Chapter 4 - The Broken Ring|
Mia let out a small, breathless sob, throwing her tiny arms around her mother’s neck as Rosa scrambled forward and pulled her into a tight, desperate embrace.
"Shh, mi amor, I have you," Rosa wept into Mia's hair. "I have you, you're safe."
Adrien didn't glance at the guests, who were now staring at him in stunned paralysis. He looked down at Vanessa.
"Is this who you are?" Adrien asked softly.
"Adrien, don't be dramatic!" Vanessa snapped, pulling herself upright and smoothing her silver dress. "It’s a housekeeper's kid! She shouldn't even be in this wing! I’m three months away from becoming the mistress of this estate, and I will not have my reputation ruined by—"
"You won't be three months away from anything," Adrien interrupted.
Vanessa froze. "What?"
Adrien reached out, grabbed Vanessa's left hand, and unclasped the four-carat emerald-cut diamond ring resting on her finger.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Adrien!" Vanessa shrieked, her face turning pale. "Are you out of your mind?! There are forty reporters outside! My father invested fifty million into your waterfront development project yesterday!"
Adrien didn't hesitate. He dropped the diamond ring into the pocket of his trousers.
"The engagement is over," Adrien said, his voice echoing clearly across the ballroom. "Get out of my house."
"You're ending our wedding over a servant?!" Vanessa screamed, her perfect composure shattering into raw, vicious rage. "She’s a nobody! Her daughter is a nobody!"
"Security," Adrien called out, his eyes never leaving Vanessa’s face.
Two large men in dark suits immediately stepped out from the side doors.
"Escort Miss Cole off the property," Adrien ordered. "If she steps foot on Hastings land again, have her arrested for trespassing."
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"You'll regret this, Adrien!" Vanessa screamed as the security guards took her by the arms. "My father will ruin you! You hear me? He'll ruin you!"
Her voice faded as she was pulled through the front doors, leaving forty high-society guests standing in absolute, suffocating silence.
