Chapter 5
The threat was delivered with such terrifying, casual elegance that the oxygen seemed to completely evaporate from the dining room. Vivienne Shaw collapsed back into her chair, her sculpted satin gown rustling loudly in the deadly silence. She stared up at Nathaniel, the handsome, movie-star features of her former fiancé now looking like the mask of a merciless executioner.
"Please," Vivienne choked out, the word barely a ragged breath. All her ambition, all her quietly controlling arrogance, had been completely incinerated in less than three minutes.
Nathaniel didn't offer a single shred of pity. He turned his head slightly, his perceptive eyes locking onto the heavy mahogany doors at the end of the dining room.
As if on cue, the doors swung open silently. Two massive, suited bodyguards stepped into the bright, luminous light of the room. They didn't wear earpieces, and they carried no visible weapons, but their presence was undeniably lethal. They walked directly toward Vivienne’s chair.
"Escort her out," Nathaniel ordered smoothly, sitting back down and casually adjusting the cuffs of his tailored suit. "She is permitted to take the clothes on her back. Everything else remains. If she attempts to return to the estate, you have my authorization to bury her."
Vivienne didn't scream this time. The absolute shock had paralyzed her vocal cords. As the two men grabbed her firmly by the upper arms and hoisted her out of the chair, she simply stared at the massive diamond engagement ring on her finger. She frantically twisted it off, letting it fall onto the table with a sharp clink, desperate to appease the monster she had awakened.
The guards dragged her backward out of the dining room, her heels dragging uselessly across the expensive carpet. The heavy doors slammed shut behind her, finalizing her exile.
The engagement dinner had suddenly become a quiet, tension-filled wake.
Nathaniel reached out, picked up the discarded engagement ring, and dropped it carelessly into a nearby empty water glass. It sank to the bottom with a quiet clink. He turned his attention back to the woman and the child still frozen beside him.
Lily hadn't moved an inch. She stood tall in her sophisticated black maid dress, her hand still resting protectively over Sophie's. The tears had stopped falling, but her chest he heave slightly as she processed the extreme violence of the power dynamic she had just witnessed.
"Lily," Nathaniel said gently, the deep, rumbling timber of his voice shifting from lethal executioner back to a quiet, controlled warmth.
"Yes, Mr. Cross," Lily replied, her voice shaking only slightly.
"Take Sophie to the east wing sitting room. Sit by the fire," Nathaniel instructed, his eyes softening as he looked at his daughter. "I will join you in a moment."
"Come along, sweetie," Lily murmured, gently tugging the child’s hand.
Sophie didn't hesitate. She scrambled down from her high-backed chair, her tiny flats hitting the floor. She didn't look at the empty seat across the table. She grabbed Lily’s hand tightly and allowed the maid to lead her quickly out of the dining room through the side door.
Once they were gone, Nathaniel turned his attention to the silent, terrified guests who were still sitting frozen at the sprawling mahogany table.
May you like
"The engagement is off," Nathaniel announced to the room at large, picking up his wine glass. "Please, continue your dinner. We have a lot of business to discuss tonight regarding the port expansions."
A collective, silent exhale rippled through the room. The capos and politicians immediately picked up their forks, the polite murmur of conversation resuming as if a woman hadn't just been violently banished from their ranks. In their world, survival meant adapting instantly to the whims of the boss.
