Chapter 5: The Slap of Retribution
closed the distance across the polished marble floor in mere seconds, his heavy strides eating up the space between them.
Marcus opened his mouth, trying to salvage his bravado, stammering an indignant, “Who the hell do you think you—?”
Before Marcus could utter another syllable, Richard’s arm whipped through the air with astonishing speed. The brutal, deafening backhand slap connected squarely against Marcus’s cheek with the force of a speeding truck. The shockwave of the impact resonated through the hall, sending the young man staggering backward across the slippery marble floor, his expression instantly contorting from shock into pure, paralyzed terror.
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From the top of the staircase, Eleanor let out a sharp, breathless gasp of horror, her aristocratic composure instantly shattering.
Absolute, deafening silence fell over the entire hall. The symphonic music stopped entirely. The guests held their breath. Richard stood tall, his hand still raised, his chest heaving with cold, lethal fury, shielding his daughter from the monster who had dared to harm her.
