Chapter 3: The Broken Lineage
"Leo... oh God, Leo, you're alive," Chloe stammered, her arrogant voice instantly cracking into a pathetic, high-pitched whine as she backed away from the chair. She reached out, trying to touch his decorated sleeve. "Darling, listen to me, she was trespassing! She’s an opportunist trying to ruin the family gala—"
"If you touch my uniform, or my wife, ever again, I will personally ensure you spend the rest of your life behind bars," Leo whispered. His voice wasn't a shout, but the sheer, lethal vibration of his tone made the private security guards at the door instinctively step back, refusing to interfere with a furious Marine.
Leo dropped to one knee in front of the velvet chair, completely ignoring the five hundred elite guests staring at them. He threw his large arms around Clara, pulling her fragile frame against his chest, his large hand gently cradling her pregnant stomach. "Clara, look at me. I'm right here. You're safe now. The deployment is over."
Clara sobbed violently into his shoulder, her fingers gripping the brass buttons of his dress uniform. "She... she shoved me, Leo... she threatened our baby..."
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The arrogant socialite and the furious Marine stood face to face, a deadly reckoning crashing the party. Leo stood up, placing himself entirely between his wife and the toxic hostess. He looked down at his aunt with a cold, unyielding disgust that completely destroyed her high-society confidence.
"You talk about family blood, Chloe?" Leo said, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "The only pure blood in this room is the woman holding my child. Tomorrow morning, my legal team will be executing an audit on the Vance Family Foundation. I know about the offshore accounts you've been draining to pay for this mansion. Your free ride is permanently over."
