Chapter 6
The heavy mahogany double doors of the dining room swung open, and Marcus stepped inside. He was a massive man with a heavily scarred face, wearing a dark trench coat that concealed an array of weaponry. Two heavily armed enforcers followed closely behind him, their expressions blank and utterly professional. They ignored the shattered remains of the dinner party, their eyes locking immediately onto Graham for orders.
“Is there a problem, Boss?” Marcus asked, his gruff voice a stark contrast to the elegant surroundings.
Graham did not look at his underboss. His observant eyes remained fixed on Adrienne, who was currently crawling backward in her ruined satin gown, desperately trying to put distance between herself and the men.
“Will you escort my former fiancée to the holding cells in the basement?” Graham asked, his voice quiet, measured, and devoid of any mercy.
“No! Graham, please!” Adrienne screamed, her voice tearing at her vocal cords. She scrambled to her feet, trying to run toward the silk curtains, but the two enforcers moved with terrifying speed. They grabbed her by the arms, their iron grips crushing the delicate fabric of her gown.
“Get your hands off me! I am Adrienne Blake!” she thrashed wildly, her diamond earrings shaking, one of them tearing loose and scattering across the hardwood floor.
“Shall I have them gag you to spare my ears, Adrienne?” Graham asked calmly, watching her struggle with cold detachment.
Adrienne stopped screaming, though she continued to sob violently, her chest heaving. She looked at Graham, realizing that the man she had tried to trap was a monster she could not control. Her gaze shifted to Nora, who was watching the scene with wide, terrified eyes.
“You did this!” Adrienne spat at the housemaid, her face twisted in pure hatred. “He will tire of you too! You are nothing but a servant!”
“Are you quite finished?” Graham asked, giving Marcus a subtle, almost imperceptible nod.
Marcus stepped forward, grabbing Adrienne roughly by the shoulder. “Let's go, princess. You're ruining the ambiance.”
The enforcers dragged Adrienne out of the dining room. Her panicked sobs and the rustling of her heavy satin skirt echoed down the long hallway until the heavy doors slammed shut, sealing her fate in the subterranean dark of the Kingsley estate.
The silence that followed was deafening. The grand dining room, filled with thousands of dollars of white roses and crystal, felt like a beautifully decorated tomb.
Graham remained perfectly still for a moment, the only movement the slow flickering of the tall candles reflecting in his dark eyes. He took a deep breath, his broad shoulders rising and falling beneath his tailored three-piece suit. The illusion of his future family had just been violently shattered, yet he displayed no grief, only a terrifying, calculated calm.
He turned slowly, his polished leather shoes making a soft sound against the wood, and walked back toward Nora.
Nora instinctively took a step back, her slender proportions retreating until the back of her legs hit the edge of a champagne velvet chair. She gripped her neatly tied white apron, her knuckles white. She had just witnessed a woman of high society being dragged to a dungeon. She was a witness, a catalyst for a mafia war, and she had no idea what Graham intended to do with her.
“Are you afraid of me, Nora?” Graham asked, stopping just a foot away from her. His tall, masculine frame completely overwhelmed her space.
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“Yes, sir,” Nora answered honestly, her voice barely a whisper.
“Did I give you a reason to fear for your life tonight?” Graham inquired, his head tilting slightly, his eyes searching her softly tapered face.
