Thora quietly tried to sit in an empty chair after serving food to the dinner guests

Aldric moved across the dining room with the terrifying, unhurried grace of a predator closing in on its prey. The guests instinctively recoiled, pulling their chairs closer to the table to clear a path for the towering, fiercely masculine man. The bright, cinematic lighting of the room cast sharp shadows across his angular face, highlighting the sheer, unadulterated fury radiating from his eyes.

He reached the center of the room in seconds. He didn't look at the spilled food, and he didn't look at the guests. He dropped to one knee, ignoring the expensive fabric of his trousers against the floor, and gently pulled the trembling five-year-old into his arms.

"I've got you, sweetheart," Aldric murmured, his deep voice softening into a protective, comforting rumble. "Daddy is right here. You're safe."

He carefully pulled Thora’s small hands away from her face, examining the dark red handprint branding her rosy cheek. His jaw locked so tightly that a muscle ticked visibly beneath his skin. He stood up slowly, lifting Thora completely off the ground and settling her securely on his hip, keeping her small body tucked safely behind the broad shield of his chest.

Heloise took a hesitant step forward, forcing a brittle, nervous smile onto her face.

"Aldric, darling, please don't misunderstand," Heloise said rapidly, her hands fluttering in the air. "The girl was misbehaving. She broke a priceless vase this morning, and she was being incredibly disrespectful to the guests. I was simply teaching her a lesson in discipline."

"Discipline?" Aldric repeated. The word sounded like a curse in his mouth.

"Yes, discipline," Heloise insisted, her voice growing sharper as she tried to regain her authority in front of her friends. "She is a difficult child. You spoil her entirely too much. Someone had to step in and provide boundaries while you were across the ocean."

"You put her in a maid's uniform," Aldric stated, his eyes sweeping over the degrading, scratchy fabric covering his daughter.

"It builds character!" Heloise shot back, her fair skin flushing with defensive anger. "My niece Clara knows how to behave at a dinner party. Thora needed to learn that she isn't the center of the universe. She needed to earn her keep under my roof."

"Under your roof?" Aldric asked softly.

He took one slow, deliberate step toward his wife. The sheer physical intimidation of his presence made Heloise stumble backward, her heel catching on the edge of the rug.

"Yes, my roof!" Heloise shrieked, panic beginning to bleed through her arrogance. "I am your wife! I am the lady of this estate! I have the right to govern the children within it!"