Chapter 6 - The Desperate Flight
Panic seized Victoria Sterling’s mind like an icy claw, obliterating the last shreds of her aristocratic composure.
She looked at Salvatore’s approaching shadow, then darted her eyes toward the towering glass doors leading to the foyer.
Beyond those double doors lay the driveway, her idling limousine, and her only chance of surviving the night.
She knew the terrifying reach of the Delacroix family and the ruthless fate awaiting anyone who harmed their bloodline.
Without attempting another pathetic lie, Victoria gathered the crimson silk of her long gown in both hands.
She spun on her black high heels and bolted across the polished marble floor toward the ballroom exit.
Her heels clattered frantically against the stone, the sound echoing sharply against the stunned silence of the crowd.
Salvatore reacted with the blinding, lethal speed that had kept him alive through decades of mob warfare.
He cut across the open floor with three long, explosive strides, completely anticipating her escape vector.
Just as Victoria reached the edge of the holiday display, Salvatore’s towering figure materialized directly in her path.
She gasped, unable to stop her momentum, and raised her manicured hands to violently shove past his chest.
Salvatore did not flinch; his muscular frame absorbed her desperate push as if she were a gust of wind.
Instead of striking her, his heavy hands gripped her shoulders and delivered a single, decisive, defensive shove.
The sheer force of his counteraction launched Victoria backward across the glossy marble surface.
Her heels lost traction on the slick floor, her crimson gown tangling around her slender legs.
She cried out in genuine terror as her body hurtled uncontrollably toward the enormous Christmas gift table.
The guests scattered in every direction, desperate to avoid becoming collateral damage in the mafia boss's retribution.
Salvatore stood completely still, his chest rising and falling with measured, lethal control as she fell.
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He did not pursue her further, keeping his position strictly anchored between the fleeing woman and his wounded daughter.
His primary purpose was containment and protection, a wall of pure iron guarding the broken girl behind him.
