Chapter 3: The Cradled Truth
Ethan didn't just run; he threw himself down the final corridor, sliding on his knees across the polished white stone until he reached Chloe’s side. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped animal as he gently, reverently cradled her head in his lap.
"Chloe... hold on. I've got you. Please, look at me," Ethan choked out, his voice breaking into a desperate sob as he used his silk handkerchief to press against the wound on her temple, his hands instantly becoming stained with her blood. "Call an ambulance! Someone call a medical team right now!"
Hearing the agonizing screams of the empire's sole heir, dozens of elite guests, corporate board members, and high-ranking security personnel flooded out of the ballroom, gasping in absolute horror as they surrounded the base of the staircase.
Sienna, trapped by the sudden influx of onlookers, was forced to walk slowly down the marble steps, her face a translucent shade of ash-grey as she tried to perform an expression of innocent shock. "Oh my god... Ethan, what happened? Did she... did she slip? The stairs are so slick tonight, she must have lost her balance in those high heels."
Ethan didn't look up at Sienna, his focus entirely consumed by the faint, shallow breathing of the woman in his arms. But just as Sienna stepped onto the final landing, believing her lie was holding ground, a quiet voice spoke up from the crowd.
"She didn't slip."
The voice belonged to Marcus, the estate’s veteran head of security, who was standing near the grand entrance holding a high-definition tactical tablet. He walked forward, his heavy boots clicking with a slow, deliberate, and terrifyingly steady rhythm against the marble.
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"Mr. Vance," Marcus announced, his voice an icicle of absolute professional neutrality as he held up the screen for Ethan and the entire assembly of billionaires to see. "The primary foyer camera was blocked by the floral arrangement, but our secondary biometric scanning mirror on the upper balcony recorded the entire interaction in high-definition reflection."
Ethan slowly raised his head, his dark eyes flashing with a lethal, predatory intensity that made the surrounding atmosphere instantly plummet to absolute zero. He looked at the tablet screen, watching the clear, undeniable footage of Sienna’s silver-clad arm reaching out and violently shoving Chloe into the abyss.
