Chapter 5
The silence in the grand dining room was absolute, shattered only by the faint, whimpering gasps of Heloise on the floor. The bright, neutral white light illuminated the blood staining her fair, rosy skin and the ruined silk of her elegant evening gown. The wealthy American guests were entirely paralyzed, their eyes wide with profound shock. To witness a man of Aldric’s refined, movie-star demeanor deliver such a brutal, calculated strike was a paradigm-shifting event.
"Oh my God!" one of Heloise’s aunts finally shrieked, breaking the spell. She scrambled out of her mahogany chair, her pearls clattering against her chest. "Someone call the police! He’s lost his mind!"
Aldric slowly turned his head. His cold, intimidating gaze swept across the room, silencing the panicked woman instantly.
"Nobody touches a phone," Aldric commanded. His American accent was crisp, authoritative, and completely devoid of panic. He pointed a firm finger toward the grand double doors of the foyer. "Every single person who sat at this table and watched my daughter carry water like a servant has exactly two minutes to vacate my property. If you are still in this house when the clock strikes eight, I will physically throw you through the front windows."
"You can't do this, Aldric!" Heloise’s brother yelled, standing up from his chair, though he notably kept a safe distance. "This is Heloise's house! You have no right!"
"Get out!" Aldric roared, the sheer, explosive volume of his voice shaking the crystal chandelier above the table.
The guests didn't need another warning. The sheer physical dominance Aldric projected was terrifying. Men and women in expensive dinner clothing scrambled frantically away from the table, practically trampling over each other to reach the front door. The favored cousin, the eight-year-old girl in the pink party dress, burst into tears and ran after her parents, leaving her cake half-eaten on the table.
Within ninety seconds, the dining room was completely empty, save for Aldric, Thora, and Heloise, who was slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position on the hardwood floor.
"You bastard," Heloise spat, holding a napkin to her bleeding nose. Her eyes burned with toxic hatred. "My father is going to destroy you. You will be penniless by morning."
"We will see about that," Aldric replied coldly.
He turned his back on her, completely dismissing her existence. He walked back to Thora, who was standing by the wall, her blue eyes wide as she watched her father clear the room.
"Come here, sweetheart," Aldric said softly, dropping to one knee again. He reached out and gently pulled the stiff, degrading maid’s apron over Thora's head, tossing it in disgust onto the floor. "You are never wearing this trash again."
"Are we leaving, Daddy?" Thora asked, her small voice trembling.
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"No, baby. We are staying right here," Aldric promised, scooping her up into his strong arms. He rested her head against his shoulder. "But first, we are going upstairs, and you are going to put on your favorite pajamas, and you are going to sleep in your own big, warm bed."
Aldric carried his daughter out of the dining room, stepping directly over Heloise’s legs as if she were nothing more than an inconvenient piece of furniture. He left his wife bleeding in the bright, cinematic light of the empty hall, walking toward the grand staircase to reclaim his child’s dignity.
