"Everyone expected Nico to defend himself after Camille struck him, but instead, his quiet nurse stopped the next slap—and exposed a secret that could destroy him.

The silence that gripped the grand foyer was so absolute that the falling of a single rose petal could have been heard across the room.

Marcus’s jaw dropped, his eyes bulging as he took an involuntary step backward. Camille let out a choked, strangled gasp, stumbling back until her heels caught on her silk gown, nearly falling to the floor.

Nico stood at his full height of six-foot-two. Broad, imposing, and towering over every person in the room, his white shirt stretched tight across his shoulders. He adjusted his cuffs casually, his posture flawless, his dark eyes radiating a cold, lethal authority that made the air in the room feel instantly frigid.

"You..." Marcus stammered, his hand holding the gun shaking violently. "You... you can't walk! Sterling said your spine was decayed!"

"Sterling is a gambler who sold his soul for three million dollars," Nico said, his voice deep and echoing off the vaulted ceilings. He took one smooth, deliberate step forward. Then another.

With every step Nico took, Marcus backed away in terror.

"Gabe," Nico called out softly.

The heavy double front doors of the mansion burst open. Gabe walked in, flanked by twelve armed, heavily armored syndicate soldiers loyal to Nico's late father. Behind them, two police officers walked into the foyer, leading a handcuffed Dr. Sterling between them.

Dr. Sterling was pale, his glasses crooked, sobbing pitifully. "I'm sorry, Marcus! They caught me at my clinic! They have the financial logs and the poison samples!"

Camille began to shake uncontrollably, looking frantically around the room for an escape route, but two of Gabe’s men stepped behind her, blocking the exits.

"You thought I was broken, Marcus," Nico said, coming to a stop three feet away from his cousin, looking down at the barrel of the gun Marcus was pointing at him. "You thought if you poisoned my blood every afternoon, I would quietly sign away my father's legacy and let you throw me into an asylum."

"I'll kill you!" Marcus screamed, his finger tightening on the trigger in a blind panic. "I'll kill you right now!"

Before Marcus could pull the trigger, Nico moved with terrifying speed.

He caught Marcus's wrist, twisting it upward with a bone-cracking force that made Marcus scream in agony. The gun clattered onto the marble floor. In one fluid motion, Nico slammed his elbow into Marcus's jaw, sending his cousin crashing face-first into the glass display table, shattering it into a thousand sparkling pieces.

Marcus lay bleeding on the floor, groaning in pain, unable to rise.

Nico stepped over his cousin's body, his polished shoe resting lightly on Marcus's neck. He turned his gaze toward Camille, who was trembling violently against the staircase railing.

"And you, Camille," Nico said softly, taking a step toward her. "You wanted to hear the sound of something breaking when you struck me?"

"Nico... please!" Camille sobbed, dropping to her knees on the marble stairs, clutching at his trousers. "I was forced into this! Marcus threatened me! He threatened my family! I love you, Nico! Please, remember our wedding!"

Nico looked down at her with pure, unadulterated disgust.

"The engagement is off," Nico said, his voice flat and final. "Gabe, take her and Marcus into custody. Hand them over to Federal Prosecutor Vance along with the evidence Adeline secured from my study."

Gabe stepped forward, hauling Camille to her feet as she shrieked and cried, her glamorous red gown ruined as she was dragged out of the foyer alongside Marcus and Sterling.

Nico turned to face the thirty distinguished guests standing frozen in the ballroom doorway. He raised his champagne glass from a nearby tray, holding it high.

"The party is over," Nico announced calmly. "Thank you all for coming."

Without another word, the guests scrambled for the doors, terrified of being caught in the aftermath of the bloodbath.

Within ten minutes, the grand foyer was empty, save for the shattered glass, the scattered roses, and two people standing near the center of the hall.

Nico turned to face Adeline.

The adrenaline that had sustained him through the confrontation began to fade, and he swayed slightly, his leg muscles trembling from the sudden, massive strain.

Adeline stepped forward instantly, catching him by the waist, wrapping his broad arm over her shoulder to support his weight.

"I've got you," she whispered, her face buried against his chest, her heart pounding with a mixture of overwhelming relief and exhaustion. "I've got you, Nico."

Nico wrapped his arm tight around her, pulling her close against his heart. He rested his forehead against hers, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

"You stopped her slap," Nico whispered softly, his hand gently stroking her dark hair. "No one has ever protected me before, Adeline."