Chapter 3 - The Engagement Dinner
I stared at the photographs, my mind racing to process the obsessive truth hidden in Nikolai's words.
He had been watching me, studying me, and waiting patiently in the shadows for half a decade.
"You are insane," I whispered, dropping the pictures back onto the table.
Nikolai gently tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet his intense, unwavering gaze.
"I am thorough, Evelyn, and I protect what belongs to me," he corrected softly.
The next evening, Nikolai demanded we attend a mandatory family dinner at the sprawling Moretti estate.
I wore a stunning black silk dress, a silent declaration of war against my sister's pathetic white gown.
We walked into the lavish dining room to find Julian and Serena already seated, looking miserable and terrified.
Serena was wearing the cheap diamond ring Julian had given her, but she couldn't stop staring at the massive, flawless emerald on my finger.
My parents were conspicuously absent, entirely exiled by Nikolai's strict orders.
The tension in the room was suffocating as the servants poured dark red wine into our crystal goblets.
"I hope you are happy, Evelyn," Serena sneered across the table, unable to contain her bitterness.
"You always did know how to manipulate men into feeling sorry for you."
Before I could respond, Serena reached for her wine glass and intentionally tipped it forward.
The dark red liquid flew across the table, aimed directly at my expensive silk dress.
In a blur of motion, Nikolai reached out and caught Serena's wrist mid-air with crushing force.
The glass shattered in her hand, spilling the wine harmlessly onto the mahogany table.
Serena screamed in pain, but Nikolai's expression remained perfectly calm and utterly terrifying.
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"I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Nikolai said, staring directly into Julian's panic-stricken eyes.
"Because my men watched you slip cyanide into the decanter exactly ten minutes ago."
