Chapter 2 - The Poison in the Crystal
The silence stretched so long that the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer sounded like hammer strikes. Enzo observed the subtle shift in Adeline’s gaze. He didn't miss the way her shoulders tensed, nor did he miss the quick, protective look she threw toward the elderly woman near the ballroom doors.
"I am waiting, Adeline," Enzo said quietly, his voice low enough that only those standing closest could hear.
"I... I acted inappropriately, sir," Adeline murmured, keeping her head bowed. "Miss Ashford is correct. I exceeded my authority."
Camilla sneered, crossing her arms. "You see? She admits it! She’s an insolent, untrained rat. Throw her out on the street, Enzo. Or better yet, let your men teach her how servants ought to behave."
Enzo ignored Camilla entirely. He took a single step toward Adeline, his tall frame blocking her from the scrutiny of the crowd. He reached out, his long fingers gently catching her chin and tilting her face upward until her eyes met his.
"Look at me," Enzo commanded softly.
Adeline looked up. His dark eyes were intelligent, sharp, and entirely devoid of the cruelty she saw in Camilla. There was a calculating intensity behind them that made her feel completely exposed.
"You took the glass because you are stupid?" Enzo asked, his tone flat.
"No, sir."
"You took it because you wanted to embarrass my fiancée?"
"No, sir."
"Then why?"
Adeline swallowed hard. She could feel the gaze of Martha, the seventy-year-old head housekeeper, burning into her back. Martha was the one who had poured that specific bottle of vintage champagne into Camilla’s glass twenty minutes ago. Martha, whose grandson was currently lying in a hospital bed with a debts owed to the Ashford family's loan sharks. If Adeline spoke the truth—that she had seen a strange white powder dissolving at the bottom of that glass just before Camilla raised it to her lips—Martha would pay with her life.
Adeline’s silence was her answer.
Enzo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He released her chin, turned around, and walked toward the center of the hall where the riding crop lay on the floor. He didn't pick it up. Instead, he crushed it beneath the heel of his leather shoe until the wood snapped with a sharp sound.
"The engagement is over," Enzo said casually, as if announcing the weather.
A collective gasp echoed through the grand corridor.
Camilla’s breath hitched. "What? Enzo, what are you saying? You're ending our engagement... over a maid?"
"I am ending this engagement because you lack the composure required to bear my name," Enzo said, his voice cold as iron. "You bring violence into my home, you cause a scene before my associates, and you act like a rabid dog when you lose control."
"Enzo! You can't do this!" Arthur Ashford, Camilla’s father, stepped out from the crowd, his face purple with outrage. "The merger between our shipping lines and your territory is already signed! You need our docks!"
Enzo turned his cold gaze onto Arthur. "I need nothing from a man who cannot discipline his daughter. The contracts are void. Clear your belongings from my house within the hour."
"You're making a war over a servant!" Arthur roared.
"I am making a decision for my family," Enzo replied coldly. He motioned to his head bodyguard, a towering, scarred man named Luca. "Escort Mr. Ashford and his daughter to the gates. If they are still on the property in sixty minutes, put them in the river."
Luca stepped forward, his hand resting casually inside his jacket. "Right this way, Mr. Ashford."
Camilla burst into tears of humiliation and rage, dragging her father by the arm as Luca escorted them down the grand staircase. The two hundred guests watched in stunned silence, realizing that the balance of power in Chicago had just shifted in a matter of seconds.
Enzo turned back to the crowd. His dark eyes swept over the senators, judges, and bosses who had stood by and watched a girl get beaten.
"The party is over," Enzo announced softly. "Get out."
Nobody argued. Within ten minutes, the grand hall was empty, leaving only the servants standing in nervous lines along the walls, waiting for the wrath of their master.
Enzo walked back to Adeline. She was still shivering beneath his heavy coat, her blood staining the white satin lining.
"Luca," Enzo called out without looking back.
, "Boss?"
"Take the glass that was on Miss Ashford's tray to the lab. Check for toxins." Enzo’s eyes stayed fixed on Adeline’s pale face. "And bring the old woman, Martha, to my study."
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Adeline’s eyes widened in panic. "Mr. Marchetti, please! Martha had nothing to do with—"
"You protect people too easily, Adeline," Enzo interrupted quietly. "In this house, that will get you killed. Follow me."
