Chapter 3
The tension in the luminous banquet hall reached a breaking point. The crystal chandeliers continued to cast their bright, airy light, but the atmosphere was now thick with an impending sense of doom. The guests, realizing that they had just witnessed a failed assassination attempt by the boss's own fiancée, began to shift nervously in their champagne velvet chairs. No one wanted to be in the crossfire when Julian Crowne retaliated.
Julian kept his hand wrapped gently around Nellie’s trembling wrist for a moment longer, a silent anchor in the storm, before he finally released her. He slowly stood up, placing his weight entirely on his good leg, his broad shoulders casting a commanding shadow over the polished walnut table. He swept his gaze across the terrified faces of his guests, his high-bridged nose and angular face looking like they were carved from stone.
"Have you all lost your appetite for this evening's celebration?" Julian asked the crowd, his tone deceptively calm. "Do you require a formal invitation to leave my home before this family matter is resolved?"
The response was instantaneous and chaotic. Chairs scraped violently against the floorboards as dozens of powerful men and women scrambled to their feet. They moved with a hurried, uncoordinated panic, abandoning the white roses and fine porcelain. Within two minutes, the expansive, brightly lit dining hall was entirely empty, save for the four people remaining at the head table and the heavy security detail standing silently by the grand mahogany doors.
Colette took a frantic step toward Julian, her diamond earrings shaking as she reached out a desperate hand. "Julian, please! You cannot possibly believe a maid and a confused five-year-old over the woman you are about to marry! I was trying to sand out a splinter! The saw slipped!"
"Do you expect me to accept the premise that a handsaw accidentally severed an inch of solid mahogany?" Julian asked, stepping back smoothly to avoid her touch. "Are you truly insulting my intelligence in my own dining room?"
Nellie stepped slightly to the side, placing herself closer to Evan. The little boy was staring at his plate, clearly frightened by the sudden evacuation and the anger radiating from his father. Nellie rested a comforting hand on the back of his chair, her expressive eyes focused fiercely on protecting the child from Colette's unraveling sanity.
May you like
"She is lying to you, Julian!" Colette shrieked, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at Nellie. "She wants me out of the way! Look at the way she looks at you! She orchestrated this to frame me so she could take my place!"
Julian did not even glance at Nellie. His cold, observant eyes remained locked on Colette, dissecting the panic in her rosy skin. "Why would a woman plotting my demise stop me from breaking my own leg, Colette?"
