Chapter 6 - The Architect of Agony
"The bad lady?" Damian asked, his voice dropping into a dark, terrifying register. The warmth in his eyes completely evaporated, replaced by a cold, murderous intent that made the air around him crackle with danger. "Who was the bad lady, sweetheart?"
Mia shrank back slightly, intimidated by the sudden shift in the man's energy. She clutched the remaining piece of cake against her chest. Her terrified eyes darted past Damian's broad shoulders, looking into the crowd of wealthy guests.
Her gaze locked instantly onto the woman in the burgundy silk gown standing just a few feet away.
Mia let out a high-pitched, terrified whimper, instantly dropping the cake onto the marble floor. She scrambled backward, hiding completely behind Damian’s massive frame, clutching his navy blue tuxedo jacket with her dirty, trembling hands.
"Her!" Mia cried out in pure terror, pointing a tiny finger from behind his back. "She's the bad lady! She locked me in the cold room for forever! Please don't let her put me back in the dark!"
Damian completely froze.
He slowly turned his head. His lethal, piercing gaze landed entirely on Eleanor.
The wealthy matriarch's face had completely drained of blood. Her heavy diamond earrings shook violently as she took a panicked, stumbling step backward. Her arrogant sneer was entirely gone, replaced by sheer, suffocating horror.
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Eleanor had set the fire. Eleanor had murdered her own daughter to seize control of the billion-dollar trust fund. And she had locked her own granddaughter in a hidden cellar for three years, starving her in the dark until the child somehow managed to escape tonight.
👉 The matriarch realized her horrific secret was exposed, and she was about to make a desperate, fatal mistake to save herself.
