Chapter 7
"My family brings the entire eastern port to this alliance," Bianca hissed, attempting to salvage her dignity in front of the watching capos. "You need me. You cannot possibly take the side of a senile woman and a servant over your future wife."
"I need nothing from a woman who tortures my blood," Gideon replied, his voice a low, vibrating hum of impending violence.
He shifted his dark, intense gaze from the ruined woman to the fifty elite guests seated around the massive room.
"This reception is concluded," Gideon announced, his authority absolute. "Everyone who does not carry the Hale name, or work in my personal security detail, will vacate this salon immediately."
Chairs scraped frantically against the polished marble floors. Men and women paled in terror as they abandoned their champagne glasses and festive cheer. They rushed toward the massive double doors, eager to escape the impending explosion of Hale violence before they were forced to take a side in a mafia civil war.
"Gideon, you are making a catastrophic mistake," Bianca shrieked as the room rapidly emptied. "My father will hear of this. The Drake family will not tolerate this level of public disrespect. You are starting a war!"
"I would burn every ship in the harbor before I let you sleep under my roof again," Gideon replied coldly.
Within ninety seconds, the sprawling salon was completely empty, save for Gideon, Bianca, Eleanor, Sophie, Toby, and the heavy security detail standing silently by the ivory candles. The bright, airy luminosity of the room now illuminated only the raw, ugly truth of the betrayal.
Gideon looked down at Sophie. The gentle maid was still standing close to his mother, her delicate features pale with shock, yet she had stood her ground.
"Sophie," Gideon said, his tone softening only marginally as he addressed her. "Take my mother and Toby upstairs to my private quarters. Lock the doors. Allow no one inside but my personal guard."
"Yes, Mr. Hale," Sophie whispered, her voice shaking with residual adrenaline. She gently placed a supportive hand on Eleanor's back and offered Toby a small, watery smile. "Come along, Eleanor. Come along, Toby. Let's go upstairs."
As the maid, the matriarch, and the toddler hurried up the sweeping marble staircase, their footsteps echoing softly, Gideon turned his full, terrifying attention back to the woman in the burgundy gown.
"Now," Gideon said, taking a slow, predatory step toward her. "You are going to explain to me exactly how long you intended to keep her in that box."
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"I won't tell you anything!" Bianca shrieked, backing away until she bumped into a gilded mirror. "If I confess, you will kill me! My silence is the only leverage I have left to walk out of this mansion alive!"
"Do you believe leverage exists for a woman who has just admitted to attempting murder in my home?" Gideon countered.
