Chapter 5 - The Gathering of ShadowsVivien’s hands trembled as she gently helped Elise sit up against the base of the pillar.
"My baby... Vivien, check the baby," Elise choked out, her face deathly pale, tears finally spilling over her lashes as she clutched her stomach.
Vivien quickly pressed her hands to Elise’s pulse, checking her breathing, her eyes scanning her body for any immediate signs of physical trauma. "We are going to the hospital right now. Can you stand? Speak to me, Elise!"
"I'm... I'm okay," Elise breathed, her teeth chattering from shock. "My shoulder took the impact. My stomach... I protected my stomach."
Vivien looked down at the floor. A few feet away lay the sonogram photo, crumpled and stained with brown champagne. She picked it up carefully, her knuckles turning bone-white as sheer, unadulterated fury ignited in her eyes.
She looked toward the ballroom, where Daniel was currently raising a toast with Arthur Vance and Michelle, his booming laughter carrying over the classical string quartet.
"I will kill him," Vivien whispered, her voice dropping into a register so dark and lethal it sounded like an executioner’s oath. "I will call security right now, have his hands broken, and throw him into the river."
"No," Elise said quietly.
Vivien snapped her head around, staring at her in disbelief. "No?! Elise, he assaulted you! He threw his pregnant wife onto a stone floor in front of three hundred people!"
Elise slowly stood up, relying on Vivien’s arm for support. The fragile, timid woman who had cooked short ribs in a suburban kitchen two hours ago was gone. In her place stood a woman whose dark eyes burned with an ancient, terrifying coldness.
She looked down at her swollen, bruised wrist—the red thumb mark left by Daniel’s hand clearly visible against her porcelain skin.
"Physical violence is quick, Vivien," Elise said, her voice dropping into an absolute, chilling calm that made even Vivien shiver. "He thinks he has power because he wears a fancy suit and got a title. He thinks I am a nobody because I didn't boast about my money."
Elise looked straight into the glittering ballroom, her eyes locking onto Daniel’s back.
"He wants to be an executive," Elise murmured smoothly. "He wants to play in the big leagues. So I am going to destroy him using the exact rules he loves so much. I am going to take away his career, his reputation, his freedom, and his future—piece by piece, line by line."
Vivien’s posture straightened instantly. The mother-wolf in her bowed to the sovereign commander.
"What are your orders, Miss Lauron?" Vivien asked formally.
"Call my private medical team to the townhouse to perform a complete ultrasound," Elise commanded, stepping out of the alcove toward the private rear exit where her black armored sedan was waiting. "Then, alert the executive board of Metroline Dynamics. Tell them the mysterious CEO, EV Lauron, will be presiding over tomorrow morning's emergency board meeting in person."
"And the security footage from the ballroom?" Vivien asked, pointing up at the high-definition dome cameras mounted directly above the marble pillar.
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Elise paused by the door, her navy dress rustling softly in the cool night air.
"Copy every single angle," Elise said softly. "HD resolution. Crystal clear audio. Bring it to my study tonight. I want to watch his destruction in four dimensions."
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