Chapter 8 - The Aftermath of the Dinner
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The ballroom erupted into sheer, unadulterated chaos. The string quartet packed their instruments and fled. The wealthy guests, smelling the blood in the water and realizing the Bennett family was officially a sinking ship, began rushing for the coat check to distance themselves from the scandal.
Vanessa shoved past her mother, her face blotchy and red. She grabbed Ethan’s arm, but Ethan pulled away.
“Ethan!” Vanessa cried. “Do something! Call your father, he can loan us the money!”
Ethan Shaw looked at Vanessa, then at the trash bin where the Moretti contract lay discarded among half-eaten bread rolls. He wasn't stupid. His family’s wealth was built on avoiding bad investments.
“Your family is insolvent, Vanessa?” Ethan asked, his voice cold. “You told me the Moretti deal was already finalized weeks ago. You lied to me.”
“It’s a technicality! He’s just throwing a tantrum over Nora!” Vanessa shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at her sister.
“He’s not throwing a tantrum, he’s destroying you,” Ethan corrected quietly. He unpinned the boutonniere from his tuxedo lapel and dropped it on the floor. “The engagement is off. Don't call me.”
Vanessa let out a guttural scream, sinking to her knees in her twenty-thousand-dollar dress. Celeste rushed to her, sobbing hysterically, screaming at Norah that she had ruined their lives.
Norah stood frozen, overwhelmed by the sudden, violent collapse of her family’s entire facade. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.
Adrien pulled her firmly against his side, shielding her from her mother’s venom. His security team moved in, forming a flawless, impenetrable wall of broad shoulders and tailored suits between Norah and the Bennetts.
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“Don't look at them,” Adrien whispered in her ear, his breath warm and steady. “They aren't your family anymore. I am.”
He led her out through the kitchen doors, bypassing the paparazzi waiting out front. They stepped out into the freezing sleet of the alleyway, where a line of three black, armored Maybachs was already waiting, engines purring like caged beasts.
