Chapter 5 - The Clearing of the Room
Preston collapsed back into his velvet chair, his legs suddenly unable to support his weight. The aura of entitlement that had surrounded him all evening had completely vanished, replaced by the crushing realization that his father’s wealth and influence meant nothing against the man standing before him.
“Please,” Preston whimpered, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. “Elena... I’m sorry. I swear to God, I didn't know you were his wife. If I had known—”
“If you had known, you wouldn't have treated me differently because of who my husband is,” I interrupted, my voice steady and cold. “You would have just chosen a different victim who didn't have a powerful last name.”
Preston flinched. He had no defense for that because it was the absolute truth.
Dominic looked around at the remaining five men sitting at the table—the friends who had cheered, filmed, and laughed while I was being humiliated. Every single one of them lowered their eyes, staring desperately at their shoes, terrified that Dominic’s gaze would land on them next.
“Listen to me very carefully,” Dominic told the table, his voice carrying across the silent restaurant. “Every phone at this table that recorded what happened tonight is going on that silver tray. Right now.”
Without hesitation, all five men scrambled to pull their phones from their pockets, dumping them onto the silver platter like offerings to an ancient god.
“Frank,” Dominic instructed without turning.
“Yes, Mr. Vale?”
“Wipe every device, smash the backup chips, and make sure the cloud uploads are scrubbed clean. If a single frame of my wife ends up online, I will hold every single person at this table personally responsible.”
“Consider it done, Mr. Vale,” Frank replied, signaling two security guards to collect the tray.
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Dominic then turned back to me, his fierce expression instantly softening into something warm and tender. He reached out, taking my shaking hand in his, and kissed my knuckles gently.
“Let’s go home, Elena,” he whispered.
