Chapter 4
Vanessa’s back was pressed hard against the ornate ivory wall panels, her eyes darting frantically around the luxurious room for an escape that did not exist. The heavy silk curtains were drawn tight, and the only exit was blocked by Ethan's imposing, broad-shouldered frame. The diamond engagement ring she wore suddenly felt less like a crown and more like a shackle pulling her toward the abyss.
"Ethan, you have to listen to me," Vanessa pleaded, her voice cracking. "She's insane. She went down there to hide because she's losing her mind. I was only trying to protect your reputation!"
"Did you protect my reputation by sliding an engagement ring onto your finger while my wife starved in the dark?" Ethan asked. His cold eyes swept over the luxurious satin of her gown, a stark contrast to the worn dress he had briefly glimpsed through the brass floor vent.
"She was weak!" Vanessa shouted, her desperation morphing into a vicious, cornered anger. "She couldn't handle your world, Ethan! She was always crying, always begging you to leave the business! I am strong enough to stand beside a king! I did this for you!"
"Did I ever ask you to curate my life for me?" Ethan inquired, his voice utterly devoid of emotion. "Do you think I wanted a queen who builds her throne on the bones of the innocent?"
On the floor, Lucy continued to speak softly into the brass vent, her white collar pristine against the dark wood of the floor. "Please hold on, Mrs. Blackwell. We are going to get you out."
"Lucy," Claire’s voice floated up, fragile but laced with a sudden, desperate urgency. "The guards... she paid the two guards at the kitchen door. They know I am down here."
Ethan’s jaw tightened. The implication that his own men had been bought under his own roof was a betrayal that warranted an immediate, bloody execution. He looked at Vanessa, who was now weeping openly, ruining her immaculate makeup.
"Are my own soldiers taking orders from you now?" Ethan asked, taking a step so close to Vanessa that she could feel the heat radiating from his chest. "Did you buy their loyalty with my money?"
"I had to!" Vanessa sobbed, sliding down the wall slightly. "You were so obsessed with finding her those first few weeks! I had to make sure the cellar remained strictly off-limits! They were only following my instructions!"
"Do you value your life, Vanessa?" Ethan asked, his deep voice dropping to a terrifying whisper as he looked down at her.
Vanessa nodded frantically, tears streaming down her fair, rosy skin. "Yes! Please, Ethan! I love you!"
"Then will you carefully reach into the pocket of your gown and hand me the key?" Ethan asked, his perceptive eyes locking onto the slight, unnatural bulge hidden in the folds of her sculpted satin dress.
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Trembling uncontrollably, Vanessa reached into the hidden pocket of her gown. She pulled out a heavy, antique iron key and held it out. Ethan did not snatch it. He took it from her shaking hand with slow, measured grace, his cold eyes never leaving her face.
"Will you wait right here until I return?" Ethan asked, turning his back on her.
