Chapter 2 - A shatter in the crystal
The silence in the grand hall was absolute. Every eye was locked on the corner of the room. The bright, cinematic lighting seemed to catch every tense line on Vincent’s face as he stood beside his elderly mother.
Celeste, standing just a few feet away with a glass of champagne in her hand, did not back down. Her silver gown caught the ambient light, making her look like a statue of ice. She folded her arms across her chest, the diamonds at her neck glittering sharply, and looked Eleanor up and down with utter disgust.
“She’s nothing but a useless freeloader in this family,” Celeste said, her voice dripping with contempt. The words rang out clearly in the quiet room, laced with her sharp, polished American accent.
Vincent did not scream. He did not yell. His terrifying composure remained entirely intact, which only made the air in the room feel heavier. He turned his head slowly, locking his dark eyes onto his sister-in-law.
With deliberate, measured steps, Vincent walked over to the main dining table where Celeste’s untouched gourmet plate was sitting. It was a lavish spread of roasted pheasant, caviar, and delicate winter vegetables. Vincent picked up the heavy porcelain plate. He walked back to the dog feeding area, tipped the plate sideways, and dumped the entire gourmet meal directly into the bowl of dog food.
Then, in a flash of movement so fast the eye could barely track it, Vincent turned and struck Celeste.
He slapped her hard across the face. The force of the blow lifted her off her designer heels, sending her crashing backward into the grand dining table. The impact was massive. The heavy mahogany table broke apart under the sudden force. Crystal champagne flutes, porcelain plates, and silver cutlery went flying everywhere in a spectacular shower of luxury. Silver platters clattered loudly against the marble floor.
Guests gasped, stepping back in shock.
Celeste lay in the ruins of the feast, entirely covered in roasted food, spilled wine, and shattered crystal. There was no blood, no graphic injury, but the absolute devastation of her pride was total. The beautiful, untouchable sister-in-law was reduced to a humiliated mess on the floor, her silver gown stained and ruined.
Vincent stood perfectly still, his black tuxedo unwrinkled, his gold cufflinks catching the light. He stared down at her, waiting.
Celeste pushed herself up from the wreckage. Her fair skin was flushed crimson with fury and supreme humiliation. She swiped a piece of food from her shoulder, her hands trembling with rage.
“If you humiliate me one more time,” Celeste hissed in a low, threatening voice, “I’ll tell him what you did to your father.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and lethal.
Vincent slowly turned away from Celeste and looked down at Eleanor.
For the first time in his entire life, the fiercely intelligent, unflappable matriarch of the Belladonna family looked genuinely afraid. Eleanor’s rosy complexion drained entirely of color. Her small, frail hands gripped the pearl necklace at her throat.
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“Vincent…” Eleanor whispered softly, her voice shaking in a way he had never heard before. “Who told her about that?”
Vincent’s expression hardened into a mask of pure, unyielding stone. The foundation of his entire world had just cracked open, not because of what Celeste had threatened, but because his mother had just confirmed it was real.
