Chapter 7
The grand foyer of the estate was quiet, the heavy silence contrasting sharply with the bright, cinematic daylight still pouring through the massive front windows. Aldric descended the sweeping mahogany staircase, his polished shoes making slow, deliberate sounds against the wood. His button-down shirt was slightly wrinkled from carrying his daughter, but his deeply masculine, intimidating presence remained absolute.
He found Heloise in the drawing-room. She was sitting on a plush velvet sofa, holding an ice pack to her swollen, bruised face. Her elegant evening gown was still stained with red wine. She looked up as Aldric entered, her eyes burning with a toxic mixture of fear and pure, vindictive hatred.
"My lawyer is already drawing up the papers, Aldric," Heloise spat, her American accent nasal and slurred due to her injured nose. "You are going to jail for assault. And I am going to take full custody of Thora just to spite you. I will send her to a boarding school in Switzerland, and you will never see her again."
Aldric did not raise his voice. He calmly walked over to the antique liquor cabinet, poured himself two fingers of scotch, and took a slow sip. He turned to face her, leaning casually against the polished wood.
"You are not taking my daughter anywhere, Heloise," Aldric stated, his voice a low, cold hum. "And your lawyer is currently having a very difficult time accessing your accounts."
Heloise lowered the ice pack, her fair skin paling. "What are you talking about?"
"You always believed that your father’s wealth gave you the right to treat people like garbage," Aldric said, taking another measured sip of his drink. "You flaunted that prenuptial agreement like a shield. You thought you owned this house. You thought you owned me."
"I do own this house!" Heloise shrieked, standing up from the sofa. "My family paid for the estate! It is in my name!"
"Your family financed it through the Vanguard Investment Group," Aldric corrected her softly. A slow, chilling, and dangerous smile spread across his handsome face. "Did you ever bother to look into who owns Vanguard, Heloise?"
Heloise froze. Her mind raced, trying to connect the dots. The bright colors of the room seemed to blur as a horrifying realization began to dawn on her.
"I own Vanguard," Aldric stated, dropping the bombshell with absolute, terrifying precision. "I own the holding company that owns your father's bank. I bought out your family's debt three years ago. You don't own this house, Heloise. You have been living in my house as a guest. And your father's entire financial empire is currently sitting in the palm of my hand."
"You... you're lying," Heloise stammered, stumbling backward until the back of her knees hit the sofa. She collapsed onto the velvet cushions. "My father is a billionaire! You are just a real estate developer!"
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"I am many things," Aldric murmured, setting his glass down. He walked slowly toward her, his towering frame casting a long shadow over her cowering form. "But above all else, I am Thora's father. And you just gave me every reason in the world to crush your family into dust."
Before Heloise could even attempt to process the catastrophic destruction of her reality, the sound of heavy, synchronized footsteps echoed from the grand foyer. Marcus and a team of six heavily armed, professional security men strode into the drawing-room.
