Chapter 529
Chapter 529:
The atmosphere below was thick with suppressed tension, every trace of the earlier tea party’s false warmth completely gone. Victoria sat rigid on the sofa, clutching a vial of smelling salts, her face livid. Genevieve — a Lancaster family relative who had always openly favored Belle as the family’s future matriarch — was snapping sharply at a nearby maid, her frustration filling the silence and making the air heavier. Belle sat stiffly at the edge of a sofa, back perfectly straight, eyes deliberately glistening, performing quiet and wounded patience for anyone watching. And Seraphina, stripped of all her earlier arrogance, had gone pale and trembling behind Genevieve, avoiding every gaze in the room.
The moment Grayson appeared at the bottom of the staircase, every eye locked onto him.
Victoria moved first. She dropped the smelling salts and snapped at him with barely restrained fury. “Grayson, have you lost your mind? Letting Isolde occupy the master suite — with Belle here — how does that look? What about this family’s reputation p>
Belle tilted her head at the precise moment, tears brimming, her voice soft and magnanimously forgiving. “Gray, I don’t mind her staying to recover. But the master bedroom is your private space. It simply isn’t appropriate. People will talk p>
Grayson ignored both of them. He moved to the bar cart with unhurried elegance, selected a crystal glass, and poured a measure of amber whiskey. He swirled it gently without sparing anyone a glance. The low, dangerous stillness that radiated from him silenced the room completely.
He took one sip before he spoke, his voice quiet and absolute.
“This estate is solely in my name. Who I allow to stay here, and which room they occupy, is my decision alone. No one else has a say p>
𝘚𝘵𝗈𝗿ie𝗌 𝘆𝗼𝗎 𝘸oո’𝘁 p𝘂𝘵 𝖽o𝘄ո оո
Genevieve bristled. She gripped her cane and brought it down against the marble floor with a sharp crack. “Grayson! You are humiliating Belle in front of this entire family. She is meant to be the future lady of this house. Are you willing to throw that away over a divorced ex-wife p>
Grayson turned slowly. His gaze moved past Genevieve and settled directly on Seraphina, who shrank further behind her.
“Speaking of humiliation,” he said, his tone becoming surgical. “Seraphina. The crystal piece you claimed Effie broke. How much was it worth p>
Seraphina jolted, nearly stumbling out from behind Genevieve. She stammered, her voice shaking. “F-five hundred thousand dollars. It was an antique hand-cut crystal decanter from the French Bourbon Dynasty — a one-of-a-kind collector’s piece p>
Grayson pulled out his phone, scrolled briefly, and held the screen up for the room to see.
“Sotheby’s provenance records and retail receipts show that it is a mass-produced replica purchased last month from a vintage décor shop,” he said, his voice flat. “It is worth two hundred dollars p>
A quiet gasp rippled through the room. Judgmental eyes shifted to Seraphina. Her face drained of all color, her lips moving without forming a word.
Grayson tossed the phone onto the coffee table. The sharp clatter killed the last sound in the room.
“For a two-hundred-dollar reproduction,” he said, “you framed my daughter, frightened her, and humiliated her until her mother spiked a fever and collapsed in front of all of you.” He paused. “Effective immediately, Seraphina Lancaster is banned from every Lancaster property, estate, and business function. She is excluded from all family events. Permanently p>
Seraphina broke. She lunged toward Victoria and seized her arm, her voice cracking into a shriek. “Help me! Tell him to stop! I’m sorry — I won’t do it again — you can’t do this p>
Victoria opened her mouth.