Chapter 4
The medium wide shot of the dining room captured the suffocating tension perfectly. The gentle golden warmth of the crystal chandeliers illuminated the tears rapidly gathering in Nora’s eyes. Her fair, rosy skin was pale, her chin trembling uncontrollably as the freezing cold radiating from her core finally broke her formidable resolve.
Nora held Alexander’s gaze. She saw the terrifying, deeply masculine power radiating from him, but beneath the cold, perceptive eyes, she saw an unwavering demand for the truth. She remembered the sheer, suffocating darkness of the walk-in flower cooler. She remembered the bitter, freezing air biting into her lungs, the desperate pounding on the heavy insulated door, and Vivienne’s cruel laughter echoing from the other side.
"Is the water story the truth, Nora?" Alexander asked, his voice dropping into a register so low it vibrated against the mahogany table.
Nora’s chest hitched. Her inner brows lifted helplessly. A single tear broke free, spilling over her delicate cheekbones.
“She locked me with the flowers,” Nora confessed.
Her voice was incredibly fragile and breathless, breaking the silence of the room like a shattering crystal glass. The words were a quiet, devastating detonation.
A collective, stifled gasp rippled through the seated guests. Locking a human being inside a commercial refrigeration unit was not a domestic correction; it was an act of torture.
Alexander’s expression became completely still. The subtle, conversational engagement vanished entirely, replaced by the lethal, calculating stillness of an apex predator.
He moved.
Without a word, Alexander rose from his velvet dining chair. His towering, broad-shouldered frame dominated the space. He reached up, his tattooed hands moving with deliberate precision, and unbuttoned his tailored dark suit jacket. He slipped the heavy, expensive wool garment off his shoulders.
He turned toward Nora. With surprising, profound gentleness that contrasted violently with his lethal reputation, Alexander draped the warm, heavy suit jacket over Nora’s trembling shoulders. The dark fabric completely enveloped her slim fitted silhouette, instantly providing a barrier against the cold.
"Are you beginning to thaw?" Alexander asked softly, his eyes searching her pale, beautiful face.
Nora nodded numbly, pulling the lapels of his jacket tightly together over her chest, inhaling the faint, masculine scent of expensive cologne and power.
May you like
Alexander stepped forward, positioning his body entirely between Nora and the rest of the room. He stood like an impenetrable fortress, physically shielding the shivering housemaid. He then turned his cold, calculating gaze directly across the table, locking eyes with the woman who wore his engagement ring.
"Did you think I would not find out?" Alexander asked, his voice echoing in the bright, luminous room.
