toward Sebastian, but he had already turned his back on her.
As the chaotic, frantic exodus of the disgraced family unfolded, Sebastian returned his attention entirely to Tessa.
The beautiful maid was still standing near his chair, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. She clutched her bruised wrist, her wide, expressive eyes staring at him in profound awe and disbelief. He had just burned down a multi-million-dollar alliance to protect her.
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"Come with me," Sebastian said softly, his American accent losing its cold edge, replaced by a warm, protective resonance.
Without waiting for a response, he gently placed his hand on the small of her back. The touch was respectful, yet fiercely possessive. He guided her away from the crowded, murmuring dining hall, leading her through the grand corridors toward the private sanctuary of his study, leaving the wreckage of his engagement behind him.
