Chapter 2 - The Impossible Door
The silence in the grand ballroom was absolute and terrifying.
Dante stared at my bruised face. His dark, piercing eyes didn't show pity; they showed the cold, calculating fury of an apex predator realizing violence had occurred inside his own fortress.
Before I could even open my mouth, Victoria stepped forward quickly, smoothly sliding her hand onto Dante’s muscular arm, desperately trying to control the narrative.
"She walked into the conservatory door this morning, darling," Victoria interrupted quickly, her voice dripping with fake, pitying concern. "I told her she needs to be more careful when she's dusting the glass. The poor girl is just clumsy."
I looked down at the floor, biting my lip. I didn't say a word. I knew exactly what Victoria was capable of if I exposed her lie.
Dante didn't look at his wife. He didn't even acknowledge her hand on his arm.
He continued to stare directly into my bruised face. A tight, extreme close-up captured the lethal shift in Dante's expression. The calm billionaire completely vanished, violently replaced by a man who had built an empire by seeing through deception.
"The conservatory?" Dante repeated, his voice dropping into a dark, demonic whisper.
He slowly turned his head to look at Victoria. The sheer, freezing suspicion in his eyes made her physically flinch.
Dante leaned forward, bringing his face inches from mine.
"Julia," Dante asked, his voice echoing off the crystal chandelier. "Who are you protecting?"
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Victoria looked absolutely shocked, her arrogant face contorting in sudden, unadulterated anger.
👉 Dante knew Victoria was lying for one simple reason, and it was about to shatter her entire world.
